If a pupil misses out on their A-level grades, here’s how teachers can support them through the clearing process…
While universities are traditionally thought of as being deserted at this time of year, nothing could be further from the truth. This is the week that many, mainly teenagers, face the annual anxious period as they await the news from Ucas, open the envelope containing their exam results, surrounded by their friends and classmates, and witness everything from delight to despair. To incorrectly paraphrase William Shakespeare, for many it seems that “now is the summer of their discontent”. Added to their own gloom is often that of their parents, carers, friends and those teachers who are also participants in this annual performance.
For teachers, this is also a much-anticipated and often anxious time, given the many hours they have devoted to teaching and supporting their students on this two-year journey (sometimes longer). In the build-up to this week’s results day, it’s useful to have a greater insight into a university perspective, especially for when it comes to advising those students who have fallen off their emotional rollercoaster and are left reeling from the realisation that they haven’t achieved what they have worked so hard for. From a university and a home perspective, my observations strongly suggest that students of today work harder, are better taught and prepared and face greater pressures than those of any previous generation.
To share a fuller picture from the other side of the fence, university academic departments have been working tirelessly since the opening of Ucas for applications in October 2017, with colleagues in admissions and recruitment teams regularly projecting numbers of enrolments based on the targets that have been set at key milestones in the recruitment cycle. Speaking from an initial teacher training perspective, interviews have been held and offers made, most with conditions around achieving particular grades and passing the much-debated Professional Skills Tests.
This past weekend saw the release of the A-level grades to universities, and significant amounts of overtime presented academic recruitment leads with the first sight of the numbers of students whose offers are now “firm”. It’s then straight into “confirmation”, where consideration is given to those applicants who have not achieved their offer grades. Gone are the piles of application forms, replaced this year in my institution by a significantly streamlined online system. Universities will set minimum tariffs that they will accept, and individual courses may vary above this, so from a student perspective, they may still be accepted for their chosen course, despite not getting the required grades.
Where interviews are part of the selection process, such as in teacher training, staff will have also met the applicant and may well wish to accept them with slightly lower grades, having seen them perform and selected them based on a wider picture of the student’s potential.
Clearing ‘brings light into the darkness’
So, while for many it’s full-steam ahead with plan A, others are faced with uncertainty. This is where university clearing processes “kick in”. It’s worth reminding your students that clearing actually starts from the beginning of July each year and universities will have been listing the courses that have places available to start in the coming September. Yes, it is important to acknowledge that it is not a magic wand for all, but it can bring light into the darkness for many.
Clearing has often been considered a last resort. However, it is increasingly being seen as an effective way to find a university place, and many report it to be a great experience. With just under 60,000 students finding courses in 2017, that’s 10 per cent of acceptances, says Ucas. Here are some important points, which, as teachers and advisers, you can make to your students:
- Clearing does potentially provide a very optimistic and positive way forward and it can be an excellent way of securing a university place and course that is right for each individual student.
- Importantly, there’s absolutely no stigma attached to getting into university through clearing and it’ll make no difference to how you’re treated on your course, where you’ll be equally valued and can be equally successful.
- Students should be aware that they have access to other courses of interest that may now have spaces. They can possibly even “trade up” from their original choices.
- While applicants will need to make prompt choices to get the best places, they should note that this doesn’t mean taking the first offer. There may be a perceived pressure from universities at times to make immediate decisions. However, all teachers and anyone providing advice should encourage students to take some time to do some research and get information on any courses and institutions that they are interested in.
- Do note that from a university perspective there is a juggling act going on, with some courses sometimes unexpectedly underfilled and others overfilled. Helping your students to recognise this, along with highlighting the benefits of clearing, can play an important part in promoting the shift in thinking that can transform the position in which a student finds themselves.
- Be aware that universities have spaces they need to fill, so they may be more receptive to a student’s results than the student initially might imagine. It’s no loophole around entry requirements, but it does mean that students may potentially get to be a little more discerning.
Finally, students should remember that if they don’t find the desired course this year, there are a range of options and it is not the end of their aspirations. I have personal and professional experience of students who have arrived in the following year being better prepared for their courses as a result of taking time to gain wider experiences, perhaps through employment, travel and exploration, or taking advantage of volunteering opportunities. Sometimes they have arrived with enhanced qualifications after retaking specific examinations.
So, in a final word to all those students about to go headlong into Plan B, to once again misquote the Bard, this may have seemed your “summer of discontent”, but it may now be one “made glorious” by Ucas. Your new chosen university or course will be your potential gateway to future success. We look forward to your call and, as with all universities, it will be received in a warm and friendly way, by the volunteers who fully understand and appreciate your situation and genuinely do want to help students find the course that’s right for them.
Mark Heaton is recruitment lead for teacher education at the Sheffield Institute of Education (Originally posted on www.tes.com)
