Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Are you accompanying your DC to collect GCSE results?

130 replies

Parapapampam · 23/08/2023 20:19

Just that really, we live very close to school, Ds has to collect in person, he was just going to walk in on his own, but then I thought will other parents go along for moral support 🤔Ds has said he doesn't mind either way.

We were away when my older Dd got her results by email, so don't know the norm for collecting in person.

OP posts:
LadyMonicaBaddingham · 23/08/2023 22:54

No, DS would murder me and die of shame simultaneously. He's going in to get them with some friends.

Bogofftosomewherehot · 23/08/2023 23:03

Last year DD went in on own, we waited in the car. She intended on getting the envelope and just leaving.

DameEtna · 23/08/2023 23:05

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 23/08/2023 22:54

No, DS would murder me and die of shame simultaneously. He's going in to get them with some friends.

Same 😂

Womblegreen · 23/08/2023 23:08

My DD is at a day and boarding school.

She can check online from about 8am, or go in person slightly later. I would have to drive her in as we live rurally.

00100001 · 23/08/2023 23:11

Secondary school I work in gets maybe 6-12 kids turn up on the day, that's because they all check their results via the pupil portal. They come in only if they get unexpected high/low grades and need to talk about A level choices.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 23/08/2023 23:17

Fluffypiki · 23/08/2023 21:40

Apologies because a bit unrelated but does anyone know why the results are so late? I mean they start back school almost a week later, it didn't seems that late 2 years ago. DD got her A-level last week and I am quite annoyed that we now have barely 3 weeks to organise everything.
I think it is quite disgusting to make them all wait so long. DD was a bit confident but we still had a few meltdowns before results day, so the more anxious kids must really suffer. In my country they don't wait quite as much as that.

Other than the Covid period, it's been this Thursday for the entire time that GCSEs have existed and was probably the same Thursday for O Levels and CSEs before that (the part of which I don't have personal knowledge of). It's not caused that much issue in probably at least half a century or it would have been changed by now; schools and colleges are all set up to deal with it, universities are set up to deal with the A level results and Clearing.

Bbq1 · 23/08/2023 23:28

I have genuinely never heard of parents going in with their kids. I am really surprised that so many do. My results were many moons ago but no parents accompanied their children as i remember. I went home and told my mum and dad. My ds got his results this time last year and we waited at home on tenterhooks until he got back but wouldn't have thought to go with him. We always support him in everything he does but in my experience (and that includes other families i know) collecting results is something teenagers usually do with friends, not parents. Well, it's obviously a thing in other places.

Stopsnowing · 23/08/2023 23:46

Is this a thing? I remember just getting them by post and being really nervous about opening them! (o levels)

Changingmynameyetagain · 23/08/2023 23:53

Fluffypiki · 23/08/2023 21:40

Apologies because a bit unrelated but does anyone know why the results are so late? I mean they start back school almost a week later, it didn't seems that late 2 years ago. DD got her A-level last week and I am quite annoyed that we now have barely 3 weeks to organise everything.
I think it is quite disgusting to make them all wait so long. DD was a bit confident but we still had a few meltdowns before results day, so the more anxious kids must really suffer. In my country they don't wait quite as much as that.

They’ve always been this late in August.
I got my GCSEs in the mid 1990s and got my results on the 22nd August, I was away doing my DofE expedition and they came in the post.

Sweetpeasaremadeforbees · 24/08/2023 00:13

I'll be driving DD to school (live 10 miles away from it) but she isn't sure if she wants me to go in or not. She's meeting friends so I'm assuming I'll wait in the car.

elkiedee · 24/08/2023 02:16

I'm not going in with DS, who has been called in a bit early for a photo op (so am hoping that's good news). We are 5 minutes walk from school. I might have to go and get cash out from my account and our nearest cash tills are at supermarkets next to school and on our side of the road, as his probably first preference (I think he's still deciding between 2 of his offers) requires him to enrol in person and pay an equipment deposit (unless we can pay with a card online). His second preference needs online enrolment and a textbook deposit, but I'm not sure whether the deposit has to be paid online or not.

PandaGrump · 24/08/2023 03:56

I’m waiting in the car while she opens with friends. What I’m actually doing is downloading them from the online parent portal whilst sat in the car. Our school say collection in person from 9am and also available online from 9am. DD doesn’t know that I’m downloading them and I’m not asking her if I can in case she says no! I’ll act surprised! I’m actually having a sleepless night and just checked the portal now in case they have accidentally uploaded them early!

PandaGrump · 24/08/2023 03:59

Fluffypiki · 23/08/2023 21:40

Apologies because a bit unrelated but does anyone know why the results are so late? I mean they start back school almost a week later, it didn't seems that late 2 years ago. DD got her A-level last week and I am quite annoyed that we now have barely 3 weeks to organise everything.
I think it is quite disgusting to make them all wait so long. DD was a bit confident but we still had a few meltdowns before results day, so the more anxious kids must really suffer. In my country they don't wait quite as much as that.

They’ve always been the fourth Thursday in august!

W0tnow · 24/08/2023 04:06

My kids log in to get theirs. I thought all schools were the same. Seems a bit of a faff to have to collect them?

tooanxious · 24/08/2023 04:08

spiderlight · 23/08/2023 20:39

We're going with him but probably waiting in the car. He thinks he wants to go in with his friend but then come and open them in the car with us, but he might change his mind in the morning.

Ditto

Starlightstarbright2 · 24/08/2023 04:09

I offered to drive my Ds down ( 10 minutes walk ) he declined so will wait at home

Sazza26xx · 24/08/2023 05:21

PandaGrump · 24/08/2023 03:56

I’m waiting in the car while she opens with friends. What I’m actually doing is downloading them from the online parent portal whilst sat in the car. Our school say collection in person from 9am and also available online from 9am. DD doesn’t know that I’m downloading them and I’m not asking her if I can in case she says no! I’ll act surprised! I’m actually having a sleepless night and just checked the portal now in case they have accidentally uploaded them early!

Edited

What? That's an invasion of her privacy, let her tell you

HelpMeGetThrough · 24/08/2023 05:27

Our youngest is picking up his results, he's going in with his mates and we'll stay home and he may well call us, or wait till he gets home.

He's had the same group of mates since Reception, so not surprised they are doing this.

He's off paddle boarding after that.

HelpMeGetThrough · 24/08/2023 05:31

I’m waiting in the car while she opens with friends. What I’m actually doing is downloading them from the online parent portal whilst sat in the car.

That's really shitty thing to do.

TheaBrandt · 24/08/2023 05:37

They all go in person here. Dd got hers last year we both went with her we were happy to wait outside but she was fine with us going in and seemed to want us to so we did. Most other kids had parents with them. Was amazing and an amateur photographer teacher got a beautiful pic of Dh and Dd just as they both saw her results. Then she went off with her friends. Dd quite confident and was through the mid teen “embarrassed to even have parents” phase.

SummerSazz · 24/08/2023 05:50

DD1 has said she is going in to collect them and then come back and open them in the car. She's then arranged to meet a friend afterwards to share them.

In the excitement I think she might open them in school but will wait and see, Have been instructed we are leaving the house at 8.10 😂

Sazza26xx · 24/08/2023 06:19

HelpMeGetThrough · 24/08/2023 05:31

I’m waiting in the car while she opens with friends. What I’m actually doing is downloading them from the online parent portal whilst sat in the car.

That's really shitty thing to do.

I would have been fuming if my mum done that

GuardiansPlayList · 24/08/2023 06:20

No as we are all on holiday abroad - DS chose to be away to get the results, as did our twins when they got theirs last year.

DS is going to wait for the email instead.

NancyJoan · 24/08/2023 06:24

PandaGrump · 24/08/2023 03:56

I’m waiting in the car while she opens with friends. What I’m actually doing is downloading them from the online parent portal whilst sat in the car. Our school say collection in person from 9am and also available online from 9am. DD doesn’t know that I’m downloading them and I’m not asking her if I can in case she says no! I’ll act surprised! I’m actually having a sleepless night and just checked the portal now in case they have accidentally uploaded them early!

Edited

Are you sure they will be available? It’s a breach of GDPR to give them to anyone other than the student; we have to get the student’s signed permission if we want a parent to collect on their behalf.

WellPlaced · 24/08/2023 06:24

PandaGrump · 24/08/2023 03:56

I’m waiting in the car while she opens with friends. What I’m actually doing is downloading them from the online parent portal whilst sat in the car. Our school say collection in person from 9am and also available online from 9am. DD doesn’t know that I’m downloading them and I’m not asking her if I can in case she says no! I’ll act surprised! I’m actually having a sleepless night and just checked the portal now in case they have accidentally uploaded them early!

Edited

You’re doing what?!

WTF