GCSE results day - is it a big deal to be away?

[Northernlurker]

Trying to square the circle of next year's summer holiday. I have two daughters who want to do activity holidays (on seperate weeks) and we take a fortnights holiday and there's results day. Dd1 has already said she'd not bothered but i'm wondering what to do. Can you get results e-mailed to you? Has anybody been away? It's unlikely to be a huge trauma - dd1 has all A* targets and is working well so even if she makes a complete arse of things it will be sortable and she will be going on in to the sixth form at her school. What do you all think?

[Yonihadtoask]

I remember missing my O level results.

But now I think it is a bigger deal. DSS gets his at the end of August this year, so we have planned our summer holiday around it.

[Northernlurker]

I could do it that easily if it wasn't the other holidays they love to do with their friends. Arragh!

[titchy]

Could one of them do the activities holiday earlier - after all she'll have finished exams by mid June?

[titchy]

Or have 2 x week long family holidays instead of one fortnight long one?

[Northernlurker]

No it's specific weeks in the summer holidays for the camps so I can't book her on earlier. I don't really want to split the holiday. Dh and I both have full on jobs - takes us a few days to unwind properly so a week isn't long enough. What I really want to do is take the younger two out of school for the last two weeks - never done that before. But now of course Mr Gove has ensured to do that I'll have to lie about them being ill.

Aaaargh!

[mummytime]

Is the "activity" educational? You could try for that. (Sport, Music can be so classified by the school, and may be far more useful than the last couple of weeks of term.)

GCSE at the end of year 11 is pretty important, the Sixth Form staff are often around to deal with last minute disasters. However is she even supposed to be back at school for the last two weeks of term? At my DCs school they only go back for a brief induction between study leave and starting Sixth Form proper in September.

[titchy]

Have a UK holiday and get the train back on results day?

[SauvignonBlanche]

When is GCSE results day?

[DeWe]

I don't think any of me or my siblings were around on results day because we were away on holiday. For my GCSEs my grandparents picked them up and phoned me. Could something like that be arranged?

[creamteas]

Whether or not you can get the results by phone/email will depend on the school. At our school, if you are not there on the day, they will post them, but that is it.

The main reasons for being there (apart from the social side) are to deal with unexpected results and confirming places.

If the results are not those expected they might jeopardizing sixth form/college/apprenticeship entry but also the initial subjects chosen. If you are unexpectedly better at science than humanities/languages you might want to rethink your choices in year 12.

Also lots of places need you to confirm your place in August, so if you do not have access to the results, you might miss the deadline, and lose a place. There is quite often quite a lot of movement in the week between GCSE results and year 12 beginning.

[hellsbells99]

I don't think you need to be around for the results as long as there is not likely to be a disaster. My DD gets her results this year and you can arrange for teh school to send them to you (and possibly email?) as long as your DD gives written permission. My DD is also staying on and they can still change their subject choices on the first day of term if need be. I think if your DD was borderline it would be different

[Northernlurker]

Thanks for all the replies. The train isn't an option - we usually holiday on a Scottish island! I think i'll try and find out how the school are prepared to send results on.
Certainly don't want to be over-confident but dd is likely to do well enough for a-levels at the school so i guess that's less fraught than if we had to confirm a place elsewhere.
The holidays in term time is so annoying. Dd3 will be in Year 2 next year and dd2 in Yr 8 - but her school does their school production in the last two weeks of term and lessons largely disappear in favour of that. As dd1 will be finished with school that would be the perfect opportunity!

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

I was half-way around the world when my A-level results came out. I had prearranged with the school that I would phone them that afternoon, I'd give them a password we'd agreed on to prove it was me, then they would tell me the results over the phone. Very expensive international phone call but was worth it!

[RNJ3007]

We were away for mine. I had my grandfather pick up my results after arranging with the school. We then rang him from Hawai'i. Expensive, but worth it!

[junebeetle]

dd was away and had hers emailed by arrangement. I expect it depends on the school, but no reason not to if the exams officer is forward thinking.

[PowderMum]

DD1 says she has to be here for hers this year.

I haven't rung the school as even though she is predicted good grades A*-A and going into the 6th form she feels it is important to be there.

We are going on a family holiday just after school breaks and then I will be away with DD2 with extended family when the results come in but she will be at home (DH will go into work later after they have been to school to pick up the results).

I did offer to stay home and then take her out to celebrate after but she isn't bothered as long as she is here.

[FadedSapphire]

My bloody mother rang the school when I was away pretending to be me to get my A level results [years ago]. So when I rang school from holiday I had to prove who I was!

[prettydaisies]

We were away last year. DD's results were posted to our house. We got back before her - she was on a music tour in France, opened them and texted her the results. It wasn't a particular problem apart from when everyone was posting on facebook and congratulating each other. She was staying on at her school and we knew she would have no problems with getting the grades she needed.
However, this year she has said she wants to be here for her AS results, but I think her brother will still be away for his GCSE results.

[MirandaWest]

I'd get in touch with the school and see what they say in terms of passing results on. I'd say that for GCSE results there's less need to be there than for AS and definitely A Level results.

[soda1234]

My dd will be away for results day, on a course in London. School will post any results not collected on the day, or I can go and collect them with a note of authorisation from dd.

She/we haven't decided what to do yet but she is adamant that she wants to open them herself which is fair enough.

[Theas18]

Hmm don't under estimate the power of opening them with your mates etc. It's a terrible date and A2/AS is worse- right in the middle of any decent break.

We have so far only been home for DD1s A2, but she is much more laid back than DS. We were away for his GCSEs and that was a trial. We are going the day after AS this time and had much stomping about that. I predict he'll come in from party and fling the wrong clothes in his suitcase , leaving with NO sleep but at least he's not driving to the airport LOL

Next year for his A2s we'll have to be there of course.

[2rebecca]

In Scotland all kids have the option of having their results sent by text. When my son's arrived last year we were in London at the olympics.

[Yellowtip]

We also go each summer to a Scottish island but I've so far always timed it to be back for results. GCSEs with predicted A across the board and staying on at same school isn't nearly such a cliffhanger as A2 results with a multiple A offer. It's doable by phone.

[Yellowtip]

That said, the staff tend to make the effort to turn up and most have families too....

[2rebecca]

I agree that if it was advanced highers or A levels with you having to ring universities clearing etc and places depending on grades I'd stay at home, but my son didn't do much with his standard grade results just looked at them and then texted them to his dad. There was no rush to ask for appeals etc as this was all done when school restarted. He liked having something to distract him from waiting for results. It's a shame all English kids can't have their results sent by text or email.