What Year 7 students fear most when starting high school

There’s a lot for Year 7 students to take in during the first few months of starting high school. And now there’s a rising issue that is affecting their mental health.

Burnout is a growing problem among kids starting high school as they strive for perfect results.

Students as young at 13, driven by chronic perfectionism, are getting burnt out and battling spiralling mental health.

High profile psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said he was seeing and hearing more about students unable to cope with making mistakes and putting unrealistic expectations on themselves.

He said a dread of failure was fuelled by pressures of school, social media and parents.

“I just think the result is a whole bunch of things. There are kids entering secondary school who have very high expectations of themselves, self critical, self conscious, easily embarrassed, low self confidence, and scared of making mistakes,” he said.

Dr Carr-Gregg has co-written Starting Secondary School with Sharon Witt.

In addition to practical advice for families with students who have just started secondary school or embarking on it in the future, the book explores complex behaviours by teens during a time of great change.

While there have always been high achievers, there is a growing recognition of a new group who aspire to “stratospherically high marks, brilliance in sports, art, music, dance and drama, exhausting themselves in the process”.

“There is a tendency in a lot of kids to set standards that are so high that is almost impossible for them to meet,” he said.

He said kids are struggling to meet the standards they have set or if they are meeting them they are burn out and exhausted.

“They believe anything short of perfection is horrible even if they make minor stuffs those minor stuff ups will lead to some sort of catastrophising,” he said.

Dr Carr-Gregg said one of the contributors was the NAPLAN testing in years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

“I can’t understand why we have persisted with it,” he said.

He said many of the kids at risk may have inborn tendencies, making them more susceptible, particular temperaments and parents who excessively praise them.

Starting Secondary School by Michael Carr-Gregg and Sharon Witt helps parents and kids navigate the shift to secondary school.

He also pointed to a culture of “compare and despair” where kids were seeing the lives of others on social media and feeling that their own lives were inferior.

“In essence, more and more Year 7s seem consumed by A-star expectations alongside a dread of failure,” he said.

Further, students were increasingly being asked to make decisions about subjects, electives, work experience and other things.

“I think that they find it overwhelming the amount of decision making at a relative early age,” he said.

Starting Secondary School cites research from 2015 and 2016 which pointed to one in seven primary school children being anxious. The figure for secondary school was one in four.

Dr Carr-Gregg said students would find some benefit if they used apps such as Smiling Mind which is one of the health and wellbeing programs.

“It gives them a chance to press the pause button on the DVD of their life and turn off all the noise,” he said.

He suggested that a healthy diet, exercise, sleep and mindfulness would help most students.

Dr Carr-Gregg said tackling chronic perfectionism was complex. It might include surrounding the child with people providing unconditional care and respect.

“Don’t compare other kids, Give specific praise on behaviour, Don’t focus so much on academic results, acknowledge their fear,” he said. He also suggested journaling.

TIPS FOR PARENTS OF YEAR 7s

– BIG fish in a small pond to small fish in a big pond is a thing. Years 7s will feel overwhelmed but reassure that it is for one year.

– SET the scene for success: Ensure your child has their books, equipment and uniform.

– COMMUNICATION: Take the time to listen to your child. Communicate any concerns to the appropriate staff member, year leader, wellbeing teacher.

– SELF TALK: Parents need to remind their Year 7s that the way they talk about themselves is key to them learning how to be more positive.

– PATIENCE: The brain of your secondary student is a work in process. They need visual and verbal reminders and patience.

Starting Secondary School by Michael Carr-Gregg, Sharon Witt, Penguin Random House is out now.

Originally published as What Year 7 students fear most when starting high school