If you are a parent of children doing exams recently, take a deep breath! Exam season is now over, and summer holidays can be enjoyed at last. Except, there is one dark cloud looming on the horizon. And that is Results Day.
Both A-level and GCSE Results Days are in August. A-level Results Day comes first, on Thursday 15th August, followed by GCSE Results Day on Thursday 22nd August.
Results Day can be stressful in all kinds of ways for both you and your son or daughter. So in this article we take a quick look at how you can prepare for Results Day, and what to expect.
Your son or daughter may not seem to care much about Results Day, but this can mask underlying nerves and anxiety about the whole thing. Even if they won’t talk to you about this, be aware, and do all that you can to be positive and supportive during this time.
Make sure they have plenty of opportunities to relax and have fun. Whether or not you are going away on holiday, also try to organise some fun activities either with other families or for just them to enjoy with their friends, such as BBQs, movie evenings, day trips, theme parks and sleepovers.
Without nagging, make sure that they know that you are there for them, and will do all you can to them whatever happens. Don’t keep asking too many questions about their friends’ plans, or regale them with news of sons and daughters of friends and how well they seem to be doing. Anything that triggers comparison with others could cause them to start feeling very stressed, even if they don’t show it.
And if at any stage you are worried because you feel that your son or daughter is particularly stressed or anxious, try and get them a bit of help and support either from school or college, family or friends, or specialist charities such as Childline.
It’s really important to understand the various ways that your son or daughter will be able to get their results, and the key timings involved. Most teenagers are likely to go into their school or college to collect their results in person, and this can be the best option as it gives them the opportunity to get support and advice from teachers if needed, for example if their results might impact on their plans for September.
So make sure that your son or daughter knows when to turn up at their school or college, bearing in mind that it may only be open for a short period of time. And find out whether the school or college actively encourages parents to attend as well and, if so, whether your son or daughter would prefer you to be there or to go with friends.
If your son or daughter is unable to go into school or college, or doesn’t want to, they will usually have the option of receiving their results by post or email or online. Make sure they check this before the day. It may also be possible for someone else to collect the results on their behalf if this has been arranged in advance.
The best thing that you can do is to keep everything calm, and make sure your son or daughter is ok at all times. They need to know that you are there for them, and are proud of them, whatever the outcome.
Try to start off the day well with a leisurely start and a decent breakfast if they want one. Make sure they can get to school or college on time, offering practical help such as lifts if needed. Also check that they have everything with them that they might need. For example some form of ID, a fully charged mobile phone, money, pen and paper.
Whether or not you go to Results Day with them, make sure you have something nice planned for later in the day, whatever the results are. Perhaps a meal out, BBQ or pizza evening. Even if they do not get the results that you were all hoping for, it’s really important for them to feel the love and support of the family at this significant time.
Results Day is the gateway to the next step in your son or daughter’s life. But what happens then?
Here’s a quick overview of possible options at this stage:
If your son or daughter has applied to uni, they will be able to see on their UCAS (University Admissions) account whether or not they have got one of their chosen places. If they don’t see this straight away, make sure they don’t panic, as it can take up to 24 hours for the university to confirm their place.
However, if they haven’t met the grade requirements for their course, it’s a good idea to contact the uni(s) directly to see if they’re still considering their application, rather than hanging on to hear from them. It may be that by making a quick call they will be able to get something sorted out.
But if they don’t now have a place there are various actions they can take:
Your son or daughter needs to understand that there are still plenty of options available, and that you will support them while they take time to find the best one for them.
And if they have good results that mean they may now be eligible for a University place even though they weren’t interested before, check out our recent article Is it too late to apply for Uni this year? for ideas as to where to go from here.
Your son or daughter’s GCSE results can determine whether they progress to the next stage as planned, whether it is 6th form college, an apprenticeship or internship.
However, if they had planned to go to college but did not achieve the grades they needed, the first thing to do is to speak to the college as soon as possible. The college may still accept them for the courses they wanted, or be able to offer them some alternative options. It’s also worth looking at other local colleges to see if they may be able to offer something similar but accept lower grades.
The Department for Education Skills for Careers website also provides information on a range of other options including apprenticeships, traineeships, internships, T-levels and VTQs, so is well worth looking at for different options that they may not previously have considered.
Another option could be for your son or daughter to discuss with their school the possibility of resitting one or more GCSEs, with a view to and going to college next year instead.
We hope that this article gives you some useful information about how to prepare your son or daughter for Results Day this summer, and also some ideas for different options to consider if they need to do so.
Good luck! And do check back in with us here again soon for more lifestyle and financial tips from new direct lenders Munzee Loans.
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