Students up and down the country will be returning to schools tomorrow to collect their GCSE results, with many hoping to have obtained grades high enough to secure a place at a Further Education or Sixth Form College.
But are you informed about your choices and what about those students who don’t get the grades they’d hoped for – what’s next?
Here, Lisa Capper MBE, CEO and Principal of The Sandwell Colleges reassures young people that even if results are not what were expected, there’s still an abundance of options and plenty of help and advice available, whatever the grades.
GCSE results day is a nerve-wracking time for young people but whether you (or your young person) receive the grades you were hoping for, there are many options to move forward into the bright future you deserve.
If you have just missed out on the critical subjects, don’t panic. At Cadbury Sixth Form College, there are opportunities to re-sit your GCSEs in English and/or Maths and there’s also a wide range of technical, professional and vocational subjects on offer as well as academic A Levels and T Levels– ensuring that the right course, training and work experience is available to suit you.
Keep in mind these simple top tips as you approach GCSE results day so that you can make the best decision for you, once you know your grades.
1. Don’t panic: If you don’t get what you hoped for, whilst you’ll inevitably be disappointed, you should take some time to acknowledge all your hard work to get this far and feel good about completing this stage in your life. There will be options for you and we can help you find those choices.
2. Be ambitious: Stop and think about what you’d like to do next. Ask yourself, what will help you achieve your career goals? As well as choosing a course, are you excited about gaining work experience or developing a specific skill or specialism?
3. Be realistic: Reflect on what you really want to do, build useful, transferable skills, ask for or take part in projects to give you opportunities, ask for work placements as well as a course so you are in a prime position to get a foot in the door.
4. Think outside the box: Continuing in a traditional education setting might work for some people but for others, more vocational or technical practical and hands-on training would suit them better. Now is a great time to think about a Vocational Diploma or a T Level or a course that can prepare you to take up a T Level next year.
5. Talk to someone: Find the right person to talk to about your next move – it could be a parent or carer, a teacher at your school, or a careers advisor or teaching staff at a further education provider. Talking through things with your support network will help you to decide what the best option is for you. They can also help you tackle barriers such as transport, getting to know others or understand the options.
The most important thing is to stay positive. If you have not quite got what you were expecting it’s not the end of the world and in time you will come to realise this. It’s vital to pick yourself up and, most crucially, take action. Just because you didn’t get the results needed for the initial course you wanted, it doesn’t mean the door is closed.
Last year our Student Union President said:
‘Always remember that nothing can stop you from getting where you want to be. You have what it takes to aspire, achieve and progress and there are still ways to get where you want to be and fulfil your potential’.
You can still enrol on a course, but will either need to retake English and maths if you didn’t get the required grade or do a different English and maths qualification. These core subjects are incredibly important for work and further study so achieving these is essential.
Coming prepared with a little bit of an idea of your interests and also about the types of courses can help – tap in to our websites to find out what’s on offer and your choices such as the new T Levels with an extended work placement or Diplomas (both of which are equivalent to 3 A Levels), as well as the range and mix of our vocational courses and A Level programmes.
Enrolment starts from 12pm on Thursday 21st August and our Careers advisors and teaching staff will be on hand to help advice on next steps and options.
Whatever your results you can be sure of a warm welcome and an ambitious future at The Sandwell Colleges which includes Cadbury College.
