Primary school children are smoking cigarettes, gorging on junk food and drinking energy drinks to prepare for their exams, new research has found.
A poll of more than 1,000 youngsters who took Key Stage Two SATs last year found eight had smoked before the tests, while 37 ate chocolate and 30 used high-sugar and caffeine drinks.
The survey also revealed some 55% of youngsters feared getting bad results would affect their future lives.
Key Stage Two SATs students who...
Kellogg’s - poll of 1,000 youngsters
Three in five children (60%) said they had been told by teachers that SATs were important for the school league tables, while 68% admitted feeling pressured at exam time, according to the research by Kellogg’s.
Meanwhile, a second poll of more than 1,000 parents found 20% believed their child was too nervous to eat before SATs exams, while one in eight said their youngster had refused food.
Almost a fifth of parents (18%) said their child’s behaviour got worse during SATs week, and 74% felt their children were under more exam pressure than themselves when they were a similar age.
Children reported not being able to concentrate due to being nervous (20%), not being able to eat because of nerves (12%) and feeling hungry due to skipping a meal (14%), according to the survey carried out by Opinion Matters.
Some 22% of children reported losing sleep during their SATs, but the figure rose to 59% among children who admitted skipping breakfast.
The findings come as thousands of Year Six school pupils in England prepare to take their Key Stage Two SATs this week.
Key Stage Two SATs students who (according to parents)...
Kellogg’s - poll of 1,000 parents
Child psychologist Dr Claire Halsey said: “It’s troubling that children are expressing so many worries about their exams.
“It’s natural to experience some pressure to perform before any test, even at age 10 and 11, but these results show that SATs have become more than a little nerve-wracking.”
John Coe, of the National Association for Primary Education, said: “A decent breakfast should set children up for success in their exams, and eating breakfast with friends at a breakfast club - and calming each other’s nerves about the tests - is a happy way of meeting the challenge to come.”