Headteacher's Reports for Uni

I know my son was shown his UCAS reference although he didn't have the opportunity to change anything and didn't tell us much about it. Must have been ok because he got the 5 offers.

Would suggest you and he attend the university open days and discuss admission requirements. No point applying to somewhere that he will not meet the requirements for, especially if what has happened in some subjects this year is repeated - people applying for a course where the requirements were BBB & then they get asked for ABB etc. (or if they are only predicted BBB not getting an offer at all).

If a candidate is ill or someone close to them dies during or just before the exams there is a procedure for letting the examination board know & the candidate gets some extra points, although I'm not sure that pupils at my son's school have done this even when they have lost a sibling or a parent in exam year.

Remember the candidate can always say something in their personal statement but I wonder how doing this would be interpreted, understandable if you lost a sibling in the term before the exams, not so unusual to lose a grandparent (although v upsetting nevertheless).

Does anyone know if the tutor can put in mitigating circumstances with regard to GCSE grades?
DS did pretty well, mainly As and 2 x A although he had been predicted much more As than he got. Sadly my mother who he was very close to as the eldest grandchild died when he was midway through his exams and we had to plan the funeral pretty much around his exams as we had to fly back to the UK as we live in the Middle East. He had a few exams the week after his nannie died and then he had to fly back for the funeral the day after an exam and return again 2 days later to sit another.
we've recently heard that the Uni he wants to go to want at least 3 A but ideally 5 and wonder whether he should just give up on this or if it is worth explaining why he didn't do as well. Also, 3 of his exams were taken early, 3 years, 1 year and 6 months early and he got As. Would it be worth the tutor saying in his opinion he would have got A in them if sat at the 'normal' time?

I think in DS1's school this reference is compiled by his tutor based on references from each A level subject teacher and possibly in his case housemaster.

Although i have not seen his or any reference when he enquired generally they said they never outright put anything bad in. It is just what is left out that might show weaker points. (in his case virtually no participation in anything but lessons!)

IME these references are usually a compilation of mini reports from A-level subject teachers, with a bit of more general blurb about their 'character'.

The only mention of pre-Alevel stuff is usually a very very general statement about their GCSE performance or mention of any particular difficulties that they have overcome.

Never seen anything preGCSE mentioned.

It is meant to be a forward-looking document, to quote UCAS "references are designed to provide universities and colleges with an informed and academic assessment of an applicant's suitability for further study"
I don't think that Universities want to know about your DC being a Milk Monitor in Y7.

Not sure what you are on about - do you mean the UCAS reference?