GCSE results day

[Figure17a]

What action is required on the day or shortly afterwards?

If we're to have a holiday this summer it looks like we'll be away the week after results day. Does it matter? DS hopes to stay on at sixth form for Alevels but, frankly, I'm not at all convinced he'll get the grades.

atm, he's not prepared to consider a back up plan and I have no idea what his other options might be. I'm hoping that will change over the next few weeks as we go to careers evenings and college visits etc but if he doesn't get the grades he wants, how important is it to be around immediately after the results?

Immediately after results - vital if he doesn't get the required grades. You, and hundreds of others in the same situation, will be scrabbling round trying to find a place on a course that's suitable, at a college that has spaces, and is within travelling distance.

A week after results you should be sorted, but check enrolment dates of colleges.

Hopefully you'll have a plan b and plan c though soon!

I'd ask the school. We had results day then go in the next day to talk to all the different teachers with desks set up for each A level. Ended up doing something different to what he had his mind set on and he's really happy. A lot can change when you find out what grades they have and I think seeing it in black and white on paper brings things home to them too. I wouldn't be away results day but hopefully the next week would be ok, check and see what they have planned I'm sure the office wouldn't mind a quick call.

I had plans A -> F depending on his results. They are not natural planners themselves at this age. At All . Careers evenings are very helpful and college is worth a look at if you think it would suit him, lots of different options. DS needs the structure of school so I was prepared to beg if necessary to keep him on!

If you don't think he'll get the grades is it because he doesn't have the aptitude or isn't working hard enough? It didn't look like DS would at this stage and I organised tutoring in one subject and tutored him myself in another. There are millions of past papers online and working through them is a god send. I got some grumping at the time but he is very thankful now that I forced him to he made the effort. His head of year should be helpful too.

I think it depends on where he wd like to go after GCSE. He needs a plan A, plan B and maybe even a plan C.

One of my DCs did GCSEs in 2016 in another country. We knew we'd be moving to UK immediately after, so arranged a 6th form college place a year in advance as our plan A. The plan B was going to be going to the same college to do retakes! (Luckily that didn't happen - phew!) Many sixth forms require certain GCSE grades in order to do A levels. If everything goes well and yr S's results are gd enough for his plan A, there wd not be a problem with you being away in hol. But if results mean you are wandering into plan B territory, it wd prob be v useful to be able to go in to the school/college in person in August. I'll ditto Mr Slant's comments too re tutoring and past papers, esp for the essential English and maths.

Unless you live in an area with very limited post 16 options or have a post 16 offer that isn't dependent on results, I don't think this is a good idea.
dd was Y11 last year. On results day her school had staff on hand to help pupils who hadn't made their sixth form offers. Some were able to move to other courses at the sane sixth form, others were advised to contact FE colleges/ the sixth form college on the same day. There was a strict deadline for transferring courses at same sixth form, that pupils who were away on holiday wouldn't be able to meet.
Enrolment for sixth form courses started on results day for some providers and was the following week for others.

If he might not get results, I'd also say vital he is around.

Plus he really should have backup plans. So much better to have done research now, get offers of places from colleges etc., than to be scrabbling around for the very few remaining places on courses he doesn't know much about in a panic at the end of August. (But you know this anyway!)

Thanks all. ATM the only application he has in is for sixth form & Alevels. TBH I'm not sure he's Alevel material and school are telling him things will have to improve if he's to get on the course, but if that's what he wants to work towards, I'm not about to tell him I don't think he can do it. He is working hard now, but it might be too little too late.

Options as I see it are the same Alevels (maths and sciences!!) at college where the entry requirements aren't as high, easier (?) Alevels at school or college - school doesn't require As for most subjects (just maths and science) or a btec course at college. That "only" requires 5 a-c and he already has 2 Bs, so please god he'll get that.

So, if he's got those offers before exam results are out, does he still need to be around last week of Aug? Results day is Thurs. We could be home Thurs and Fri, away the following week.

You also need to check enrolment days and whether they can be adjusted if you are away. i.e. Can you enrol early if they aren't until the week you are away?

My daughter's school enrolled them for sixth form on results day - they had staff there to discuss options etc. There was nothing else they needed to do until first day of term. The sixth form college had enrolment during the week after results day - there were several days so holidays could be accommodated.

When DS1 got his results, the enrolment days for his plan B course at the local college was on the following day (last Friday of August). The college had other enrolment days for other subjects on the following Tuesday and Wednesday. The induction days for the local sixth forms started a week after results day.

Just wondering if there's any chance of getting results by email?

DD is taking two GCSEs this year (Y10) but we'll be away until school goes back in September.

Obviously i won't making the same mistake next year!

It's not the getting of the results that bothers me, we'll be there for that, it's any action required the following week.

At DS's school they don't get the results for any they take in yr10 until they go back to school in September. Only year 11 results are given out on results day. For the yr11 results, he tells me you can arrange to have them posted to an alternative address if you'll be away.

"My daughter's school enrolled them for sixth form on results day - they had staff there to discuss options etc. There was nothing else they needed to do until first day of term"

Same at DD's school, and also at the local 6th form college. Why don't you ask when enrolment is for all the 6th form options available, and then book your holiday accordingly.

We went on holiday the day after the results came out, but I was confident that DD would get her 6th form place (which she did). She enrolled straight away and then didn't have to do anything until she started back in September.

When my son got his results last year he had to sign up that morning if he wanted a place at his current school for sixth form. He was lucky in that his results were more than enough to stay on. Sadly his best friend didn't get the grades and he spent the day looking at all his options and contacting colleges.

You need to check the enrolment and induction arrangements for all the other options.