Parents! Has your teen got their results? Need some help in order to help?

1. Exam Results Helpline – 0808 100 8000 – save the number now! A room of highly skilled careers advisers are just a call away for both students and parents and can advise on anything from sixth form options, apprenticeships, colleges etc. You can also chat to careers advisers on the Facebook page.
2. Is there a Careers or Connexions service near where you live?  They are staffed by skilled and impartial advisers, they are able to offer help to any new school leaver who is not yet fixed up with a place for September, and they are free for you and your son/daughter to visit and use.
3. Have you looked at the UCAS Progress and the National Careers Service sites yet? They contain stacks of good information on the rules about leaving school, how to make wise choices, applying for apprenticeships, the differences between studying in a college and a school sixth form, and a thousand other things besides.  For anyone who struggles with some of the language in the world of schools and colleges, these websites are wonderful jargon-busters, and can make you feel a lot more confident when discussing these things with your child.  
4. Is there somebody in your child's prospective college or sixth form who can offer advice? Lots of places are open mid-August onwards for exam results and enrolment.  They might not know your child ever so well, and of course you don't have to follow their suggestions, but it’s certainly worth hearing what is available, and how this could help your child to achieve their goals - especially if your child does do less well, or conversely ends up doing rather better than originally expected.
5. Have you spoken with them?  You'd be surprised at how many of the parents I speak with haven’t!  I have worked with any number of students awaiting their exam results who have actually already made some pretty good choices for September, but have, erm, forgotten to mention this to their families.  Conversely, there are some students out there who could really benefit from their families supporting them via the suggestions I make above.