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

Original poster

GCSE results day ideas of what to do/how to celebrate/make it special whatever outcome is

16 replies

concernedalot · 22/05/2023 17:39

Hello, posting here for traffic - would anyone be willing to share what they did with their DD/DS on GCSE results day please? (or what you are planning to do) Did you open the results together? Did they open them at school, or at home? What did you do afterwards to celebrate/make the day bearable if it wasn't the results they wanted? Thankyou

OP posts:

AfingeroffudgeisNOTenough · 22/05/2023 17:43

We celebrate the night before results in this house - we go out for dinner and celebrate the effort put in and the commitment to work, regardless of what the results say.

On results day itself we have tended to look at results together (GCSE were posted out because of Covid and AS/A level are seen online so no going into school, although I think younger DDs will go into school for GCSE results) and then just relaxed/planned next stage. We’ve given a gift but value is not dependent on results. Other than that we let them be - they will often want to be with friends on results day, so we get our family time the night before instead.

christmastreefarm · 22/05/2023 17:52

My DD will go into school to get them. Not sure if she will tel me F2F or over phone. Probably depends on results.

I think Nandos and others often do free food so they will probably go there. She has a concert in the evening so will probably go to the venue mid afternoon to queue. She's going solo to that.

Conkersinautumn · 22/05/2023 17:59

I let the teens do the teen thing together, go into school open results, meet up, register for A levels properly (often the same day if it's the same school). Then after they did that they head out into nearby city for treats and shopping as a group. When they got home we went to their favourite family restaurant. I think most teens will probably want a lot of time with friends on that day.

universityhelp · 22/05/2023 17:59

Mine went in to school to collect her results, on her own but met friends there. She then went to a friend's house where they had a party. Then later on she met me and her sibling in town and we went for burgers. I did message her after a couple of hours, partly due to curiosity and partly in case she was upset with her results.

Saniflo · 22/05/2023 18:10

In our day we got pissed in the park on cheap cider.

Takeitonthechin · 22/05/2023 18:17

We are going for a celebratory meal whatever the results are. DS will go into school to get the results himself and we will contact the college together. He may wish to meet up with friends afterwards.

Blanketpolicy · 22/05/2023 18:22

We are in Scotland so don't have to go into school to get the results. ds got his results by text at 8am, he didn't wake up until around 10am to read them and probably texted and chatted to friends in bed to find out what they got, he forwarded the text to us and went back to sleep 🙈 He went out in the afternoon but came back at night, so we got his favourite take-a-away.

It is their results so I would let them do whatever they think they want, if it means they want to open alone or share the results together with their friends first, or even go out with friends for the day/night so you don't even see them, step back and let them. But be at the other end of the phone/ready to jump in the car to get them if needed.

I wouldn't put any pressure on them with prearranged celebrations/commiserations, play it by ear and organise something another day once you know the results and they have sunk in.

booksandbrooks · 22/05/2023 18:23

In my day you had a piss up in the park and headed off to Reading or Leeds festival for the weekend. With or without a ticket.

I'd check in if they want a family celebration or a friends thing. Maybe organise a nice meal either favourite takeaway or restaurant. If you've deep pockets could you organise a bucket list type experience day thing? To really let rip in a much healthier controlled way than my peers did.

MargaretThursday · 22/05/2023 18:25

I think you have to be careful on the "we'll celebrate no matter what" ideas for the day of results.

If they've done well, then it could feel like you didn't care about the results. If they've done badly then no amount of "oh we're so proud of you" will make them feel better.

Be led by them. They may want to go in, they may not. What they think they want now, may not be what they want on the day.
Dd1 said she was going to run in, grab the results and run back out to the car and I was to drive away before she would open them.
After half an hour waiting, I texted and asked where she was. She'd met a group of friends and they'd all opened them together, squealed together and had flopped in a corner of the playing field. And that was what she wanted to do on the day. I'd never have planned that, nor would she have thought that was what she wanted to do.
Dd2 was covid cohort so they went in one by one. Her suggestion (on the day) that I took her shopping and every time I bought something she wanted then she'd tell me another result. We reached a deal where she told me the core subjects then I bought her a couple of things in return for the rest.
The night before she wasn't planning on going in at all. She was planning on waiting until they emailed them out later in the day, but on the day wanted to find out in person.

Go for a celebration on the last day of exams. The night before is (ime) when the worst nerves hit and they won't enjoy it then.

HisOliveTree · 22/05/2023 18:26

Mine spent the day with friends after going up to school to get the results. They called home to tell us, then went out.

I'd just ask them what they want to do, rather than planning anything.

WhiteFire · 22/05/2023 18:34

With DD we had to go in early to open the results as part of a select few - the really brainy ones and then the most progress ones like DD. She then stayed at school to be with her friends when they got theirs.

I think she just hung with her friends after.

caringcarer · 22/05/2023 18:45

A lot of kids go to Alton Towers near me. My DS does not like the rides but lots of teens do.

declutteringmymind · 22/05/2023 18:55

I would wait and see how they feel on the day.
Give them a few ideas and leave it to them to decide.
And be half prepared for them to go off with their mates- especially if they've not seen them for a while.

Original poster

concernedalot · 22/05/2023 20:03

Thanks for the suggestions. My DS doesn't have lots of mates and will probably rely more on me which I guess isn't the norm on here, but thanks all

OP posts:

ColonelSpondleClagnut · 22/05/2023 20:29

@booksandbrooks Yep, here too! Straight off to Reading Festival and I didn't even phone my mum I don't think 🤔 😆

However I do like the idea of celebrating the hard work the night before, I think that's Really Wholesome as my kids would say!

itsgettingweird · 22/05/2023 20:42

ColonelSpondleClagnut · 22/05/2023 20:29

@booksandbrooks Yep, here too! Straight off to Reading Festival and I didn't even phone my mum I don't think 🤔 😆

However I do like the idea of celebrating the hard work the night before, I think that's Really Wholesome as my kids would say!

We were abroad when mine came in.

I was waiting until we got home.

Instead loads of other teens were getting there's so I called my neighbour and asked her to go in and open it and tell me (this was pre smart phones so couldn't text a picture)

She was terrified of giving me the wrong information. I assured her she couldn't!!

With ds he went in to school got his results and then rang me - even though I was waiting down the road to take him home after!!! (At school with ehcp so not our local one)

He hung around for about 20 minutes with friends and then came home with me. Then the day continued as normal!!!

Flip