At the moment we are living in limbo – as are many parents up and down the country. GCSEs, A-levels T-levels and BTECs are now a memory, but the results, and the next step that they lead to, are still at least 4 weeks away.

We are living in a strange juxtaposition of wanting to get ready for uni, for trips to IKEA, for planning but not quite wanting to take that leap until after results day – and even those who are not superstitious at all must feel the same.

We are dealing with lots of sighs, pacing and half conversations. The University of Sheffield have been amazing, and their ASD induction day (it had a better name but I can’t remember what it was) on the 7^th July was inspiring. Their DDSS department have been incredibly supportive, and everything is in place for September…..but then that almost makes the waiting worse. We, as parents, know that there will be more support than there was at school. Our son knows that everything he needs should be there from day one. We even know where his room will be……and yet, until the 17^th August, we can’t commit.

I understand why there is a wait between exams and results day. They have to be marked, checked, marked again (if needed). Results have to be inputted into software, then different exam boards compared. Grade boundaries need to be agreed and fair – all students should have an equal chance of the higher grades regardless of whether their English Language was an Edexcel, AQA, OCR or whatever paper. And for us, the wait is 3 weeks shorter than some who finished their exams & assessments before May half term – but even if you took the final A-level, it’s a 7.5 week wait. GCSE results are a week later, so there is at least a 9 week wait between the last exam and the results.

You have to feel for the 2023 cohorts too. These are the first exams that aim to get back to pre-Covid levels, with no dispensation or help. The 2023 A-level cohort didn’t take GCSEs in 2021, they ‘just’ relied on centre assessed grades. The 2023 GCSE cohort had disrupted lessons in years 8 and 9 – the foundation of GCSE learning.  I know that sooner or later the plan was for everything to return to normal, but in my opinion, this was year too soon. These 16, 17 and 18 year olds had too much disruption to expect them to sit formal exams without a thought of the impact of Covid. When the National Tutoring Program is still supporting learners and helping them bridge gaps in learning in lockdowns, why should our teenagers have to sit exams without extra help?

I suppose the only good thing is that none of them escaped lockdowns and the impact this had on their education, so they are on a level playing field. And I hope that what they have been through over the last 3 years will make them more determined to enjoy whatever opportunities results day offer them, and if it’s not quite where they want to go at the moment, I hope they find somewhere that makes their souls happy.

But until then, we wait…….