OP, the posters saying ‘leave it to her’ don’t seem to realise how upsetting feeling to meet your offer is or the fact that best places available in Clearing are gone by 9.30/10 am. Kids without a plan and likely some parental support are unlikely to be the ones getting those best places.
The DC or parent who looks at Clearing early on results day of yr12 sees the grades being accepted that day. Screen shots or noting them down helps….because if the places are gone within a few hours, they will no longer show on websites. Although the same might not happen the next year, it does indicate where tends to go to Clearing and the kinds of grades which might be accepted. For example, this year Nottingham took CCC through Clearung in a good number of courses that had a standard offer of substantially higher.
The biggest potential pitfalls relate to not getting their actual A Level grades early enough. UCAS updates at 8am to show if you’re accepted by firm or ins but doesn’t show grades achieved. Everyone needs to know their actual grades in order to look at Clearing regardless of whether they’ve missed grades or are looking to trade up with better results. As I say, the top courses might have a tiny amount of places (if they have any) and it will be first come first served, so if a DC loiters in bed to dawdle into school or college for 9.30 or later, the best places will already be gone. Likewise if school email results out and they don’t check emails until 10am, the best will be gone. Of course places somewhere will probably be available, but if you’re wanting the best you get get for your grades the candidate has to be quick off the mark.
Students can ‘be left to sort it out’ but many won’t know to (nor parents) look at uni websites the afternoon and eve before to get a sense of availability starting to be posted. They should be noting the stuff down and phone numbers and the opening hours for the clearing line on Thurs. They should also have to hand their GCSE results and UCAS number and login and have read over their personal statement in case they have to talk to an admissions tutor who might refer to it. They need to hve a Plan B ready so even if they are disappointed. They know their action plan and are on the phones fast. And yes it should be them. But a helpful parent using another mobile too might help them get through faster or mean they can be calling 2 places.
Can those saying ‘leave them to it’ see how a disappointed child on results day could be thrown and paralysed sndvubsurecwgatvto do….not know what to do first, where to look and that trying to gather the info U mention on results day when upset and panicked could be awful and more than many will manage effectively? That they may well miss the best options that they could have had?
It isn’t about taking control or making the decisions for them. It’s about enabling and supporting them. As a parent I’d take the day off work. Sometimes kids get a Clearing offer from a uni they’ve never visited that the uni can only hold for 12-24 hrs. People leaving the car to go and visit. That’s the parents sorting that, not the DC who us devastated by their results.
One day f the most useful things is to ask your DC to ask school or college how and what time actual A level results will be available to them. If anywhere says later than 8.30, I as a parent would be contacting the school or college to speak to Head of Sixtg Form to point out how disadvantaged this makes those students. Really you want emails arriving at home or results in person at 8am.
Another tip - if at all possible go to school or college where subject teachers should be available. You can then get your actual marks and the grade boundaries so you know if you just missed a grade. You can ask advice and if you’ve missed a turn offer can put in for a script return or priority review if marking there and then. Those results can be back before the weekend and if grades have gone up, firm is more likely to take you for that year rather than saying course full and deferring is needed.
Too many unprepared students get their results, miss their offer and go home disappointed or never go to school or college. Later that day they wonder if a re-mark might be a good idea, but by then staff have gone home and in some places, no academic staff will be there until GCSE results day the following week.
Some places sit on Clearing applicants for a couple of days and it can drag into next week. People talk about going on holiday the day after results and wishing they hadn’t, needing to deal with unis for several days at the start of the following week.
So, quite simply, doing this well if disappointed ‘and left to sort yourself out because it’s your uni course’ might well not result in the best outcome. Every year on results day and in the week after, distraught parents are on MN trying to help distraught children but knowing little and the kids being paralysed about what to do. A bit of foresight and practical support before the day and practical and emotional support in the day it possibly days after can turn what can be a horrible experience into a smooth one, with a good outcome, or even if the case of those who out perform their offer, a place at an even better uni.