Students praise scheme for tackling GCSEs stress

An Army veteran who launched a coaching programme to improve young people's mental health said he hoped his work could end up helping every child in England

Sam Coton, from Evesham, Worcestershire, set up Better Me, Better You to help school students cope with the pressures of social media and exams.

He said he felt the online world led to many young people "constantly judging" themselves.

One pupil who took part in the scheme, Kobi, said he felt stressed but the workshops had made him realise he needed to "change something".

For many of the current Year 11 students who took part, the programme came at a vital time when many of them were worried about their GCSEs.

Among them was Naomi, who said she found the pressure overwhelming.

"It's like constant, every single lesson they are mentioning it," she said.

More than 550 children a day in England were referred to mental health services for anxiety in 2023-24, according to figures released by the NHS in 2024.

Mr Coton, a certified life coach, currently runs the workshops with pupils at Chipping Campden School in the Cotswolds, as they prepare for their GCSEs.

The father-of-three has worked with the school for several years and another to see the benefits was Year 12 student Fraser.

"I could do maybe 10 minutes [revision] and then go on my phone," he said.

"But with Sam's teaching, it got wired in my brain that I could start doing six hours revision, it was like magic."

Mr Coton said his programme built self-belief by teaching students about their subconscious mind.

"A lot of them present with not being positive or confident," he said.

"But a lot of that is down to an inner belief that can be rewired, particularly if you get to the root cause of it."

He also guides them through exercises to get them to focus on being present and help shut out distractions.

Dan Rushworth, the school's vice principal, said Mr Coton's message cut through in a way that others could not.

"He really speaks their language and he gets into their heads in the way they think and perceive themselves," he added.

Launched as a community interest company (CIC), The Better Me Better You programme is funded through grants and donations.

Mr Coton, who works full-time for the National Trust, said his long-term dream was for it to become part of the curriculum.

"If it's just built in, that we just talk about our mindset and our mental health, as much as our physical health, then I think that's the right place to be," he said.

The father-of-three said launching the CIC gave him the same sense of purpose that he had had when he served in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

"I've very much launched into this space to make a difference," he said.