Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6

Original poster

Aibu to be on holiday on gcse results day

130 replies

mrsbeeton999 · 27/12/2021 09:08

We’ve really missed going to France and it’s another rainy morning so I’d love to book our summer holiday this morning! With a wedding at home in early august, the best time for us to go is the last 2 weeks of the summer holidays. GCSE results day is 22nd august so there would only be time for 1 week if we wait and go after that. Is it important to be home for this? Obviously we’ll have internet but not sure if there’s lots to do like confirming results for sixth form college of anything? He’s our eldest so we’re new to this!

OP posts:

BigButtons · 27/12/2021 09:09

My mum went away when I got my then o levels. She left me at home. Would your dc be coming with you to France? How do they feel about it?

LIZS · 27/12/2021 09:10

It depends. Some colleges interview and enrol at that point, if they are confident of a place or staying at the school sixth firm it can be a formality.

MrsBlondie · 27/12/2021 09:11

My oldest is in year 11 and no way would I book a holiday for results day.

SoupDragon · 27/12/2021 09:11

It's risky.

If everything goes fine and results are as expected then there is no problem. If there are issues with grades being missed or re-marks being needed then you are best being at home.

clary · 27/12/2021 09:12

I wouldn't personally book a holiday then if I had a child getting results.

Of course, if they gain what they need and decide to progress as planned, no worries.

But they might:
gain a lower grade in maths or English
gain lower than (say) a 6 in an A level choice
gain a higher grade in an unthought of choice
change their mind completely re course or destination on seeing results (less likely it's true)

With any of these scenarios, it's much easier to be on the spot to sort it. I guess it might depend on how likely any of those are. If not very, and DC is ok with it, then book away.

User135792468 · 27/12/2021 09:12

It’s a rite of passage to collect results and then finish off applications for sixth forms / colleges as this may change based on results. Don’t deprive your child of this. Go in the first few weeks of the holidays instead.

Original poster

mrsbeeton999 · 27/12/2021 09:12

Yes 16 year old would come with us! Can’t imagine leaving him behind for another few years. He’s got a sixth form offer which seems nice and low but obviously not guaranteed he’ll get these results.

OP posts:

Tillymintpolo · 27/12/2021 09:12

Most colleges enrol on the day and you go in person

SpiderFluff · 27/12/2021 09:13

Just go for a week. Don't let him miss results day. He might want to be with his friend.s

RuthW · 27/12/2021 09:13

It's not fair not to be there for results day. You go if you must and leave child at home.

actiongirl1978 · 27/12/2021 09:14

I'm an exams officer and I'm always gob smacked at how many kids miss the rite of passage of collecting their results.

I would skip the wedding, not the results day

Original poster

mrsbeeton999 · 27/12/2021 09:17

We’ve got commonwealth games tickets in July and wedding beginning of audits and then sixth form registration day at end of august. We’ve already ruled out going away in Easter and may half term for revision etc. It’s so annoying but ok sounds like we should be here for results thank you. And obviously France may well still not want us there anyway! Sounds like 5 days in the uk at end of hols is what we’ll manage. Maybe we’ll get to go abroad in 2023! Thanks

OP posts:

SpiderFluff · 27/12/2021 09:19

Don't let him know you think it's annoying.

Just go to France for a week.

Tigger85 · 27/12/2021 09:19

We were on a camping holiday on my rests day, I didnt let my results until the next week, they had been posted to our home address. I had better grades than I thought and was predicted good grades anyway. I didn't care that I didn't go to results day. I was a kid who was very badly bullied and was relieved to not be around the other school kids, if your son is popular he will probably feel differently.

Original poster

mrsbeeton999 · 27/12/2021 09:19

I went and collected results but that was back in the dark ages. I thought they’d just check email or log in for results now. I’m surprised it’s such a big thing still but really glad I checked

OP posts:

SheWoreYellow · 27/12/2021 09:19

I’d ask the college what the process is and ask your child if they want to be away for it.

SE13Mummy · 27/12/2021 09:20

Round here, sixth form enrolment happens immediately after receiving GCSE results. Students staying on at their schools who get the grades they need tend to register on results day and external students the following day. DC1 got theirs last year and being present for enrolment meant they could also negotiate which A-level group they were put in for one of the subjects.

Firefliess · 27/12/2021 09:20

You need to find out when enrollment day(s) are at the sixth form - usually the Monday/Tuesday after results the previous Thursday. If you're getting back that weekend after results, that would probably be fine. I wouldn't plan to be away the whole of that subsequent week though, just I'm case he fails to get in and you need to sort out grade appeals or applying somewhere else.

SpiderFluff · 27/12/2021 09:20

Have you asked him what he wants to do?

marmitecake · 27/12/2021 09:23

I'd be a bit careful about this as lots of colleges and sixth form ask for students to enrol in person and often it can be on GCSE results day once results have been collected, or in the days after. I found this with my DS. For that reason we are not going away that week or the week after with our year 11 DD.

Original poster

mrsbeeton999 · 27/12/2021 09:23

He’s going to a new sixth form not attached to school. I’ve got the enrolment date which is right at the end of august. What happens on this day? Is this when we’d sort out of he didn’t get grades he needed or would that involve phone calls on results day like uni clearing?

OP posts:

3scape · 27/12/2021 09:23

I used to do college admissions, about 10 years ago. We completely managed to support applications and even interviews remotely before we were relying on online stuff. I'm not sure why so many people are negative about it.

Presumably he's already applied to place(s) you'd be better off sounding them out about communication in case of unexpected results for reassurance s.

drumandthebass · 27/12/2021 09:24

I personally wouldn't. I had to spend most of results day 2020 on the phone with schools as my son missed out on a place at his first choice 6th form. There were lots tears all round and it was very stressful. Once i'd secured a place for him and he was happy he met up with all his mates at the park to celebrate. I wouldn't want to deprive him of celebrating with friends

JuergenSchwarzwald · 27/12/2021 09:25

I think you need to be at home. Just go to France (or anywhere else you fancy and will let us in) for a week.

3scape · 27/12/2021 09:25

Enrolment commits the student to the course so the organisation can claim funding. From his point of view the timetable, ID pass will be sorted. It is, of course, possible to delay all that too. But it is a pain for admissions staff to some degree.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6