What’s a teacher's role in preparing students for Clearing?
Discover how you can help your students before, during and after results day.
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What to do as a teacher before results day
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Prepare for results day as though you yourself are a student. Be aware of the different grade outcomes students will face, the decisions they’ll have to make and how you can advise them. Knowing how Clearing works will allow you to properly support students and parents on the day.
Clearing 2024
Clearing 2024 runs from 5 July to 21 October.
Clearing is how universities fill places they still have on courses - students can find the perfect course for them that they may not have considered before, through Clearing.
Engage early with students
Start chatting with students about results day and Clearing before August. The more prepared students are the less stressful results day will be.
Organise class discussions in the weeks leading up to results day, share any insightful resources you come across and offer your availability for 1-to-1 chats. Encourage students to research Clearing courses before results day and create a shortlist of courses they’d like to apply for.
Ensure you're tailoring the advice you give students to their specific situation. John, a Senior Tutor at Warwick School, explains why taking this approach is important:
Prepare for the day by planning who will do what
Results day will run smoothly if teachers know their role. Organise who will help with giving students their results, who will advise students on next steps and who will answer any parent concerns. If students have the option to collect results online, make a calling hotline available on the day, in case these students have questions.
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Make sure students know what to say on their call, or even have a shortlist of possible unis
Go through what students need to know about calling Clearing hotlines before results day. This will alleviate any stress on the day. Practice conducting phone interviews with students, and make sure they're prepared for their Clearing call.
What to do as a teacher on results day
Arrive early as unis will start early
Universities can begin accessing student results a few days before results day in confidence and under a strict embargo. Universities can then start to respond to any conditional offers, but this will remain confidential until UCAS begins to update student offers from 8.00am on results day.
Some students will have to wait longer than others to have their UCAS Hub account updated. Arrive at school or college before 8.00am to ensure you’re prepared for the day (if you’re allowed to come in).
Usually, students can pick their results up from then onwards and can log in online, so expect some students to be in school/college that early too.
Act as a comforter and bring solutions and options
Students will have many questions once they get their results. Offer words of encouragement to disappointed students and advise them on their options for next steps. No student should end results day confused about what to do.
Help students make decisions, don’t make them for them
Advise students on their options without telling them what they should do. Ultimately students have to decide on next steps for themselves. The best approach for any teacher is to lay out what options a student has and then support them through the process of what to do next.
Set up a safe space for chats and phone calls
Students may want advice in private. Ensure there is a place on the day, such as an empty classroom, where students can chat to you 1-to-1 in person or online. Some students will want to start calling Clearing hotlines as soon as they check their results, so make sure there’s a quiet space where they can do so.
Talk to parents and assure them too
Parents will also have many questions on results day. They’ll want to know what their child’s options are, how to take next steps and what you’d advise. Be prepared to answer these parent queries and to reassure them about all the varying options available.
What to do as a teacher after results day
Check in with students who didn’t get the grades/changed their minds
There’ll be students who didn’t get the grades they expected. They’ll be disappointed and confused about what to do next. Some may wish to appeal their grades and you'll need to follow the process for this and manage expectations.
Check in to see how they’re doing, what they need help with and advise them on how to enter Clearing if that’s what they’re considering.
Other students will change their minds about a course they’ve applied for once they receive their grades. They may have gotten better grades than expected and choose to go for a course with higher entry requirements or have had a change of heart about what or where to study. Make yourself available on results day and the days that follow to support them.
Follow up with those upset, or who might want to do retakes or appeal
Remind students that they have options regardless of what grades they achieved.
Make sure they're aware they can appeal their grades. The respective exam boards in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have all outlined an appeal process for students in 2024. This typically involves a student making an appeal to their school if they feel they were graded unfairly. If still unhappy, the student can take this appeal one step further to their respective exam board.
Students will also have the option to sit exams in autumn, or in summer the following year.
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