Perspective is all-important when facing the exam game

The parent's view: soccer commentator George Hamilton explains how his family survives its encounter with the Leaving Cert by not putting 'em under pressure

I must confess I have a problem with the Leaving Certificate.

Not with the examination itself, which I regard as an infinitely preferable alternative to the more specialised A-levels that were my valedictory salute to the Methodist College Belfast; no, my problem is with the prevailing attitude to an examination that is, of course, important, and, yes, very much a rite of passage. For missing the points bulls-eye is not the disaster that chattering suburbia would have you believe it is. I know; I've been there.

My daughter Emma was part of the class of 2000 at Holy Child Killiney. She's a bright young woman and knew what had to be done.

She was also very aware that a nine-month regime of "all work and no play" would probably do her more harm than good. My own experience, all those years ago, did indicate that there are those who can lock themselves away in the garret, emerge, blinking, into the bright light of the examination hall, and shine. But as a parent I felt it my duty to advise my daughter in a way that would take account of her own personality, and not simply pigeon-hole her as "Leaving Certificate Student".

"Work steadily through the year," was what I said, and don't get uptight about it. She did. But she also took advantage of the occasional break, and at that stage of their lives, you don't have to look too far for one. There were the pre-debs, the copious 18ths, including her own. With our encouragement, she took part in what she felt she could cope with.

HCK was a secure zone - the teachers there were most supportive.

Home, as best we could manage, was her oasis, and we tried to see her through the year as normally as possible. Fretting fathers and - dare I be bold and suggest that it's not the dads but the mums who are worse - fretting parents really aren't going to help matters.

So life in Greystones proceeded on an even keel, and everybody was there for her when needed.

History records that, while Emma did well, she didn't score the points she needed for her course. But it was never going to be the end of the world. On her own initiative, she decided to repeat.

It wasn't a difficult decision for her, for she knew she could have done better and wanted to prove it to herself. But she's told me since that one of the key factors was that she felt under no pressure from us, and that gave her confidence. She enrolled in St Laurence College in Loughlinstown and knuckled down. There's a dedicated repeat course there, and it really could not have been better. Emma knew the score, they were under strict control, there was supervised study and constant monitoring of grades. What's more, as part of the school, they weren't set apart as Repeat Leaving Crammers, and that took the pressure off as well.

There was also the fact that the college shared our own philosophy: you've got to give yourself some breathing space. They encouraged, and arranged, social activities.

In what seemed to me an ideal atmosphere, Emma sailed through the year, and sat the examination with confidence.

There was one minor hiccup - every student's dream, I dare say - when a fire broke out and the exam hall had to be evacuated during the geography paper. But school and Department pulled together, and a resit was arranged. We can laugh about that now, in its context as the only really anxious moment on a two-year trek.

So I survived the Leaving, with the help of my daughter. She's completed her first year in arts at UCD. And I'm going for the hat-trick next summer. Ciara, our 17-year-old, starts sixth year in September.