People always tell you that your school years are the best years of your life. These people have most likely forgotten the mountains of homework, the bullying, the exam stress, the peer pressure, the teacher that calls you by your sister’s name, the schoolbag that seems to weigh three tonnes more than it did this morning and the nightmare of trying to remember all those weird formulas for maths and physics.

There are lots of negative experiences that you will go through at school, but there is help out there which is easily accessible. Below you will find our guides on how to cope with the most common issues and where to go for additional help. If you do need further help, feel free to pop by our drop in or to contact us.

Homework

Exams, Studying & Stress

Bullying

Finance

Ok, so the last thing you want to do when you have spent a whole day at school is to do more school work. But it's a part of life and sadly no amount of moaning will change that!

So, how best to cope with that mountain of books? And why do it at all? Why don't they just get you to do all the work while you're at school?

Homework helps you:

• To build on what you've learned at school

• To become more confident in what you can do

• To become more independent

• To learn problem solving

• To overcome difficulties

• To learn to prioritise your time

Homework Facts:

• Between the ages of 5 and 16 you spend on 15% of your life at school, which is why homework is so important

• People who do homework regularly through their school years will, on average, have done the equivalent of a year's extra schooling

• Explaining topics to someone else helps you to understand them better so explaining your homework subjects to family members can make it easier to learn them.

But however useful homework can be, if you are struggling to understand something it can be very worrying and frustrating. It is really important that you talk to someone about any problems you might have.

If you are struggling with your homework you could:

• Talk to your parents

• Talk to your brothers/sisters

• Talk to your teacher(s)

• Come and talk to us at SYIS

The most important thing is that you TALK about it. Keeping quiet will not help you to achieve anything. And there is no shame in not knowing everything, nobody does!

Exams can be really scary and no matter how long you've known about them they always seem to sneak up on you all too fast. It's really important to be as prepared as you can be for them so that you can give them your best shot.

Preparing for your exams

It may seem like way too much information to cram into one head at times, but if you are organised and stick to a timetable, you will be able to cover a lot of information quite quickly.

If you do get study leave, use it wisely! Remember that even if it is the first sunny day that Shetland has seen in months, you still will have to sit an exam soon. Be creative about how you study and allow yourself breaks, but be honest with yourself, it's highly unlikely that you'll pass with flying colours if you've spent all your study time playing Xbox or watching TV. Below are a few “Dos and Don'ts” to keep you on track!

DO

• Get plenty of sleep – Don't over do it though, between 8 and 9 hours a night is recommended

• Eat well – Junk food can lead to poor concentration, whereas healthier foods can boost energy levels

• Be kind to yourself – Allow yourself some treats and don't beat yourself up over little things

• Make a timetable – Think about the subjects you need to study and assign time to them, see below for examples and methods

• Try explaining things to others – It can help you to understand things better if you've figured out how to explain them to someone else

• Take notes – Try using different colours and lay them out in a way that works for you, it will help you remember things later

• Ask your friends – For suggestions and other study tips

• Ask for help – If you don't understand something ask someone about it, there's no point in worrying needlessly!

DON'T

• Panic – If you stay calm you're way more likely to get through it and you'll get more done

• Attempt to cram – There is no point in trying to force yourself to learn a lot in a short amount of time, it's just not realistic

• Avoid subjects – Everyone has a subject they hate, but ignoring it won't make it go away, and it's likely that you'll need to spend less time on the subjects you like than the ones you don't

• Forget that it will soon be over – There is life at the end of exams, look forward to it instead of getting bogged down

• Revise all the time – Remember to give yourself regular breaks

• Expect miracles – You're only human, you can't do more than your best!

Study Plans/Timetables

You can download the SQA MyStudyPlan App to your iPod Touch or iPhone. Click here to be taken to the App store.

Not into Apple? Try our version of an old fashioned planner that you can print off and fill in or type up and save. It is pretty basic but it will give you an idea of where to start.

Revision Timetable Example.

Results

This year's exam results should arrive by mail on Thursday 4^th August. However, as you will know, living in Shetland means that post does not always arrive when it's due.

If you register with SQA by Thursday 14^th July and activate your account before Friday 22^nd July you can choose to receive your results by email or text on Thursday 4^th August. This system means that no matter where you live or what you're up to, you can still get your results on the day.

To register and activate your account click here.

Useful Links

There is a full guide to what you need to know and do in relation to exams available from SQA. Visit SQA to view this guide.

There are many useful revision sites out there but one of our favourites is BBC Bitesize. It even has games to make learning more fun.

Bullying should never be considered a normal part of school life. No matter what anyone may have told you, you don't have to put up with it and no amount of “toughening up” will mean that the bullies will necessarily stop.

Bullying can take many different forms, and doesn't necessarily involve inflicting physical pain on someone. Taunting, name calling, teasing and excluding someone can have just as painful an effect as hitting them. And whether these things are happening in person, online or by text they are just as upsetting.

Being bullied can really effect your self esteem and make it really hard to concentrate. It can often make you feel isolated and like nobody understands how you feel. It's important to remember that you are not alone, and that many, many people have been through similar things.

Below are practical tips to help you overcome bullying and also some useful websites which address the issue.

Tell Someone

It can be really hard to admit you need help but sometimes it is the only way to improve the situation.

Every school in Shetland has it's own anti-bullying policy (some of which you can find online, see the links below) and Sandwick Junior High have a special section on their website where you can report incidents of bullying online.

If you are struggling to tell your parents or teachers in person you could consider sending an email or text message to make the first contact. From there they can talk to you about it without you having to start the conversation off. Likewise, if you find it easier to talk to your friends about it, why not ask them to help you to talk to your parents/teachers?

Protect Yourself

Make your Facebook page private so that it can only be seen by those you add/accept as friends. You do this by going to “Account” then clicking on “Privacy Settings”. You can which bits of your profile can be seen by “Everyone”, “Friends” or “Friends of Friends”. You can also choose to make your status, etc. only visible to certain “Friends” or to exclude certain people from seeing it.

MSN also has the option of “Blocking” your contacts. They can't see that you've done it, but it will mean that they no longer be able to see if you are online.

These measures are there specifically for things like bullying. Nobody has the right to invade your personal space, whether it's online or not!

Be Yourself

You don't have to change who you are in order to be liked. Think about your situation and be positive about it; think about the people who care about you and the things you like about yourself. Being bullied can make you focus on the negatives and result in you feeling less confident, it's important to deal with these feelings and find a way of improving your situation.

Focus on things which will help your confidence. The more confident you become the less you are likely to be targeted by bullies.

Useful Websites

Bullying UK offer helpful advice and tips on bullying, as well as advice for your parents. They also have a Live Chat function, which allows you to talk to someone without actually having to see them face to face.

Sandwick Junior High's bullying report can be found here.

The Anderson High School's anti-bullying policy is in their School Handbook which can be found here.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Students in Scotland aged 16, 17 and 18 may be eligible for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). Depending on your parents/guardians earnings you may be entitled to up to £30 a week towards the cost of learning. The money will only be paid if you attend 100% of the classes you have that week. If you live independently of your parents you may also be entitled to money from this fund.

More information on EMA and how to apply can be found on the EMA Scotland website.

Information on how to apply in Shetland can be found on the Shetland Islands Council website.

Clothing Grants and Free School Meals

If your parents are receiving certain benefits, or if you are living independently of your parents, you may also be entitled to clothing grants and free school meals. Information on applying for these is available on the Shetland Islands Council website.