GCSE Decline - End of the World?
Today the exam boards published the results of the latest round of GCSE results. For many months students have toiled away studying, revising and fretting about the results that would be published at the end of year 11. The fretting on behalf of the students and parents is in part because it is a key milestone in a person's career progression. Good results equals university? Poor results and a life with dire consequences beckons?
The curriculum has changed, the questions are tougher, you can’t resit the papers endlessly until you get the desired result. Life is tough. As the envelopes are opened there will be cheers and tears, celebrations and tissues, hopes raised and visions for the future dashed. We know there are options, Apprenticeship are a very welcome route for some students to take regardless of their results.
But today will be hard going for some students and parents when they open the envelope. I know this to be true because in 1976 when I opened my results envelope with my Mum, my results were awful. I had a number of subjects marked U/C. My Mum thought this may mean I had achieved an “Upper Class” qualification. Sadly the school office provided the clarification that “U/C” meant my result was so poor it was unclassified. Dejected, I stood in the hallway of our family home, with my future taken away from me, thrown into a bleak cavern of fire and brimstone - to live forever amongst the souls of the losers. A few days later I returned to school to sign up for Sixth Form only to be barred from entering by Mr Parry (my woodwork teacher) who told me I was too thick for school and should just go and get myself a job. I walked home, wondering where my life would take me. I knew I was being labelled a failure, even as my aunties lined up to say “don’t worry” the look in their eyes shouted “Failure”.
But luck was on my side. Something inside of me rejected the label, I may not have succeeded in these exams but I knew I was not a failure. I knew (even on this grey day) I had talents, I could problem solve, get on with people, I had a sense of humour, I was positive and could smile. It was 20 years later I was given the label of dyslexia rather than failure but by this time life was much better. I won’t bore you with my rags to riches diatribe but suffice to say I was lucky enough to have a spoonful of self-esteem, a family who did not write me off and I have met lots of amazing people who have invested in me throughout my life.
So from being a labelled a failure and told I was thick I have travelled the world, set up a business at 22 years to employ 250 people, grown another business from ￡10m to ￡180m and sold it, opened business in 15 countries around the world but more importantly I have a wonderful family who keep me on the straight and narrow. I get to campaign for vocational skills, enterprise in schools and I spend chunks of my week coaching and mentoring others who have been written off. I am a very lucky person.
But this blog is not about me, it is about all the students today feeling at a loss, I want to give you hope. You can have the life you want, good exam results should be celebrated and are a wonderful statement of your ability. A good exam result is not a guarantee of a successful career, but it is a great start. Poor results are an opportunity to show your strength of character. This is the time to bounce back, to clear your head and look at your options. To stand alongside good people who will guide you and nurture your talents. My biggest wish for you is that you meet a few people who can inspire you, lift your sights and challenge you to be the best you can be. Here are a few of my heroes;
Mr Jones (Choir Master)
Jenny Flashman (Family friend who got me involved in amateur dramatics)
Steve Darlington (Accountant)
Richard Melman (Restauranteur)
Bob Peyton (Restauranteur)
Sam Newey (Wife, Friend and Mentor)
Barry Clayton (Accountant)
Pete Ashby (Leadership Guru)
Frank Blamey (All round best person and my super hero)
Many, many other people who were kind enough to inspire and invest in me along the way
Thank you.
Throughout our lives there will be many disappointments; missed promotions, broken relationships, exam results, redundancies, business failures, bankruptcies, heartbreak and moments of despair. As you get older you learn that wisdom is the label we give to people who have realised you can come through all of this and be better for it. I know these words sound thin if you opened your results envelope today and were disappointed, but reach out, give yourself the chance to be inspired, pick yourself up, look at your options (and you will have many) and push yourself forward. Perhaps the hardest step is asking for and accepting help.
Make a promise to yourself today, if the exam board did not have a mechanism in place today to recognise your talents, show the world how wonderful you are in a thousand unique ways.
Who have been the people who inspired and invested in you, give them a mention today and celebrate their kindness. And maybe we can each reach out today to some young person who may be feeling lost and give them hope.
? Roy Newey 2016
Adaptive Wireless Solutions Ltd
8 年What a shame then that the FE sector, which provides pathways for yougsters and adults who didn't achieve their potential first time round (you know that potential we all possess), is under such pressure due to the wholly unproven government "austerity" agenda.
Owner, Filby Driver Training
8 年Academic success is no guarantee of success in life or career. Somebody may well be able to calculate the square root of an exploding star to 20 decimal places, but if that person lacks character, ambition, direction and a guiding hand, whilst it may be a big thing in school, in the real world it means little. Of course life and success are not measured by the size of a persons bank balance alone, but you must admit that it helps. We all know of people who achieved next to nothing at school. People who simply didnt connect with the process of learning and regurgitating facts parrot fashion. People who looked beyond books and exams, and who went on to channel their entrepreneurial energies into extremely successful careers and lives. We all know them and we all envy them - but we would never admit it. Education is merely a gateway to exploring lifes journey, but it is the individual who decides how interesting and successful that journey is.
Director, Gladioli Overseas Transnational Education, Global Goodwill Ambassador at Global Goodwill Ambassadors (GGA)
8 年Very inspiring and beautifully captured Roy Newey. Universally true I think and especially relevant in the context of India where a student's success or failure is measured by the CBSE exams. I'd love to share the story if I may !
"Driven by solutions - always"
8 年Loved it..
Barrister | Award-Winning Speaker | Executive Coach | Empowering Senior Female Leaders to Reinvent Careers | Helping Workplaces Transform Culture through Courageous Conversations
8 年A beautifully penned, intimate portrait which serves to remind us all that no single event can withstand the power of hope. Thank you Roy..for sharing your story..