Results day...

Results day. Images of happy, smiling girls embracing one another as they clutch envelopes containing results that confirm their plans for the next three years or more. And yet that doesn’t tell the whole story. For some the day is fraught with anxiety, as that rosy future seems to have collapsed around them.

Generally your daughter will fall into one of the following categories:

• Got the results she needed and is accepted by her first choice
• Just missed her required grades but is accepted by first choice
• Missed grades required by her first choice but is accepted by second choice
• Has not met the grade requirements of either of her choices and has no offer
• Done considerably better than anticipated

For more advice on each of these categories read our Next steps article.

Naturally you will want to support and guide your daughter at this key point in her career however it is important that she takes responsibility for sorting her own future. Encourage her to read our helpful Q & A section, be a good listener and offer TLC or congratulations as appropriate!

But what if your daughter is still left without a place? There are still options open to her. If she narrowly missed the grades she required, it might be worth considering either a priority or a normal re-mark. Her school should be able to advise you both on this. If all else fails, you should help her seek to turn what appears to be a negative into a positive. She should start planning to take a Gap Year and to improve her application. Judiciously selected re-takes might help her to improve her grades and a carefully planned year out, which might include some relevant work experience or gaining further skills and experience, will make her application stronger.

It’s easy to say at a time when she’s feeling insecure, her friends are happy and she has to face them and relatives, but, ten years down the line, no-one will care that she took an extra year to access the course she wanted to do. Indeed, there is something to be said for approaching a university course with a little greater experience and maturity behind you.

Whatever your daughter’s fate on results day, we wish her every success in the future.