12 December 2025

In our last blog, we talked about attendance and why every lesson plays a part in your progress and your future. But we also recognised that attendance isn’t just about routines or early mornings. For many young people, the harder part is what happens before the school day even starts.

We hear from many of you that they want to do well, but confidence, pressure, friendships and overthinking sometimes make school feel more challenging. None of this is unusual and it doesn’t mean you’re not capable – it simply means you’re going through a lot at once.

This week, we’re talking honestly about confidence and how it grows. Not in a dramatic, overnight way, but slowly and steadily through support, encouragement and the small decisions you make every day.

What Our Young People Are Telling Us

Across all year groups, many of you describe similar worries, even if they look different on the surface. Some of you tell us:

  • I feel nervous about speaking in class.
  • I overthink things before school.
  • I’m not sure where I fit with my friends right now.
  • Tests make me feel stressed, even when I’ve revised.
  • Some days I feel overwhelmed and don’t know why.

If any of these feel familiar, you’re in good company. Life as a teenager involves schoolwork, friendships, family expectations, social media, your future plans and your own thoughts. It’s understandable that things sometimes feel heavy.

What matters is knowing you don’t have to figure everything out on your own.

Worry and Anxiety – Understanding the Difference

As a starting point it is worth trying to understand what you’re feeling.

  • Worry – tends to have a clear cause, an exam, a deadline or something happening with friends. It often eases once you talk it through or make a plan.
  • Anxiety – can be harder to pinpoint. It might show up as butterflies in your tummy, restlessness or a sense of unease. Many young people experience this, especially during busy or uncertain parts of the school year or in their lives.

Neither one should be seen as a ‘problem’, they’re simply feelings and both become easier to handle with support.

If you want to read more in your own time, YoungMinds has helpful guides for young people: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/your-feelings/

Our Expert Voices

We asked the professionals who we regularly work with to share what they think you most need to hear right now, if you are struggling. Their advice is grounded, practical and based on what they see every day.

Jordan Edwards – Youth Worker at LHS

Jordan spends time with students across the school – those having a great day, and those having a difficult one. He sees first-hand how quickly things can improve when someone reaches out.

His message: “Don’t wait until something feels unmanageable. A quick chat early on makes everything easier to deal with.”

You might talk to Jordan about:

  • Nerves before certain lessons
  • Worries about friendships
  • Not knowing how to start a conversation with staff
  • Feeling stuck with routines
  • Needing a moment of calm before the day begins

He’s based in the Wellbeing Centre, and students can pop in before school, during break, lunch or after lessons.

Ricardo Erasmus – Paradigm Shift Ltd

Ricardo works with athletes, performers and young people. He understands the pressure to ‘get everything right’ and the frustration of feeling stuck.

His message: “You don’t have to feel confident to begin. Confidence often comes after you’ve started, not before.”

Ricardo can help you:

  • Break tasks down into manageable pieces
  • Focus on effort rather than achieving perfection
  • Use practical habits to feel steady before assessments
  • Challenge negative self-talk
  • Recognise the strengths they often overlook

His approach shows that confidence isn’t something you’re expected to magically have, it’s something you build through experience.

Andrew Jenkins – Teacher, Coach and BBC’s The Traitors

Many of you may know Andrew from The Traitors, but his story reaches far beyond reality television. Andrew has years of experience working with young people, teaching, coaching and helping students understand their strengths. What you saw on TV – the pressure, the social dynamics, the need to stay calm and think clearly reflects skills he’s built over time, not overnight.

His message cuts through the noise: “Feeling unsure doesn’t mean you can’t do well. Most people feel like that at times.”

Andrew has talked openly about the moments on the show where he had to steady himself, decide what he stood for and trust his instincts. But he also draws on the real world, the classroom, the sports field, the conversations he’s had with countless young people who underestimate their own ability.

He encourages you to:

  • Stay steady when things change unexpectedly
  • Recognise the abilities they already have, even if they don’t always notice them
  • Accept that nerves are part of trying hard, not a sign that they should stop
  • Ask for support when something feels too heavy to handle alone
  • Build resilience gradually through experience, not sudden transformations

Andrew’s story, both on and off screen, shows that growth rarely happens in dramatic moments. It usually comes through everyday choices, small acts of courage and the confidence you build by simply taking part.

Where Confidence Grows at LHS

Confidence develops in lots of places – in classrooms, yes, but also in the everyday moments that make up school life. We have different spaces and groups designed to help you feel connected and supported.

  • Peer Mentor Group – Students from different year groups who help others settle in, build friendships and feel included.
  • Enrichment Programme – Clubs, activities and sports that help you develop new skills, try new things and feel part of the wider school community.
  • Wellbeing Centre – Open from 7:30am, it’s a calm space where you can check in, take a breath, talk to someone or get support throughout the day: https://www.llanishenhighschool.co.uk/wellbeing-centre
  • Student Wellbeing Hub – Online guidance and links to support: https://www.llanishenhighschool.co.uk/student-wellbeing

You don’t have to manage everything alone and you shouldn’t have to.

Why Confidence Matters for Attendance, and Why Attendance Matters for Your Future

This time of year can feel challenging for many of you. Years 7–9 have just completed Welsh National Tests, Year 11 have finished mock GCSEs, and the next round of assessments is only a few months away. It’s completely normal to feel tired, pressured or unsure.

But this is also why confidence matters so much.

When you feel more confident:

  • You’re more likely to come into school
  • Lessons feel easier to engage with
  • Friendships feel more stable
  • Test preparation feels more manageable
  • Your routine feels less overwhelming

And attendance plays a huge role in your progress.

Regular attendance means you:

  • Understand lessons more clearly
  • Have fewer gaps to catch up on
  • Feel more connected to classmates
  • Build habits that help with exam periods
  • Improve your chances of achieving your personal goals

Confidence and attendance aren’t separate issues, they support each other and both are influenced by the people around you.

Feeling Part of a Community Makes Everything Easier

School can feel very different when you feel like you belong. Many of you have told us that when your friends are off, coming to school feels harder and it shows how much belonging and connection influence confidence. Friendships, supportive adults, clubs, routines and familiar faces all create a sense of stability.

At LHS, you don’t just learn together you support each other.

Through:

  • The Peer Mentor Group
  • The Enrichment Programme
  • Friendships formed in classes and clubs
  • The Wellbeing Centre
  • Youth Worker support
  • Year Group teams and tutors

The message is simple: You’re part of something bigger here and that makes challenges easier to face.

Practical Ways Students Build Confidence

These are strategies our students say help them:

  • Break tasks into smaller steps – a huge job becomes manageable when you divide it up.
  • Keep simple routines – a predictable morning can make the whole day calmer.
  • Use grounding techniques – steady breathing or focusing on your senses can help settle nerves.
  • Challenge unhelpful thoughts – try changing ‘I’ll never get this’ to ‘I’m still learning this.’
  • Join a club or activity – being part of something gives you a sense of belonging and helps confidence grow naturally.
  • Talk early – sharing a concern with someone stops it from building up.
  • Notice small improvements – confidence grows through the things you may not realise you’re already doing well.

Confidence and Attendance – How We Support Each Other

Some of you may not realise how closely confidence and attendance are linked.

When you feel more confident, coming to school feels easier. And when you attend regularly, lessons feel clearer, routines settle, friendships grow stronger and school becomes more predictable.

The result is a cycle that supports you, rather than adding pressure.

A Final Message From Your, Head Sarah Parry

Some days will feel easy, and some won’t. That’s normal.

What matters is that you keep moving forward, even if the steps are small. Every student at LHS has strengths, whether you see them yet or not, and every day offers an opportunity to build on them.

You’re capable of more than you realise, and you don’t have to work that out on your own.

We’re here to help you through it.

If You Ever Need Support

You can reach out to:

Speaking to someone early can make a big difference.

Questions Students Often Ask

  • What should I do if school makes me nervous sometimes? – Lots of students feel this way. Talking to someone, a Form Tutor, Peer Mentor or the Wellbeing Centre team can help.
  • How can I build confidence when I don’t feel confident yet? – Start with small steps. Confidence often grows once you try something, not before.
  • Who can I talk to if something is bothering me? – Your Form Tutor, Year Group staff, the wellbeing team, Jordan Edwards or a Peer Mentor.
  • What if school feels overwhelming? – You can go to the Wellbeing Centre for a quiet space or to talk things through.
  • How can I feel more ready for school each day? – Simple routines, getting enough rest, planning your morning and talking through worries with someone you trust can help.