BY HANNAH GRAHAM

Exam season is starting again as young people across the country begin their GCSEs.

The new exam styles have brought on new stresses to teachers and pupils and new struggles for already fragileminded teenagers.

Mental health is such a current issue that many schools are doing all they can to ensure that their pupils stay above water during exam times and don’t get too stressed out with pressure.

Some schools, however, do not keep a close-enough eye on pupils’ mental health during this busy time and only offer counselling to students who ask for it, not to students who are obviously trying to ignore problems.

I believe that tutors should closely monitor their students’ behaviour and ensure that their mental health doesn’t take a dive as they become stressed.

There are many youth groups running projects to monitor and offer help to young people suffering from stress or other issues, however there are not a great deal of adults, particularly those working in schools, taking precautionary measures.

Studies have shown that mental health in young people is a bigger issue now that it ever has been, suggesting that the newer, more difficult GCSEs are taking their toll on young people.

This has yet to be recognised by exam officials which is resulting in scores of young people having issues later in life due to mental health issues that sprouted in their school years but were never addressed.