On holiday on results day

[OuiOuiMonAmi]

Would this be awful? There will be good mobile phone service and we will have all the information printed out and plans in hand. Is this a terrible idea?!

If they can’t collect results in person and they have a phone and internet then I can’t see why you’d need to be at home on results day?

DS’s school allowed them to collect their results in person from I think 8am, whereas those who opted to get them emailed didn’t get them sent till 10am. So potentially could have lost out on some clearing time and opportunities?

Think it depends on what dc thinks

I was away on GCSE results day and I wasn’t too happy about that at the time but it worked itself out fine.

I have very deliberately avoided results day for DS next year (and only made a provisional booking in case the most likely date isn’t in fact confirmed). I think going into school to get results is a right of passage (and they’ll be available online now too but still think you should go in!), I don’t want him to think or feel it’s inconsequential to us in any way. It’s important. I also don’t want it playing on his mind. I’ve booked it for the Friday after to switch off from it all.

Although just seen your update. I think it depends more on how it’ll impact your son mentally, if he’d like the distraction or if it would impact his holiday to have it playing on his mind.

Do you really want the start of your holiday to have an undercurrent of nerves? And then results day potentially ruined through having to sit on the phone/internet for clearing?

unless theres a specific reason why that week is the best for you to take your holiday I’d avoid it.

Friends of ours were away last year and their DS very unexpectedly didn't get the grades and got rejected from his firm and insurance.

They had an incredibly stressful time going through clearing from miles away in a different timezone and categorically stated they wished they hadn't gone away.

My view is if there is any chance a DC may not achieve the grades for their firm or insurance I would be in the country or be prepared to return to manage the clearing process and have the opportunity to visit clearing choices.

As others have said you can provisionally accept a clearing offer and then go and visit but you may get the offer on the Friday and have to decide by the Monday. My niece had this situation - she and her father - my brother - came back the day before results and were very pleased to be in the UK with good internet and on the same time zone. It is not just the uni place it is securing the accommodation that is often the big challenge with clearing - an insurance offers.

If the Firm and or Insurance grades are well within reach then you are in a different situation. Ot alternatively if prepared to take a year out to review choices.

Whether you go into school or college on results day is not relevant and it sounds as though that isn't a choice.

Check policy for review of marking. My dc’s school was paper form and cash to office. It’s pretty tight timescale. If they are a mark off they may want a review.

If you are abroad make sure tech wise you can mimic being in uk, I’ve seen posts where they couldn’t get through to clearing as a home student.
Does your yp want to be away. It was a massive night out for my DD’s friends.

If you’ve booked and paid for it I guess you’ll have to make it work. It’s not ideal though and if you can change it I would. There are lots of other weeks does it have to be that one?

If they get the grades or uni accepts them anyway it’s really quick. They log on ucas at 8am and can see if firm uni accepted them. If firm hasn’t it will say if insurance has. Or say clearing. Then can open A level results email.
I think 80% got one of their uni choices last year (not necessarily same course) so it’s only a small percentage that go in clearing.

A thing people forget, is how useful it is to have access to teachers to discuss grade boundaries and putting in for review of marking - and teachers are often only available on results day as it’s still their holiday.
80% of predicted grades are wrong and most too generous. Plus, lots want to know how close they were to the grade boundary and receive advice about which proper is best to have reviewed etc. Priority remarks can be submitted on the day for speedy review and sometimes unis will still give the place if the review results in better grade…if in next day or so. After that for popular courses they can’t often offer a place immediately.

Access to school or college and expertise is really important. Even if having a gap year, if grades are missed a better option might be available in Clearing that won’t be available at those grades through a re application. Sometimes students need to whizz off to visit somewhere.

It’s just simply better to be around on what is a really important day.

We made sure we were at home, but at my DC's school the vast majority of pupils go in personally and lots of the teachers are there. They are strongly encouraged to go in and can't get results online.
But if you can only get results online it does put a different perspective on things. Personally I wouldn't want to be somewhere with a big time difference so be deaking with results in the middle of the night or to be reliant on dodgy hotel WiFi etc, but if you are confident that you are going to have a good internet connection and phone signal I guess ot doesn't matter hugely where you are if he'd be dealing with everything remotely anyway.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone - some really useful points. We're going to move the holiday back.