Has anyone else been overwhelmed post GCSE results?

[16plusDC]

I didn’t expect to feel so overwhelmed and stressed throughout the GCSE results period.

After the initial high of passing their GCSEs my DC has had to make last minute alternative plans. My head is scrambled with trying to advise them as best as I can as they are still so torn.

I don’t feel like they’ve had enough time between results day on the 21st and the enrolment sessions to figure out what they definitely want to do.

Does anyone else feel the same? This is maybe more aimed at the parents of DC who didn’t quite get the grades they needed or for those who just had no idea what they want to do but all are welcome to express how you’ve felt during this time.

No, I think you need to step back and let your child decide what they want to do. If they end up picking the wrong course or A’levels there is usually a 6 week period to change onto another course. You only make it as stressful as you need to.

It might be helpful to know that if they aren't entirely confident in their choices, there is still time to switch course or even college after starting their courses. Ideally this should be within a couple of weeks so that they haven't missed too much of their new course to catch up on.

So if they try something, and decide that it was a horrible mistake, all is not lost.

Not post-results, but we had to do a 360 for various reasons in June straight after exams and it was incredibly stressful - and that was having done quite a lot of plan B research ahead of time.

Knowing how I felt then, I can only imagine what it must be like with results in the mix too.

It will feel better in a few weeks!

Not to that extent, but I do feel exhausted from the rollercoaster of holding everything together and she feels exhausted from going through it. She was pretty clear what course she wanted to do, but there were a lot of emotions attached to getting the 'right' grades.

She's decided the next few days are for self care and making sure she's ready for the next step.

It’s been v stressful. DC came down on mock grades which left him deflated, even though he expected it. Tearing round on results day to get in queues was full on. Such was the pressure this year many DC could not go to their first choice for chosen subjects.

DC ended up with one of his 3 school choices for the subjects he wanted, but I think for children moving for sixth form the turnaround is brutal. We’re both tired and now DC has a cold.He starts his new school Tuesday and won’t know anyone, but it does seem an excellent and caring school so hopefully he will settle in well He is trying to get transition work done, having done the work for another school..

DC said he feels he let his teachers down. I assured him he did not, but with days go get ready now it’s all v rushed and emotional, even if not shown.

As pp said they can usually swap subjects first few weeks so maybe your DC can start and then talk to teachers? Or are they looking at another school/ college?

Gpod luck!

Yes, mine had to enrol yesterday! And I also have a Year 7 already enrolled now. Complete nightmare, plus work is crazy too. And we have 2 family birthdays coming and the house is a tip. Cannot wait for them all to settle in. Just want them back at school now.
DD has already moved on to driving lessons though mentally. She has forgotten the whole enrolment drama, it is only me left catching my breath. She hasn’t got her stuff ready though like Maths calculator etc, need to hassle her tomorrow to login and actually figure out what she needs to do. She is taking 4 separate A levels and an EPQ so it is going to be really intense and she should really be getting herself organised.
I think once they are enrolled they tend to forget the GCSE drama quite quickly unless they cannot take a favourite A level that they always wanted to do.

Yes, although ds got his sixth form place he missed one of the more academic ones he’d applied for and some of the marks were lower than we thought. It has made us think seriously about a gap year after y13 to avoid the tension and rushing

I cannot remember it being this stressful with my other 2, but we knew this was a high birth year and lots of competition from private school kids moving into state, so I did do loads of research to lay the groundwork etc and I am really grateful now that we did that. Our Sixth Form definitely has far more ex private school students than usual. Entirely predictable.
This whole thing with a 2008 birth year started right at the beginning - I was told in a London hospital just about to push her out that they may have to move us in an ambulance to another hospital! Thankfully she crowned just in time. Then there was a huge scramble for primary places as well at the time and now this. Glad it is over! When we look at the grade boundaries it is competitive this year, DD’s old school told her they had a really high CAT score year group (powers to be did not have KS2 SATS though) and were expecting lots of competition. Couple in the fact a lot of kids now have tutors as well, it is crazy competitive.

Funny that was also running through my head!

Yes same here, DS missed his grades and hoped for place. We've negotiated him on to an alternative but now I'm worried that it will be too much for him. I feel wrung out today, lots of worry and stress. The leave him to sort himself comments don't work as he's autistic.

People have always thought I'm a bit nuts for starting everything early...

I was looking at Primaries a year early, Secondaries in Y5 and had done a lot of scenario B planning for 6th form.

We've already started university open day visits. Mainly because conservatoires are on the menu and that means the equivalent of UCAS has to be in on the 1st October next year, and every single one has a completely different set of audition requirements and tapes to send.

Given the amount of faff and expense doing auditions and tapes (and the cost of even applying to conservatoires) I have no intention of DD doing any 'for fun', so she needs to have the short-list whittled down well in advance.

It's definitely worth starting to plan now so there is no rush mixed in with Y12 mocks or end of year stuff.

And check university start dates... they're all over the place. I have friends whose kids start next week and others who aren't there till 2nd week of October.

Not at this point, but we had a curve ball thrown at us just before the Feb mocks, and spent those weeks desperately coming up with plan B (C and D).
And, yes, it was a very fraught couple of weeks.

@OhCrumbsWhereNow - that is extremely organised of you! I simply cannot do any forward planning right now. I need a break! DD is busy planning her party schedule until Christmas! And her driving lessons. I know she will still work hard academically during the week and every free period, but she simply has not got the maturity or head space to think beyond the next few months. She is still pissed off they are not allowed to get a phone out even in Sixth Form although most of them seem to have the Snapchat on their iPads so I don’t understand the rationale of it all. Probably to set a good example to the younger kids.

I agree @Araminta1003 I don’t have the energy. I think DS needs a few months to adjust to new school etc. That said I know it will become pressing quickly. Shame because my last century experience of sixth form was year 12 was a bit of a breather…clearly not now!

The problem was that they couldn’t decide and needed my help.

Thank you to everyone who has replied. I hope your DC are happy with their decisions and ready to start this week.

I don’t think it has helped that my DC only turned 16 this weekend. I’ve really noticed how young they still are and they’ve needed my support to help guide them.

@16plusDC - Happy Birthday to your DC!

Don’t forget they also missed out on almost 2 full years of normality and transition to secondary due to Covid so a bit of social and emotional immaturity is to be expected.
I do not see anything wrong with supporting and guiding them, especially with A level/BTEC choices and the right Sixth Form. These can be long term, life changing choices and those with the right guidance are at a big advantage. Plenty of 16 year olds have no idea what career pathway they are aiming for, or where their true academic strengths/passions lie. It can be very confusing especially if they underachieve slightly in a GCSE vs their expectations.

Yes it’s been the most stressful time since I became a mother. Son had his heart set on certain A-levels but GCSE grades were a bit low so had to pick different subjects. He’s got a mix of 2 A-levels and a level 3 diploma now. Thankfully he is able to attend the same college as planned.
You feel sad when they don’t achieve what they need but I felt worse about being unprepared for the college saying no to those subjects. I’d hoped they would allow him but seems more rigid than when I went to college myself. Of course I understand why they couldn’t allow him to do those subjects but thankfully what he did achieve allowed him to make alternative choices. In the future this will hopefully end up being a better choice 🤞🏻

DD did GCSEs 2 years ago and I am still recovering from the aftermath of poor results, not getting the subjects she wanted, making wrong choices by staying at current school and eventually having to leave end of year12 and restart elsewhere.
She is still not settled but going into Y13. A levels were a huge mistake for her but she wouldn't accept any other options.
I would be glad when this is over. If she achieves 3 Es in her A levels that would be a blessing.