Concerns among parents about pressure to perform at school.
The mental health of young people has been declining for some time. Performance pressure turns out to be one of the causes. On April 25, the House of Representatives will debate the problem. Parents are also worried about the increasing performance pressure.
Many parents see that their child experiences performance pressure. The consequences are unpleasant: children have less self-confidence, feel down, and experience a lot of stress. This appears from research by Ouders & Onderwijs and Stichting Voor Werkende Ouders among 907 parents in our Landelijk Ouderpanel.
Test And Performance Pressure At School
No less than two out of five parents say their child suffers from performance pressure. Especially the tests at school, the pressure to get good grades, and comparison with classmates cause pressure on their child according to parents. Almost half of the parents think the school puts too much pressure on performance and 56% think the school gives too many tests.
So much is asked that my daughter loses overview and feels much pressure from the teachers because it must be done. There is little space for the development itself.
Consequences For Wellbeing
Parents see that performance pressure has big consequences for their child’s wellbeing. Performance pressure causes less self-confidence (84%), stress (83%), and feelings of fear of failure (76%) or sadness (65%). In addition, 70% of parents see concentration problems in their child and almost half of the children sleep poorly because of it. Parents therefore think schools should do more to reduce these consequences.
House Of Representatives Debate On Mental Wellbeing
On April 25, the House of Representatives will talk about the causes and problems of the worsening mental health of young people. The Verwey-Jonkers Institute did research and provided a factsheet for the debate. Performance pressure is also named as a cause there. It is essential, therefore, to reduce the pressure on children.
We call on schools to reduce the number of tests or apply them differently, not to make all results public immediately, and to look with students and parents at how to lower the pressure.
Do More Against Performance Pressure
A third of the parents think schools do not do enough to prevent performance pressure in children. According to parents, schools should pay more attention to stress, emotions, and performance pressure during lessons. Besides, schools can ask more often how the child is doing and pay more attention to a good atmosphere in the class. By planning fewer test moments, parents expect less stress and performance pressure.
We also see that we punish children faster for what they do wrong, instead of focusing on their qualities.
More attention needed for mental health
Marjet Winsemius, director of Stichting Voor Werkende Ouders, thinks that parents, teachers and schools have an important task to reduce performance pressure on children. Schools and teachers can pay more attention to mental health, test pressure, deadlines and dealing with performance pressure. Parents can find a balance between relaxation and effort at home. ‘We also see that children are punished faster for what they do wrong, instead of focusing on their qualities. This requires a strong long term adjustment in our education system,’ said Marjet.
Role of parents
More than half of the parents asked see a role for themselves in reducing performance pressure on their child. By ensuring a good balance between effort and relaxation, asking how school is going and talking with their child, parents want to (try to) reduce performance pressure.
About the research
In the research on performance pressure on children, we asked parents if their child experiences performance pressure and what they see as a solution. 907 parents with a child in primary or secondary education took part in the research. Want to join the conversation on important school topics? Then sign up for the Landelijk Ouderpanel.
Questions and contact
Do you have questions about performance pressure? Or do you have other questions about your child’s education? Then contact our advice point via Whatsapp, email or phone. Or ask your questions via social media.
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