“Tests make my belly hurt”

Here’s how Tie-Dye Drama worked with students during Mental Health Awareness and Testing Weeks.

In honour of the recently celebrated British Sandwich Week, Tie-Dye Drama presents…

A student state-of-mind sandwich

2023’s Mental Health Awareness Week ran from 15th- 21st May with a focus on anxiety.

Somewhat ironically, the week was sandwiched (yep, that’s the link) between Year 2 and 6 SATs and the still ongoing secondary school examinations. Within educational settings, Mental Health Awareness Week symbolised a measly filling between two hefty slices of anxiety and stress. The Year 6 SATs reading paper has gained particular attention and criticism. The National Association of Head Teachers stated their concern about the accessibility of the reading paper, whilst a head teacher commented that the test has had “the most negative impact on our children that we have ever experienced.  Tears flowed from our most capable readers and stress levels rose among all others”.

Education, Education, Education

In the United Kingdom, exams have been a longstanding tradition.  They serve as a very specific assessment and academic progress tool, often at the expense of students’ mental health. 

It is no surprise that the pressure, fear of failure and expectations surrounding exams cause heightened stress and anxiety amongst students. In 2020, YoungMinds surveyed young people and their feelings towards exams. Approximately 83% felt that exams negatively affected their mental well-being and 67% felt that there was not enough support available to help them cope with exam-related stress.

Exams: Fight, Flight… or a down right Fright?

For this year’s Mental Health Awareness week, Tie-Dye Drama themed their drama workshops around anxiety. We used art and drama to delve into the topic. Sure enough, the topic of exams, school testing and “getting the answer right” surfaced. We unpicked these feelings, using activities involving movement and music to explore where and how anxiety is felt within our bodies. We used drama role-play to re-enact and make sense of Fight, Flight or Freeze responses. These activities served the purpose of beginning to understand and create awareness surrounding anxiety. By becoming aware of our body’s reactions, we can then learn tools and techniques to help ourselves and others. We used drawing and art to represent the anxiety and then discussed different techniques that could help. At the end of the session, groups presented back drama scenes showing various responses to anxiety-inducing situations.

Fight Flight Freeze – A Guide to Anxiety for Kids: Anxiety Canada

Mental Health Awareness isn’t just for a week

This content and theme is not one that we solely reserve for Mental Health Awareness week. Like many other celebrated events, one week is not enough to recognise mental health challenges. Repercussions of exam-related stress can extend beyond school, affecting individuals' overall well-being, academic and career trajectories. It is crucial to recognise the long-term implications and provide appropriate support systems for students to address these challenges. Organisations must continue to strive for nurturing a healthier educational environment, where students are empowered to thrive academically and emotionally. If that includes tearing apart the outdated education system, so be it…

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