CHILDREN worry about exams and school work more than anything else in their lives, a study reveals.

Now schools across East Lancashire are letting youngsters know they can turn to teachers for support as exam time approaches.

The survey, carried out by ChildLine, showed that 79 per cent of pupils worried about exams and school work "more than anything else in their lives" while 66 per cent worried about their future.

Some contemplate suicide and one girl tried to hang herself as pressure mounted .

Callers aged just 12 told ChildLine they were worried they would not get into university.

Harold Gillibrand, spokesman at St Wilfrid's High School, Blackburn, said: "We are very much aware of the problems pupils face.

"We will always offer as much help and support as we can, whether it be on course work or exams.

"We let them know the door is open now and on exam results day." ChildLine chairman Esther Rantzen said: "Children today are under continual assessment almost from before they start nursery school. Academic success is not the only path to a happy and fulfilled life."

The survey of more than 1,000 pupils in 16 secondary schools, heard that most youngsters felt "out of control, panic-stricken and overburdened."

One 15-year-old girl said she would have to leave home if she didn't get straight As in her GCSEs.

A girl of 16 said she felt panicked after her father paid for a private tutor "to keep her from the dole queue."

WH Smith are producing leaflets, available in all stores, to help guide students through exams.

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