Being on holiday for gcse results

There is nothing that would make me miss results day, my DD has worked really hard and quite frankly, August 22nd is all about her. Holidays were booked for before (end of exams) and after the 22nd.

I will be there with her to celebrate or commiserate.

Have always been away for results, GCSEs, AS and Alevels. They get emailed their results ( if they ask) so it's never been a problem and luckily ours knew they were solid so no worries about their results for them ( I was, they were oblivious to potentially not getting predicted grades). So it's possible.

When we were doing exams ( in 1970s) the school got them one day and you had to wait for results to be posted out. And some people got them days before others! Email helps

OP, she might change her mind! Results day here is more than just picking up your envelope. My oldest dd wanted to go in with her friends and they went out to celebrate afterwards. My middle dd who gets her results this year is doing the same.

I wouldn't go away then personally.

We are currently in Florida! As a post GCSE treat for Ds1. We usually come here in the last 2 weeks of August but came early because of the results.

Ds has applied to a heavily over subscribed 6th form. They have to collect their results then enrol the same day. Their school is a feeder for the sixth form along with a few other schools. If they don't enrol that day they lose their preferential status and have to queue up with everyone else on the Friday. All the places will have gone on Friday.

There are school staff on hand to help guide anyone who is unsure of what to do with their results.

So it depends on what choices your DD is doing afterwards but I wouldn't have booked holiday over results day.

Hi,

I am a mature student and this year I have just sat my GCSE's (again)! I will be away for results day, the same as yourself taking the cheaper option of going to Disney, so excited! My college will post mine if I do not collect. However, I do know you can have a designated person collect them with a letter from yourself ok by the school. Just check in with your school's admin and you should be fine. You are not doing anything wrong by not being there on results dayy.

Best Disney magic

Kelly

Have a look at her current school's website now, as they are likely to post something about collecting results next month, then take a look at her preferred 6th form to check out their enrolment process.

The only thing I noticed last year was that so many collected their results with their friends and families and there was a really supportive & celebratory atmosphere. Getting an email doesn't quite have the same feel to it.

It honestly depends on what she is planning to do after school. If it is to the school sixth form and she gets the correct results, fine. If it is the school sixth form and she doesn't get the grades, she will need to start exploring about other options. Before they fill up. That’s the issue. Speed.

Of she is just planning on getting a job after school, then it doesnt matter.

Id personally take her as soon as the last exam is finished, which will possibly be cheaper. Could be early june???

I think the point is that it depends on the school & what the DC is planning for the following year. In some places it would work, in others (ours) it wouldn't. You need to talk to the school/college.

Hi!
I was away in Florida for results day last year. It was absolutely fine. I just let the college I was looking to enrol in know and they changed my enrolment date so I would be there for it. Also contact the school your child goes to and tell them you’re concerned, I also did this and they said they were happy to pass my results onto my chosen college to enrol and any backups as well as this so I didn’t miss anything. After this my college sent me an email confirming my place so I didn’t have to worry.
Hope this helps!

Hi there.. Just to reassure you, we're actually in Florida on GCSE results day this year and my son has just done his GCSEs... We have his grandparents picking up the results (emailed the school as written confirmation) and 1 of the colleges he has applied for just needs a copy on the day to secure his place but the other college (both 6th form) are happy to enrol him when we get back. There's many families who are away on results day... We're going to Skype on the day with his grandparents (probably about 4/5am florida time,9/10am UK time) when they open them for him so he's still the first to see them. He said he wasn't bothered when we booked it last year but now it's getting closer I wonder if he may have changed his mind. I think as long as the young person is the first to see there results and their hard work they've put in - alls good. Good luck with what you decide.

We will be in Florida when my son's results come out this year. And my daughter took one in year 10. My daughters school is emailing her result to her and my mother is collecting my sons and emailing them to us. He is going into sixth form which has already been agreed. They are happy for him to bring his form back on the first day. He is emailing the completed sixth form bridging work they gave him to do before we go. It can be sorted. Schools say don't take them out of school in the terms so it is inevitable we have to go away in the holidays. And Florida is less crowded the last two weeks of August. Go and have a good time.

It's important to be there because they usually have careers advisors, head of sixth form there for discussions should your child have done better or worse than predicted.

My dd had had a complete turnaround of what she wanted to do post A levels about two weeks before results day. We took full advantage of sitting down and discussing what she needed to do regards choice of A levels.

And countless students turn up late and find out that they've missed the boat.

Put bluntly if she's aiming for an FE college they'll always have a place. If she's aiming for an oversubscribed sixth form school or college or place in a grammar school sixth form being away could be a disaster.

Check before you book.

MrsMop what IS the system in Scotland now? I am completely out of touch except that I know some results are coming out early August?

Results day is the 6th August, the certificates come through the post, but kids can sign up for text and email too.

It used to be standards and highers - and you took highers at 17? What happens now?

It's national 5 and highers now. After the national 5's they have 2 optional years left, where they can do highers, more nat5 and/or advanced highers.

It means there can be 16, 17 & 18 year olds sitting highers. It's really flexible.

For the kids who don't get the results they wanted at nat5 to progress to higher, they just see the HOY the week school goes back and they rework the timetables. Some kids choose college and don't get the results to get in so return to school to try again.

It's basically really flexible. I had one who did both Nat5 and higher in both senior years and one who did all highers then 2 advanced highers anither higher and a Nat 5 in the final year

First and foremost, countless students are unavailable on GCSE results and countless colleges have multiple enrolment days as well as last minute enrolment right up to the first day of term. As a former law lecturer in FE (GCSE and A-Level) and having only very recently left, I can confirm that, while not ideal, I had many students start after term began. The general rule is within 3 weeks as, any later than that and too much has been missed. Just go on your holiday, your kid has been through enough already, it is perfectly normal to enrol after results day so long as the application is in before you go.

MrsMop what IS the system in Scotland now? I am completely out of touch except that I know some results are coming out early August?

It used to be standards and highers - and you took highers at 17? What happens now?

To return to the OP, I also think you need to be around. But you could book for late June as exams will be over by then (but note that there is a contingency day which was 26th June this year in case exams need to be rescheduled).

The other option would be to go after 6th form enrolment day and before they actually start. For example, DS's enrolment day is 27th August but he doesn't start 6th form until 8th or 9th September (he still doesn't know which college he is going to, he attended two induction days and liked them both!) I realise both those options depend on whether you have other school-age children.

Dd2 we were in Florida on results day. She was going to local FE college and it simply meant she was either going to do level 2 or level 3. Sorted it out when we got back.

My apologies @MrsMop7
That will teach me to assume

@TapasForTwo

I'm actually In Scotland.

I realise the OP was talking about GCSE but I didn't know the English system was SO different. That's all.

Agree it's too individual.
DD already had 4 x A* before end of yr11; we were confident she'd get into 6th form.

DS1 joined the Army: so not bothered as long as he had 5xC+ which we could be quite confident about achieving.

DS2 will go to a college with low entry bar; I've no worries he'll make the hurdle.

At DD's school 6th form enrolment was on results day.

It varies on what your school system is like.

Some schools email, others don't.
Some schools enrol in the day or day after, some don't.

Dd went in for her results. If she hadn't they'd have been posted to her iirr so would have arrived a couple of days later. Not sure if there was an alternative email route or the option to phone in.

Only one of the local schools did enrolment that day. Although we did email to accept her place at her new school sixth form, as they'd originally said to, there was no response initially. The day after they acknowledged it but then said the enrolment was the week and half after anyway and to take in results slip then and make final subject choices. As it happened Dd didn't need to do tat but I guess many do change subjects.

FWIW I wouldn't choose to be away for results day but many people do miss it.

It's A level results day for us next year and that is right in the middle of August. Makes holiday fortnight much tighter at the start!

Our 6th form college gives out enrollment times. My eldest dd had to go in on the Friday, ie the day after results day, but this year my younger dd has to go in on the Thursday afternoon ie the very same day. We were only notified of the time last week. The college has been quite clear that they are over subscribed so if you don't enroll on time then they won't guarantee a place. I am naturally a risk averse, sensible person so we are not away for gcse or a level results days. However, I will say that I have friends who are more relaxed about this and are going away anyway. I think much depends on your daughter's likely results. If she's likely to get all grades 7,8,or9s then it's pretty clear to me that any college would accept her at pretty much anytime. If her results are less certain and there's a risk she will only just scrape in, then you would IMHO be doing her a disservice by being away.

Yes. Given that the OP was talking about GCSEs and not iGCSEs. Is it different in Wales?

@TapasForTwo

I'm guessing you are all discussing English schools.