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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

hellsbells99 · 27/12/2021 10:42

We were away for DD2’s GCSE results. We discussed it with her first - either go on holiday for 1 week and be back in time or go for a few days longer. She was delighted to be away as didn’t want the stress of collecting results in front of people. Only slight problem was her results were not emailed until 2 or 3 hours after collection time so that was a little stressful - she kept checking emails. She had arranged for results to be emailed and given permission for that. She already had an offer for sixth form of the school she was in so we had spoken to them before and just had to fill in an online registration form on the day she got her results. Her offer was unconditional on the understanding that if something had gone pear-shaped she might need to change an A level subject.
A levels results were a different matter and we made sure we were home for those.

Hunderland · 27/12/2021 10:44

We did this one year, it was fine because he was going into his school's sixth form.

Would not do it at A level stage unless had already accepted unconditional place, it'd be too stressful!

LynetteScavo · 27/12/2021 10:51

You absolutely need to be at home for enrolment day. If school is happy to email, and you're happy to deal with any possible grade disasters from abroad, then I think it's fine to go. Personally I wouldn't though.

clary · 27/12/2021 11:32

be back in time to enroll for 6th form

Thing is, for many settings, that is results day. I have seen more than one thread on MN bewailing the lack of a sixth form place due to delay.

It depends where you are going post 16, what they require and what you are likely to achieve. If there may or will be issues, then it is advisable to be there in person.

skiclothes · 27/12/2021 11:49

I worked all day on my gcse results day, went to pick them up in my lunch break and they had already packed up and were ready to be posted. I had already been accepted to college so didn’t have to do anything with college until enrolling a couple of weeks later and that was before anything was done online so I'm not sure I believe PPs where kids are having to enrol with college on results day!

onedayoranother · 27/12/2021 11:55

It was a big deal with all the kids going to school to get their results and teachers available if the results were not as expected. I then had to scan the results and send them immediately to the sixth form my daughter was going to attend. She had a guaranteed place but they was ted to know. I imagine the school would do this on your behalf, as they get the results the day before.
For kids who couldn't make it the results were mailed (and in my current neighbourhood I'd be waiting about two weeks for them)!
Ask your child how they feel about not being there to collect results.

MillicentFaucet · 27/12/2021 11:58

@clary

be back in time to enroll for 6th form

Thing is, for many settings, that is results day. I have seen more than one thread on MN bewailing the lack of a sixth form place due to delay.

It depends where you are going post 16, what they require and what you are likely to achieve. If there may or will be issues, then it is advisable to be there in person.

The OP has already explained that enrollment day is after results day. There's no reason why they need to physically go to school on results day, an email will be fine.

onedayoranother · 27/12/2021 11:59

It is still a big deal - my daughter got her results last summer.

DSGR · 27/12/2021 11:59

You need to be at home, won’t he want to collect results with his friends?

SwedishEdith · 27/12/2021 12:02

We did for one child. Didn't even think it was such a bad thing to do. We did discuss it but dates were limited because of other appointments over summer. She got a friend to pick up the results and email them to her.

thewhatsit · 27/12/2021 12:05

I never went to pick up my GCSEs or A-levels. A lot missed them, it wasn’t a big deal.

I guess they’re only important if there is much of a chance he’ll miss out on which ever sixth form college he wants and might need to change A-level choices etc so that wholly depends on what grades he’s predicted : how confident everyone is.

Ask him what he wants.

RampantIvy · 27/12/2021 12:09

I thought they’d just check email or log in for results now.

Pre covid a lot of schools wouldn’t do this. At DD’s school you either had to go in or get them posted to you (this was in 2016). Also 6th form enrolment happens the same day as results day, and you have to be there in person.

I think Dd and pretty much all her friends are at a festival on results day - not great timing !

The results come out in the morning. If it is Leeds or Reading they are only setting up camp on that day. Most students collect their results then travel to the festival site.

so I'm not sure I believe PPs where kids are having to enrol with college on results day!

At many school 6th forms it has to be results day. My friend’s DS nearly lost his place at 6th form because he was visiting his grandparents in the US and hadn’t enrolled. He turned up at school on the first day of term and no-one knew why he was there. Luckily there was space for him in all of his chosen subjects.

notangelinajolie · 27/12/2021 12:15

Didn't go on holiday when our DCs got their results but lots do.

A couple of years ago, me and DH were sat at breakfast on a Royal Caribbean cruise ported in Spain and there were celebrations and excited teens all over the ship. It was lovely to see - plus we had a celebration of our own going on too because we got a call saying our DD has passed her driving test.

pappajonessecretchild · 27/12/2021 12:30

we have the same problem, OP. we booked our holiday this time next year, and had wrongly thought gcse result day would be the 3rd thurs in aug. it isnt, as you said its the 25th this year. we are only 3hrs away, and our holiday is fri to fri, with the extended family. my DD, her cousin and friend are all due gcse results on the thurs. However, my DDs school have for the last 2 years kept everything very very low key on collection due to covid. so only allowed in within a timeslot, no celebrations to take place on school grounds. I have given her the choice to go back from holiday earlier with myself so she can collect them, or just by email. she is looking at staying on at the schools 6th form which i am hoping will make things easier to sort. At the moment she is undecided, as i am guessing depending on if they sit exams, teacher asses, etc will depend on how much stress she feels about what she gets, but as she is at the moment pretty secure on her place in 6th form, she is undecided on if she wants to go there or not. i am concerned about the social side, saying goodbye to others that are going onto other places as her school is not a local one and i am not convinced she gets how emotional it may be. But the holiday is booked, so i am not mentioning it any more till after the exams (if they happen) then will speak to her again, then the school. see what your ds wants to do, and then go from there.

PumpkinPie2016 · 27/12/2021 12:32

I really wouldn't. My parents booked our holiday in France meaning we were away for my GCSE results.

It was an absolute pain in the arse. Ringing from abroad to get them (thankfully they were good), getting my school to fax a copy to the 6th form I had been accepted into. Arranging to enrol at said college later than others as I was away until nearly the end of Aug.

Parents didn't want me to stay home as the holiday was 4 weeks. I wish I had been more assertive and bloody stayed home with the dog!

Pedalpushers · 27/12/2021 12:34

I got my GCSE results when I was on holiday. My neighbour collected them for me and their parents read them over the phone to my dad (I didn't want to hear first as I'm wussy). All fine.

Justgorgeous · 27/12/2021 12:41

Hello, it’s absolutely fine. He can get them emailed and sort it out from France. We were away 4 years ago, he would rather have been in Ibiza then in England. It’s totally doable and really not the issue everyone is making out. I would obviously see how he feels first though. My son was fine about it.

RampantIvy · 27/12/2021 13:09

I think the varied answers on here just show that it depends entirely on the school and on the 6th form. Some won't email, some insist on enrolment on the day, some students just don't want to go into school, some want to see their friends and some students won't do as well as they should and then have to make different choices elsewhere.

For example at DD's school they only offered A levels in 6th form, so anyone needing to retake maths or English couldn't enrol there but had to go to the 6th form college in town.

You need to check with the school and the 6th form if being away will make things more difficult.

clary · 27/12/2021 19:49

@MillicentFaucet absolutely. I really intended my last comment for anyone else reading this thread and wondering the same thing.

If you haven't done it before you might not know. At DS2's school you needed to be there ideally; ,mate of his got a 5 in an intended A level subject and had to have a mini interview there and then about doing that or a different subject. Possible remotely, no doubt, but certainly not as easy.

It clearly varies; also what will vary is the student's results, and if these are uniformly good with 6 and above in all core subjects and A level choices then there will not be an issue with enrolling via phone or email.

The issue is as many have said, if a student does less well; and this year of all years this is perhaps more likely - given the uncertainty year 11 students are facing just now.

Roselilly36 · 27/12/2021 20:24

I wouldn’t been through this twice with DS’, they both went into school to pick up their envelopes, saw friends, teachers and then home and onto ucas to update their results for college places.

RampantIvy · 27/12/2021 20:25

That's A levels isn't it @Roselilly36?

DebIr · 27/12/2021 20:30

It’s not just if they don’t get the results they need. One of mine changed his mind about A level subjects on the day, hadn’t seen that coming at all. And both wanted to celebrate with friends.

Tal45 · 27/12/2021 20:38

I didn't go in to get my results, I was too nervous - I found them out that night from a friend out clubbing! That was many years ago though.......I would ask him how he feels about it.

RampantIvy · 27/12/2021 20:42

Schools are much stricter these days about who they release results to. They go to the students, and they will only release results to someone else if they get written permission from the student.

LetsGoThenSanta · 27/12/2021 20:45

Don't they email you the results these days anyway? So it doesn't matter where you are as long as you're all together?
I had to collect mine from school back in the day. But I'm sure they email them now.

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