Dear Friends,
Hope you are all enjoying the weather, and if not don’t worry, this is England, it won’t last forever. The second Thursday in August has become one of those ‘special’ dates in the calendar. It is the day when A-Level results are published and tens of thousands of young people discover just how well, or how badly they did in the examinations. Did they do well enough to secure the University or College place that had been hoping for? Would they be able to get their feet firmly on the ladder of their chosen career? Or was it just that feeling of sheer relief that comes with knowing that you had done yourself justice after all? For some of course, it would be the exact opposite; poor results leading to a frantic search through clearing for somewhere, anywhere to go on to; a reality check conversation with the school careers officer, always on hand; desperate disappointment at having let yourself and others down…
…This year is different; no exams. Grades allocated on the basis of teacher predictions sifted according to some generic quality assurance algorithm. Thanks to the furore following on from the ‘shambolic’ situation in Scotland, what happens this week in England has become a political football with the students concerned caught in the firing line, (to mix one’s metaphors!) …
…already, those graduating from universities and colleges have been denied an appropriate ending to their studies, with everything dribbling away to nothing from March onwards, having to endure lockdown in student accommodation; no final exams, no graduation ceremonies…
…And next week it will be the same for those getting their GCSE ‘results’…
…Of course young people are pretty resilient and most will get over any distress this experience has caused them, but at the same time we are bound to acknowledge that for some at least this whole process has been psychologically damaging just when they need to be at their best to confront a future that is nothing like how they imagined it might be…
…As with all those who have lost their jobs recently, these young people are the indirect victims of the present crisis. Those of us who are parents and/or grandparents, uncles, aunts, we all have a significant ‘pastoral’ role to play in the next few weeks. They will need our support and our encouragement. our praise and our congratulations, our sympathy and our solidarity. Being a teenager is tough enough as it is, without the added angst with which today’s generation are having to deal with…
…So, don’t be seduced by the cynicism that surrounds the publication of exam results, and find a place in your prayers for all those for whom this particular phase of their education has been blighted through no fault of their own…