75581-24PUPILS at a Swindon school are looking forward to stress-free, successful exams after a new training session.

All of Churchfields School's Year 11 pupils had the chance to learn new revision techniques, how to handle stress and even discover which learning type they were during a workshop yesterday.

And the Maximise Your Potential company, which ran the workshop, also stayed at the school to teach the teachers some new techniques and meet with parents to help them to help their children.

James Osborne, 15, from Old Walcot, said he enjoyed the session.

"I found it really helpful," he said.

"It helped me understand how I can learn best and how to revise.

"I will definitely be doing some of the things he told me to do."

Kayleigh Kyson, 16, from Park South, said they had to do co-ordination exercises during the class.

"It was embarrassing but fun at the same time," she said.

"Better than just sitting down listening.

"I found out my learning style is 'doing.' Apparently I am a 'doer.'"

For Emma Scott, 15, from Old Town, the most useful bit of the course was being taught memory techniques.

"I think it will help with sociology because we have lots of key words we have to remember," she said.

Jeremy Dry, who ran the session, said the pupils had been brilliant.

As well as teaching them study techniques, he tried to help the pupils get motivated to study and not let set-backs affect them.

He told them Einstein was thrown out of school at 12, while Beethoven was told he was no good at music to show them that everyone has to overcome hurdles before they are successful.

He also told them to get their stress levels in perspective, as exams were nowhere near as stressful as things other children, such as those affected by the tsunami, go through.

Ian Hamilton, the head of Year 11, said the children had really benefited from the day.

"It was a three-hour session but it went really quickly and they responded so well," he said.

"Everybody was focussed right to the end and came out with a lot of positive comments.

"I think most Year 11s are getting to the stage where they realise they need to start doing something for their exams and this will really help them."

The school also has a mentoring scheme for 70 of the 222 year 11 pupils.

The pupils, who are thought to be borderline between getting C or D grades in their GCSEs, have regular meetings with a teacher assigned as their mentor.

Revision tips

HOW should you revise?

It all depends on whether you are a listener, a looker or a doer

A listener if you remember spoken information best you should record key words on to a tape machine and play it back

A looker if you find it easy to visualise information on a page you should revise by writing out your notes and using sticky notes

A doer if you learn best through doing experiments or activities you should draw mind maps or spider diagrams as you revise.

Isabel Field