Sources of Stress

This paper explores the potential for mismatch between pupils' own understanding of and responses to the experiences which they find stressful and pastoral care staffs awareness and understanding of these. Consideration is given to the role which schools can play in reducing or inducing stress for students. The paper examines how the structure of the pastoral system can serve both to promote and reinforce this role. Data is presented which was gathered during a study investigating student stress which took place in three secondary schools and involved 455 year 9 and 11 students. This data indicates instances where there is clear agreement among many of the students regardless of age, gender or school as to what causes them stress and how they responded to this. This is contrasted with the views of pastoral care staff in the three schools. These teachers seemed to be using stereotypes gained from general life experience when describing stress for the pupils rather than basing their understanding of pupil stress on the actual experiences and behaviour of pupils themselves. Among the implications for future research arising are questions about how useful it might be to incorporate stress management for children into both the curriculum and existing teacher stress management training and in what ways staff awareness of pupil stress might be enhanced. This paper sets out to consider the extent to which there is a mismatch between some students' experiences of stress and the awareness of this experience by pastoral care staff in their schools. The paper is based on a study which took place in three secondary schools in a South Yorkshire town investigating causes and effects of stress in 12-and 14-year-old pupils. The paper will go on to consider how the pastoral care system can promote stress management within the school community.