It’s a strange feeling for teachers on A-level or GCSE results day. The holidays that teachers had been hanging on for throughout July seem to be ebbing away and the spectre of visiting school/college to receive judgement in the form of exam results is the perfect disruption to whatever rest and peace has been achieved in the previous few weeks. But, managed properly and with the right approach, results days can be a very positive experience for teachers. This guide is written to support you in finding the right approach and balance.
I have 10 pieces of advice for teachers, all of them simple and easy to apply. I have also written an associated piece for students and I would like to encourage you to share this with your learners if you feel it appropriate.
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1. Get in… get out….
Unless you are a senior leader or exam office colleague, your role on results day is to be present, represent the school/college and then get back home to your family or your life. In general, your visit to school/college should be no longer than two hours and, in most cases, much shorter. Be there for the big moments. Celebrate and commiserate and then go home.
It is essential that you avoid the desk on results day. Avoid clearing your emails. Avoid checking your pigeon hole. There are, of course, exceptions and senior leaders and curriculum managers may well have queries to field but, for the vast majority of teachers, results day is an in-person experience and a short one. Be brave enough to do it this way and you will get more from it.
2. Save the analysis until September unless you really, really have to.
It’s hard for me to press the keys as I write this piece of guidance, as it is the exact opposite of my nature. I am an analyser. Those of you who know my work and publications (such as my exam infographics) will be aware of the extent to which I analyse exam trends and student performance. But the point I want to make here is that doing this important work is not for results day. Results day is an event. Nothing more. You will have plenty of time for analysis work come September. Furthermore, the school/college should have colleagues who are performing analysis centrally.
The problem with analysing results is the impact it will have on your well-earned two weeks off in late August. Once you get into the minutiae of student and group performance, your mind will race and you will be fully back at work. Unless there is a very compelling reason to do so, this is not good practice and you should accept that, despite results landing, nothing has changed from the day before results day.
There will be occasional situations when some level of analysis is required (for example, if there is apparent evidence of unusual results, it will be necessary to investigate this and take possible action) but this does not mean that you have to complete your self-assessment data in August. Leave this until you are actually back at work.
3. Listen more than you talk.
Communication is always a balance of talking and listening and, as a teacher, you probably do more of the talking, more of the time. Results day, however, is a time to listen. Encourage students and parents to give you their thoughts and emotions (in most cases) and try to absorb what they say. It is very common for students to be grateful and to express this. It is very common for parents to do likewise. Allow them the opportunity.
Where individual results are more disappointing, the same rule applies. Listen to the student/parent’s observations and then, avoid overpromising. If a parent or student is heated, ask them for a few moments and then return to the conversation calmly. No one has the right to be angry and to direct this at you. If you feel that a parent is being overbearing, pass them on to senior leaders, preferably in a private space and get back to supporting others. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, it’s good practice.
4. Keep conversations short.
Try to give a little time to everyone rather than a big chunk to one student or family. Even in the case of a student that is upset, keep the conversation to a minimum and your comments as open-ended as possible.
If you get the chance and if memory serves you well enough, share little memories with students. They will appreciate it.
5. Under-promise and over-deliver.
One absolute golden rule of results day is to not over-promise things to students. Conversations could arise of all kinds of things. Some students will have received surprising or concerning results and, in circumstances like this, you must not over-promise things to that student/parent. Avoid all of the following promises:
Using promises or guarantees like this is not good practice. Much better, use statements such as:
These statements are supportive but do not place specific actions and outcomes at your door. This is so important as students will hang a lot of meaning on what you say.
Now, in the case where you have not overpromised, it is great if you can then over-deliver. In most cases, over-delivering will involve passing the student on to a senior colleague or an exam office colleague. This, typically, is the right course of action.
6. See the good as equally valuable to the bad.
Human beings are remarkable in so many ways! However, one of our failings is that we so frequently overvalue the negative and undervalue the positive. I have read numerous philosophical and anthropological perspectives on this but, in essence, it seems to be that case that we are genetically coded to put more of our attention on the threat than the opportunity. In the modern world, this means that you might overfocus on the negative outcomes on results day and underfocus on the success stories. Don’t! In fact, try to spend as much of your time as possible on results day in the celebratory state. Yes, there will be disappointments and you need to help students in those scenarios but promise yourself that you will not dwell on the negative
Your aim needs to be in a Zen state. You are neutral on results day, despite all the data flying about and the emotions that are being experienced. Decide before you enter the school/college site that this is your approach and stick to it. Nothing and no one will be served by worrying and overvaluing the negative.
7. Avoid blaming external factors for perceived failure.
So, let’s assume that results are disappointing for a cohort, group or a student. It is incredibly tempting to place responsibility for this on external factors. Classic examples are blaming the exam board, blaming the paper, blaming the kids for not working hard enough, etc. People often apply a self-serving bias to their interpretations and attributions and will use external factors to guard against a challenge to one’s self-perception.
Now, all of the factors mentioned above could actually be contributors but there is one crucial reason not to assume so:
My motto is “ownership is key”. Even when things go wrong, owning the possibility of change and growth empowers people and puts them in control. Therefore, try to avoid assumptions and blame on results day. Instead, promise yourself that, come September, you are going to investigate every possibility and take appropriate action. This makes you a high-potential teacher or manager and I urge you to hold this can-do mentality.
Now, I need to mention the C-word here: COVID. COVID happened and it influenced the students getting results in 2023. 2023’s Year 13s, for example, lost a significant part of their GCSE exam experience and this will probably mean that A-level results will be less predictable or consistent. Whilst every person’s story is different, my perspective on this is the COVID impact will equalise across a population of students but also that some individual students were particularly badly affected. If you are able to recognise this, you may need to honour this in your conversations with these students and families. Remember, that you did not create the pandemic nor are you responsible for lockdowns or device availability at home. Your role as the teacher was and is to provide the best opportunity possible for learners and that, if you did so, you need to accept the harsh reality of this regrettable scenario.
8. Use internal unstable attributions for success.
So, let’s look at this from the opposite direction: let’s assume that cohort, group or student results have amazed you and you are really happy with the outcomes. There is danger here too. Many people will make their attributions for this success as both internal (about you and what you did) but also stable (long-term or permanent). This is a problem as it leads to a lack of self-challenge and potential for growth. Furthermore, I have personally never worked with a curriculum department whose success was not potentially volatile. At one time in my career, I managed the highest-performing A-level PE department in the country. Our results were magnificent and we began to think that we were “just good at this.” This is not the case. Rather, a whole *series of volatile behaviours contributed to that success. These were things like:
*list not exhaustive
Now, these were actually some of the factors that led to results-day success. All of them are volatile. If one teacher is off work for six months, the very first point is threatened. If teachers lost focus on the importance of homework for A-level success, results could well have changed.
Compare what is written above to “we’re the best” or “we’re just good at this.” These beliefs are useless. They have no meaning but, worse, no impact other than to be assumptive. Instead, I urge teachers to make internal, unstable attributions for success. These will help you build ever better systems as you move forward.
9. Be considerate when posting to social media.
You are likely to feel pressure on results day and, sometimes, this can warp what teachers post on social media. By all means, celebrate success with your community but avoid false impressions or negativity. Even in cohorts with stunning results, there will be students who are upset. Even in the most positive of scenarios, we should recognise that success is volatile and that others may be having a tough day.
Avoid the following:
Use the following on social:
10. Do something great in the evening.
Thursdays are a brilliant night for the cinema, a meal or to pop to the pub with friends. Results day specifically is a time to do something positive. Maybe you have young kids and you can’t go out… Even then, make a night in really positive with a good meal and some time with loved ones. It’s important to let go of any worries or apprehension. Remember: worrying does no good to anyone or anything. Worrying, in fact, debilitates people and you deserve better.
Whatever you choose to do on results day night, make it full of smiles and laughs and try to let go of your conscious work thinking until it’s really necessary.
A word of warning: lots of students will be out celebrating on results day evening, so choose your location wisely ;)
Thank you for reading. I would be grateful if you were to leave a comment.
Have a great results day.