If there is one time when it really helps to have parents and school working closely together, it is during the next couple of weeks, following the publication of secondary school external examination results.
As this newspaper is published, 18-year-olds will be collecting their A Level results and, despite the fact we all know how flawed every exam system is, you cannot pretend that a huge amount is not hanging on the results for young people. Next week it is GCSEs – often the first real milestone for many.
If the results are good, there is no problem but if they are disappointing all sorts of emotions kick in.
Families need a Plan B, C and even D to cover most result eventualities. If these have been discussed already at home, it is not such a frightening shock if the results are not what are hoped for or expected.
Schools or colleges will have a good idea of what alternative plans might be sensible. Families do well to heed the advice. Parents only go through results day a few times; teachers go through it with hundreds of young people year after year after year. They are likely to know what they are talking about.
Failure teaches us more than success but that’s not much comfort when you are looking at D grades not As. How the adults around react has a huge effect.
My starting point is always to keep a perspective for the student. Yes we are sorry that they are disappointed but no one has died and here are some interesting alternatives that we have already discussed. What’s done is done and it is time to move forward. Parents and school can be most helpful by acknowledging the intensity of the feelings but being practical about actions to take.
Re-marks are possible though everyone has to remember that marks can and do go down as well as up. It is not a good idea to rely on the re-mark coming back positive.
The problem for those wanting a university place is that you have to act quickly if you fail to meet your offer. Universities fill their remaining places every minute. That is why being clear about options before you get the results is a good idea.
Perhaps most important for teachers and parents is that what matters now is the student’s choice – not what parents or schools might want but what the student decides.
* Sarah Evans, Former principal of King Edward VI High School for Girls
