For many young people, preparing for GCSEs is a stressful experience, but there will always be those students who seem blissfully unaware that the assessment period is just around the corner.

Despite their impressive poker faces, however, you can bet that they will be feeling the pressure, too. This can be particularly true for some young people with additional needs. For them, the whole examination process is almost too much to process and their default reaction is to do nothing (not very helpful when you are their teacher!)

So, what can be done to support our more vulnerable students during this challenging period?

1. Prepare

You might not like this one, seeing as we are just weeks away from the exams, but actually, a lot of what can be done to help young people needs to be completed in advance.

In order for revision to be a productive process, students need to learn the material thoroughly in the first place. Although this sounds like a no-brainer, it is worth bearing in mind that for students who have difficulties with their working (ie, short-term) memory, it is even more important for them to secure knowledge and skills in their long-term memory, so that revision is just that: revision.

An excellent piece published in TES by Dylan Wiliam explains this process brilliantly. In summary, the professor explains that long-term learning is about storage strength, as opposed to retrieval strength.

Young people with learning differences, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism and developmental language disorder, may all face difficulties with their working memory.

And for those students who can turn procrastination into an artform, it may be worth considering cognitive behavioural therapy or other work with a specialist, who may be able to help them unpick their fears about revision. This may be of particular benefit to some young people with a diagnosis of autism, who may find the whole revision process overwhelming.

2. Model techniques

It’s all very well for us teachers to tell students to go away and revise, but many may not know what this looks like. I know I certainly didn’t when I first started high school. It would benefit all students to have revision techniques modelled as part of their lessons, but this is particularly important for students with additional needs.

My school has recently invested in visualisers - stand-mounted cameras that connect to a projector - to help teachers demonstrate how they would revise or plan a response to a question.

Some teachers have demonstrated the “look, cover, write, check” technique in this manner, as well as showing how mind maps can be a useful revision tool. Students need to realise that revision is an active process, not a passive one.

3. Check access arrangements

Some young people with additional needs will require examination access arrangements. The best way to make sure you are on top of these is to have someone reliable in your school trained and qualified in how to administer the assessments and complete all the paperwork. Our senior teaching assistant starts assessing the majority of students, who have access arrangements as their normal way of working, at the end of Year 9. These arrangements are then valid for 26 months.

We also refer to our specialist teacher, should we have any cases that are less straightforward.

Students who struggle with their working memory may be entitled to additional time. Those with a diagnosis of dyslexia may be eligible for a reader. Some students will need access to a laptop, if they struggle with their handwriting. Individuals with a diagnosis of autism or ADHD may require a smaller room, away from the main exam hall, so they are not distracted. It is important that all of these arrangements are put in place as soon as possible.

4. Relax

The GCSE period is not just a stressful time for young people; it is challenging for teachers, too. Some teachers are fearful that they will not manage to cover the content of the reformed GCSEs, let alone revise it. This pressure can be passed on from adults to young people, heightening their feelings of anxiety. It is difficult, but during lessons, try to channel your inner Zen (or at least save up your frustration for a good old moan over a cup of tea in the staffroom).

5. Make the most of your TAs

Teaching assistants are a precious resource - never more so than during the exam period. For students who have difficulty organising themselves (perhaps due to an impairment in their executive function - affecting, for example, those with a diagnosis of ADHD), it may be useful for the TA to support them in drawing up a revision timetable.

TAs can also act as mentors to students with additional needs. Sometimes just having someone to talk to can help reduce stress levels.

In addition, TAs may be willing to support individuals during revision sessions at lunchtime or after school. It is worth schools offering to pay TAs for any additional hours they do during the revision period, as their input could be vital for some individuals with identified learning needs.

Gemma Corby is Sendco at Hobart High School, Norfolk. Her Sendco column for Tes runs every second Tuesday during term time