時尚雙語:按摩可以讓學生提高考試成績

A school has brought in a masseuse to calm stressed pupils preparing for GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education) and boost their performance in the exams.

The 30-minute sessions are being offered to 15 and 16-yearolds who are considered at risk of missing out on good grades.

Twenty-five have had regular back massages from professional therapist Karen Etchells since the scheme was introduced three months ago at Priory Community School in Westonsuper-Mare, Somerset.

The first massage is free, but pupils must pay ￡5 a time after that for the sessions
which take place once a week on a Friday.

Headmaster Neville Coles said they had proved particularly popular among the boys--especially the rugby team.

He hopes the initiative will give GCSE results a lift.

"This is a high-pressure time for Year 11 students," Mr Coles said. "They work extremely hard and do get stressed. We have basically employed a masseuse to come in for a day. It is a mechanism to de-stress the kids and improve their exam results. "

"At a time when we are constantly encouraging our Year 11 students to be at their very best and revise for their GCSEs we also want to provide relaxation activities. Massage is just one of these."

Mr Coles said 32 per cent of pupils scored five GCSEs at grades A to C in the year before last . This had risen to 55 per cent last year and the school was aiming for 60 per cent this year.

爲了讓學生在英國普通中學教育文憑考試（GCSE）中取得好成績，一所中學想出了讓學生在按摩中放鬆心情的減壓妙招。

那些在GCSE考試中有可能考不好的15、16歲的學生會接受每次30分鐘的按摩服務。

三個月以來，英國薩莫塞特郡韋斯頓市的一所名叫Priory Community school的中學請來了專業理療師凱倫• 伊契爾斯爲25名學生提供定期的背部按摩。

第一次的按摩是免費的，不過之後學生們需要以每次五英鎊的價格在每週五享受按摩服務。

這所中學的校長內維爾• 科爾斯表示，學校的這一舉措受到了學生們的普遍青睞，學校橄欖球隊的小夥子們尤其喜歡。

科爾斯還希望，按摩服務能夠幫助學生在GCSE考試中取得更好的成績。

科爾斯說：“對於11年級的學生來說，現在正是壓力很大的時期。因爲他們目前的功課很重，面臨的壓力也很大，所以我們特意請來了一位按摩師，幫他們放鬆身心，提高考試成績。”

“除了按摩以外，我們還爲學生提供了很多其他放鬆身心的活動。這些活動歸根到底還是爲了不斷地激勵學生努力學習，取得更好的GCSE成績。”

科爾斯校長說，該校學生前年參加GCSE考試時五科成績甲級至丙級（A-C）的通過率爲32%，去年這一比例提高至55%，今年希望能更進一步，達到60%。