34 Gloucestershirelive.co.uk THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018

Richard IRVINE

family matters

THE twins have gone on tour. They’ve already appeared at

one venue, in rural North Yorkshire, where they won the crowd over with their ability to copy a duck quack.

Now they’re halfway through the second leg, in a popular North Yorkshire seaside resort, and have yet to wow the audience – although Emma came close this morning with a spirited display of what’s best described as beat boxing.

It’s a tour of the grandparents and we’re

fortunate because they actually live in places

people actually go for a holiday.Obviously, I’d rather be on a

yacht in the Cote d’Azur with Jay Z and Beyoncé but sadly we’re not related to those two.

So far, it’s worked out well. Then again my idea of a holiday

is now quite different to the traditional definition. For example, I’ve been pleased with seven hours’ sleep, my mum preparing their porridge and not having to buy groceries.

A top tip for any family holiday is to travel separately without the actual family.

In our case, we were forced into travelling independently due to our inability to afford a large family SUV. There was no way we could fit all the paraphernalia and twins inside one fairly small hatchback so we split loads and took both our fairly small hatchbacks.

Why two cars are much better than one when taking the twins on tour Now, where will the twins go?

DOUBLETROUBLE FOR A FIRST-TIMEDAD OF TWINS

offers, you can go through Clearing.Last year’s most popular course

choices through Clearing were business studies, nursing, sciences, creative arts, engineering and law.

Some universities advertise course vacancies from July, while others wait until August 16, according to career advice publication Future Mag.

How does tHe process work?IF you had conditional offers but your exam results didn’t go to plan, you can use Clearing from results day, when vacancies will be listed in the uCAS tool, search.ucas.com

Clearing vacancies are updated regularly by universities and colleges. If you don’t find the course you’re looking for straight away, try again later.

you will need to complete all of the application as normal, including your personal statement, but you can’t add course choices.

once you have submitted your application you will receive a welcome email to access the Track service – here you’ll find your Clearing number.

you can then follow the steps on the web page – use it to ask for advice, search for vacancies and contact universities to try to find a place. once you have permission from a university you want to go to, you can add the course in Track.

you’ll know you’re in Clearing if

your Track status says ‘you are in Clearing’ or ‘Clearing has started’.

If Track doesn’t say either of these yet, it might just be waiting for your results to update. Get in touch with the universities/colleges if it’s taking a while – they might still be considering you, even if your results are slightly lower than required.

If you originally only applied for one course for the reduced fee of £13, you’ll have to pay an additional £11 to apply for multiple courses, according to uCAS.

Is It too late to cHange tHe course or unIversIty I pIcked?CLeArInG can also be used by students who’ve changed their mind about their course or university choices.

you can also use the process if your exam results are better than expected and you want to apply elsewhere.

Annie Dobson, a Connexions

Don’t panic if A-level results are not what you hoped for

pArenTS will be just as nervous as their children this week as they collect their long awaited exam results. But if they fail to get

the grades they need for the first choice university – what should they do next?

“When A level results come out, more than three quarters of students who want to go to university are likely to get into their first choice. But not everyone will get their grades – and it doesn’t mean you won’t get a degree if you still want to,” says ruth Sparkes editor of teen magazine, Future Mag.

According to ucas, last year almost 68,000 students found their university place through Clearing, so they won’t be alone in exploring these options.

Helen Thorne, uCAS’ director of external relations says: “This summer we expect most universities and colleges to be offering Clearing places and there will be opportunities across the full range of subject choices.”

Dr Lisette Johnston, head of school at ScreenSpace, part of the MetFilm School in ealing says: “remember, don’t panic. It can feel like you’ve been winded and that there’s no hope for your child – but there is.

“your child’s college or sixth form will want to do their best and most universities have a great Clearing process – there’s a lot of help out there.

“Don’t just persuade your child to take the first offer given to them.

“encourage your child to talk to you and their friends. Sometimes just saying stuff out loud will help them (and you) to make sense of the best decision.”

The process opens from the beginning of July, but you’ll need to wait until you get your results before you can start applying. It closes in the middle of September, or when the course spaces are full.

Here’s everything you need to know about Clearing and how to use it.

wHo Is elIgIble for clearIng?IF you’re applying for university last-minute, i.e. after June 30; if you didn’t receive any offers (or none you wanted to accept), or if you didn’t meet the conditions of your

As students Across the country receive their results this week, Nisha Mal tells you whAt to do if they don’t mAke the grAde

It can feel like you’ve been winded and that there’s no hope for your child – but there is.

Dr Lisette Johnston

Get back to the old routine before the beginning of term

» With back-to-school time approaching, preparing to get back in to the school routine can trigger a range of emotions.

Parents may feel a sense of relief combined with sadness that extended time as a family is over.

Children may feel apprehensive about going back or feel excited about a new term and seeing friends again.

the first few weeks of term can be stressful so we’ve put together some survival tips.

» Be preparedDuring the first few weeks of term your child is likely to be tired and more likely to misbehave or be irritable.

they have gone from a prolonged time at home and fun activities to a structured day with a cognitive overload.

Factor this in when booking other activities and allow your child some downtime.

» Back to routinetry to prepare your child for the changed routine ahead of time.

if you know they struggle in the mornings, get them up earlier in the final couple of weeks of the holidays and get back to regular bedtimes.

talk through the routine with your child so they know what will happen.

have a chart with the times and what usually happens as a reminder.

Get back in to a regular homework routine as soon as possible – children will often have more homework than the previous year and will need to keep on top of it from the start.

» Plan aheadBe as organised as you can to help things to run smoothly.

Do as much as you can the night before to help with those first mornings and allow extra time to avoid a mad rush.

Remind your child ahead of time what usually happens when they are at school – what time they need to be up, when homework days are or who will be picking them up from school.

Make time to talk through any anxieties your child may have.

» take fiveParents often use the first weeks of back to school time to catch up with things they were unable to do during the summer, whether that’s work, washing or deep cleaning the house.

Remember that everyone needs downtime – take five minutes to savour a cup of tea in peace and quiet.

» Community Family Care, based at Staunton, Gloucestershire helps families, children and young people in need of additional support communityfamilycare.co.uk

» Parenting column by Sasha hart, family care manager at Community Family Care, Staunton