Children stressed over starting school

Children stressed over starting school
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Aug 31 2007
by Abbie Wightwick, Western Mail

CHILDREN show signs of stress up to six months before starting school for the first time, according to research published today.

It is believed anxious parents may be making their children stressed about starting school for the first time.

As thousands of children prepare to start school for the first time next week the report, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, shows children may worry about the move three to six months before their first day in reception class.

This may be because parents have started to worry and pass their anxiety on, experts warned.
Although the first few days at school are traditionally a fairly traumatic time as children face new routines and making new friends, the researchers said they were surprised to find they showed physical signs of stress months earlier.


Scientists measured the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in children two weeks after they had started primary school and then again six months later. They also took cortisol measurements three to six months before the children started school to provide baseline levels for comparison.

The researchers said they were surprised to find that, far from providing a baseline, children’s cortisol levels were already high several months before the start of the school term.

High rates of the hormone can even make children more susceptible to colds and other minor illnesses.

Dr Julie Turner-Cobb, from Bath University, who led the research, said, “This suggests that stress levels in anticipation of starting school begin to rise much earlier than we expected.”
Dr Turner-Cobb said it was unclear why pre-school children would become anxious so far in advance, but suggested that parents were getting stressed about their children starting school and were passing those fears onto their children.

Researchers said parents needed more support to reduce their anxiety about their children starting school.

Chris Evans and Jehann Romaya from Cardiff, said they had worried months before their first child Ben, six, started school last year. This time round they were more relaxed with their second child Sadie, four, starting school next week, because they knew the ropes.

Both children go to Radnor Road Primary which ran open days and home visits from teachers which they said helped ease the transition.

“I did worry with Ben for months beforehand because it was the first time we’d done it and we were running around looking for a school,” Mr Evans said.

“It was the fear of the unknown and you panic a bit.

“We have been much more relaxed this time.”

Ms Romaya said, “The first time was a big leap from half to full day and regulations like uniform and lining up.

“Now we know the school and other parents and the routine.”

Parents should also expect their children to get minor illnesses like coughs and colds in the holidays, the research showed.

High levels of cortisol can suppress the immune response, making children more susceptible to illnesses, although Dr Turner-Cobb found that children who had higher levels of cortisol throughout the day when starting school were less likely to suffer colds and had fewer days off sick.

Instead they were found to be more likely to get sick during the school holidays than at term time suggesting that, at least in the short-term, higher stress levels may actually provide some protection against colds and flu.

Psychologist Peter Sharp said parents should not hide their worries from their children but should express it in ways which might help.

“It’s OK to say ‘I’m a bit anxious because I love being with you and I’m losing that too’,” he said.
“You could also suggest having special times together in the evenings and at weekends.”

Parents can also help by doing a practice run of the journey to school and the routine of getting up in time, he said.

They should also stress the good points of school such as new toys and friends and not add to their fears by telling them it will be big and frightening.

“Mums and dads might communicate stress about the move because they found it difficult when they did it,” he said.

“They could try to remind themselves that they got through it fine. If they were not fine they have to resolve their own issues rather than re-visit them on their children.’’

Parents should also be aware that any initial stress usually wears off. Stress levels in children had lowered six months later suggesting they had adapted well, the Bath University study concluded.

It helps if your big sister has already made the switchLily Squire, four, starts her first day at Radnor Road Primary in Cardiff next week.

Her mother Sam said she was very confident about going because she was so used to the school.
Her sister Daisy, five, started at the same school last year and teachers have encouraged visits and allowed Lily to go on school trips with her parents and sister.

“Lily is really looking forward to going to school which has really surprised me,’’ Mrs Squire said.
“She has only just turned four in July so my fear was that she would not be ready.

“But I think she’s confident because she’s used to going up to the school every day with her sister and knows the teachers and the place.

“She knows she’s going. We have talked about it.

“When she starts it’ll be a staggered day. It’s part time until September 12 and that helps too. It breaks us all in gently.

“We have got books about starting school but she knows all about it anyway.”

Alison and Andy Weir’s daughter Helen, three, starts at Grangetown Nursery, Cardiff, next week to help ease the transition to big school next year.

“Going to nursery is really important because the children learn to socialise and get used to having to get up and be somewhere by 9am,” Mrs Weir said.

“She’s really looking forward to it and when she starts big school she’ll go with friends she has already made.

“When our little boy Adam started school last year we didn’t even have tears on the first day. He went in with friends he knew and was used to the routine.”

Starting school hard for parents tooFirst-day blues? ‘Mum Says’ columnist Abbie Wightwick says the children will be fine – we should be worrying about the parents... No parent wants to admit their child is scared about starting school.

Ask any group of parents and they will say publicly that their children are more than ready and happy to take their first steps in the big world. But get a mum or dad on their own and they’ll probably confess to deeper feelings of fear in themselves and their children.

Most schools are now very good at helping children start school. They have open days, staggered first weeks and information evenings for new parents.

But it’s still a wrench when you wave your small one off and head alone out of the school gates.
Children are notorious for not telling their mums and dads what really goes on at school. Little things loom large and friends not saying hello or balls being snatched by bigger pupils can be traumatic in the early days.

Some children worry more that they won’t be able to do the work and others that they won’t make friends.

My eldest daughter strode off to school without a backward glance announcing that no, she didn’t want to come home for lunch. Her younger sister was equally confident until she got to the gates on the first day and then burst into uncontrollable tears because her best friend from playgroup was going somewhere else. The tears went on for weeks.

My son was worried about the toilets and whether he could get his PE kit on and off in time. Being a bloke he decided to repress these concerns and only felt able to tell me when he was virtually hysterical with fear days later.

As a mother I also suppressed my feelings. Sending your last child to school is a hugely emotional life change. It’s also one we rarely talk about. Mothers joke about all the spare time they’ll now have, but few admit they go home and bawl their eyes out. The kids’ll be fine. It’s the parents who won’t be.

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