Michael Jordan is a legend in the sport of basketball, considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. Yet he was initially deemed a failure by his high school and was dropped from its team. Thankfully for lovers of the sport, he understood that success is not defined by one moment in life.

This Summer, 3 million young people in the UK will be facing one of the defining moments of their education- exams. These landmark events seem in recent years to have grown in significance- carrying with them the myth that this is a make-or-break moment. The pressure not just to pass but to achieve the highest grades has taken its toll on the mental health of many. A report by UCL concluded that in 48 out of 52 research studies, there are explicit connections to be made between exam stress and mental ill health.

Preparations and revision will step up a gear following the Easter break and while some pressure can help performance, for many it goes beyond what’s helpful and productive. Unicef’s Changing Childhood project revealed that well over half of the young people they surveyed felt under pressure from their parents to achieve good grades. One respondent said.

“I truly believed my worth in the world depended on whether I got my GCSEs, went to sixth form to study four A-levels (which would have to be straight As), headed off to a Russell Group university to study my dream degree, then had my dream career all by the time I was 25.”

Of course, parents want the best for their children but sometimes what they see as encouragement is perceived as pressure.

Young Minds has a series of support pages aimed to help with exam stress and anxiety. Their advice is available to help school staff, parents and carers and, of course, young people themselves.

As our youngsters prepare for the exam season, we could do worse than share with them Michael Jordan’s reflections on success and failure.

“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”