Don’t worry if your A-level results are a disappointment – I have the perfect solution
TODAY thousands of A-level pupils are likely to be disappointed when they get their results because fewer will get the top marks.
Yes, the grades slump does mean some will miss out on the university course they wanted, or even on going to university at all.
But I’d like to offer an alternative and altogether more optimistic view.
There’s a big wide world out there which needs all sorts of people doing all sorts of jobs — and not just ones that require three years of university education.
I left school at age 15 to become an apprentice plumber.
Do I have any regrets? Yes, I do — I wish I’d left at 14.
I went on to found Pimlico Plumbers, which I sold last year for £150million.
Sure, not everyone who goes out to work rather than university will wind up running a firm and trousering a nine-figure sum.
But the men and women who worked for me as plumbers, carpenters and electricians pulled in £100,000 to £200,000 a year.
None of them had been near a university, except maybe to unblock a sink.
It’s likely that poorer pupils will be hit harder than their richer mates by the grades slump.
Again, I would urge them not to panic.
For starters, big firms are beginning to realise what I’ve been saying for years — that a bit of paper from a university isn’t a guarantee that someone is going to be a good hire.
According to LinkedIn, the number of job vacancies that don’t need a degree soared by 90 per cent between 2021 and 2022.
And if you don’t believe me, check the jobs sections of Kellogg’s and IBM.
This change doesn’t surprise me, since these corporations have no doubt realised that by taking on non-graduates — potentially straight from school — they can train staff at a younger age.
And don’t need to deal with unteaching three years’ worth of bad habits.
My point is that common sense is finally prevailing and the white-collar top jobs club is now no longer just open to posh people with degrees.
But this is not my only point, and definitely not my best one.
What I really want to tell pupils who don’t get the grades they hoped for — and even those who do — is that there are very good jobs offering great wages that don’t need a degree for you to get in the door.
I’m of course talking about trades and apprenticeships.
Skills crisis
Our country is facing a crisis of skills but we keep pressuring our kids into university courses without considering what is best for them and for the economy.
We’re supposed to be building 300,000 houses a year by the mid-2020s, just to keep up with demand.
But we’ve never got close to hitting that target.
That’s no surprise because we don’t have the number of skilled workers to do the jobs.
It’s about time we woke up as a nation and had an intelligent conversation about what a good and prosperous career looks like.
The system is full of deeply ingrained prejudices and I would urge all A-level students to rise above the pressure to conform — and make a decision based on what’s really best for them.
And if you don’t make the grade . . .
By Dame Sally Coates, Former Headteacher and director of Secondary academies
Lower grades don’t mean failure: Harsher grading standards affect everyone, not just your child.
Parents, explain to your kids that the bar has been raised this year.
Even if they were offered a university place on the basis of achieving an A and two Bs, it may be that three Bs will secure their place.
If this happens, Ucas will confirm that your child’s place is secured when they log in in the morning.
Log on early: Don’t wait for your child to go into school or college at 9am to find out if they have the grades they need for university.
They should have Ucas logins and can get on there as early as 7am to check if they’ve been accepted.
If they haven’t got their place, the earlier you go into “clearing”, the better.
Places are displayed on each university’s website and your child – not you or the school – should call the universities directly.
Beat the school rush: Teachers know your child’s results a day earlier than they do and will have identified those who need guidance.
Careers advisers, head of year and your child’s head of subjects will all be on hand to help your child to navigate the next steps.
Be the first in the queue and use them.
Don’t go in all guns blazing: If your child missed a grade by a couple of marks it might be worth appealing – but tread carefully.
If a paper is re-marked, grades can go down as well as up.
Appeals must go through your child’s school, so contact the school if you believe you have grounds to appeal.
Sit on it: Results day is not the time to lecture your child if they haven’t got their grades to go on to what they had planned.
They will be feeling disappointed enough.
While exams matter, it’s also about showing resilience, so take advice, talk to teachers, then decide what to do next.
But don’t sugar-coat either. If you know your teen didn’t put the work in, it needs talking about – just not today.
Steer them away from social media: The worst feeling for a child who doesn’t do as well as expected is when their friends do.
Kids will be sharing their results on social media today and if yours is feeling flat, steer them away from it.
Dissuade your child from sharing their results, even if they do really well.
Explain to them that it’s important to think about how their peers might be feeling.
Re-motivate your child: In the worst-case scenario, your child can re-sit A-levels.
Remind your child they’re only 18 and if they really want to go to university but don’t get there this September, it’s worth sitting the exams again.
They can re-enter in the autumn or at the end of the year.
If they’re fed up with studying it might be time to apply for a job.