{"id":256,"date":"2018-08-15T15:45:28","date_gmt":"2018-08-15T15:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/outreach\/?p=256"},"modified":"2018-08-15T15:45:28","modified_gmt":"2018-08-15T15:45:28","slug":"level-results-day-2018-help-clearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/outreach\/2018\/08\/15\/level-results-day-2018-help-clearing\/","title":{"rendered":"A-level results day 2018: Help with clearing"},"content":{"rendered":"

If a pupil misses out on their A-level grades, here’s how teachers can support them through the clearing process…<\/strong><\/p>\n

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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\u00a0the 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\u00a0“now is the summer<\/em> of their discontent”. Added to their own gloom is often that of their parents, carers, friends and those teachers\u00a0who are also participants in this annual performance.<\/p>\n

For teachers, this is also a much-anticipated and often anxious time<\/a>, 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\u2019s 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 <\/a>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.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0regularly 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\u00a0passing the much-debated Professional Skills Tests.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n

Clearing ‘brings light into the darkness’<\/h2>\n

So, while for many it’s full-steam ahead with plan A, others are faced with uncertainty. This is where university clearing <\/a>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.<\/p>\n

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:<\/p>\n