Open days at colleges take place from October right through to February. You can find out about them through your Local Education Authority (LEA). Check the admissions criteria too. Even if your child is not sure about whether to change school at this stage, they can still apply as a precaution. If their application is successful they are likely to be made a conditional offer.

Because these are conditional offers, dependent on GCSE results, and there is no common application form, students can apply to several colleges without having to state any preference, and ultimately hold several offers at once. They do, of course, need to state which courses they wish to take and this may vary from one college to another, depending on what is on offer.

There are several things to keep in mind when deciding what courses to take at this stage. First off, if your child knows what they want to study then that will help guide them as to which courses to take next. If they are not so sure, then opting for subjects that interest them and do not narrow their choices too much may be the way forward.

To find out more about the range of options, including qualifications such as BTECs or NVQs, check out the Directgov site. They also have an excellent section on careers, which is worth taking a look at.

If your son or daughter is at a small school, the range of subjects might be quite limited so this may push them to look at larger colleges, including specialist or further education colleges. This was the case for my son who wanted to take psychology at A-level but in fact, at his school they only offered it by a video link from another school, so he opted to study elsewhere.

If they are at a single sex school, they may wish to move to a mixed sixth form. My daughter found that being in an all girl environment got a bit intense at times, so was happy to move.

In February this year, some of the leading UK universities warned against studying ‘soft subjects’ https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/news/education-12365050 at A-level such as media studies, favouring ‘facilitating subjects’ such as maths, English or biology. They have been behind the publication of a booklet entitled ‘Informed Choices’ to advise young people on post-16 choices.

The deadline for handing in the application forms will vary, so it’s worth checking with the college so as not to be caught out. They are likely to want a student’s predicted grades which they may well need in writing from their current school too.

The student will finally have to decide which sixth form they wish to go to at the end of August, just after their GCSE results come through. At this point it’s all systems go, the phone lines to the school offices become really busy and emails fly. They will then have to go to the sixth form of their choice to enrol on a specific day, prior to the start of term and finalise which courses they are opting for.

I have also known students who, having changed for sixth form, after a week or so decided that the new sixth form was not for them and then decided to return to their old school. Provided there’s space on the courses they’ve chosen, a student might be accepted back there.

The process of checking out alternative local colleges and sixth forms may just serve to convince them that the sixth form at their existing school is as good as any, so perhaps staying on there might be the best option after all. However, if they’re after a specialised or vocational course then switching might give them a better choice.

Fiona Holmer is a regular contributor to the BBC Parents Blog.

My daughter’s friend Nick who was doing a multiple choice paper in biology was one of the students who was caught out. He had done plenty of revision but when it came to one question, he was stumped. It was only later, that he discovered why.

The exams regulator Ofqual, has criticised these events saying they are 'unacceptable' . Ofqual stipulated that the exam boards will have to take the errors into consideration, by discounting marks for any questions that were impossible to answer or take into account any attempts made by students to reach the answer.

It is very difficult to compensate the students for the stress caused, as it might well have put candidates off their stride for the remaining part of the paper and meant they did worse overall.

Dr Jim Sinclair, Director of the JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) has issued a statement  on June 9th, about the errors in the exam papers. He confirmed that "students and parents should be assured that no one will be disadvantaged as a result of these mistakes. Examiners marking the papers are aware of the incidents and will make careful adjustments so that all students receive the marks they deserve."

Whatever the outcome, one can only hope that in future strenuous efforts are made to check exam questions thoroughly, in order to avoid such mistakes again.

Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.

The percentage of young people going to university has dropped significantly in the UK since 2000. If you look at graduation rates, the UK had the third highest rates back in 2000 and had fallen to 15th by 2008, according to an OECD report. 

With the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) being cut, it will be the poor that are hit hardest.  The irony is that greater numbers of disadvantaged young people will be costing the government money anyway, as the alternative is to go on benefits.

Some university heads have predicted that the cuts will also mean that some institutions will close. The situation is made worse by the fact that with immigration rules tightening, fewer foreign students can come and study in the UK which means another fall in revenue.

It will be interesting to see how higher education fares in the UK in the near future. My daughter is part of the first cohort applying with the new fees in place and it’s certainly making her think seriously about vocational courses, and whether it’s worth landing yourself in all that debt!

Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.

But what does the IB have to offer? It provides a broad approach to education, with all students taking six subjects, three at higher level and three at standard level, including the following compulsory subjects: maths, English, a science, social science and foreign language. These can be taken at higher or standard level depending on a student’s abilities and the direction they take for further education.

There are now 149 state schools offering the diploma in the UK with a steady growth in the number of sixth form colleges running it, including those in less privileged areas. 63% of institutions offering the IB in the UK are state schools. With the A-level pass rate continually on the rise and the recent introduction of the A*, the International Baccalaureate is increasingly viewed as a safer alternative.

Four years ago Barton Court Grammar School in Kent, took the big step of replacing A-levels with the International Baccalaureate. It has been a huge success attracting a number of international students and despite a few casualties along the way, it has been well received overall.

My daughter has followed in my footsteps and opted for the IB. Being able to take two languages for IB was a big plus. She had been considering doing A-levels but felt restricted by having to choose four subjects and did not want to stop Spanish. She also commented that it would be frustrating having to drop one of the four at the end of year 12. So the IB was the answer and she is taking French at higher level and Spanish at standard level.

There are three other elements to the IB. Firstly, creativity, action and service (CAS) programme is another element of the IB is 150 hours of voluntary work within the community (an enlightened addition since my time). The CAS programme picks up on one aspect of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, namely active citizenship. It requires young people to help in the community, for example serving in a soup kitchen, becoming a leader in a local Brownie pack or doing some form of voluntary work for a specified number of hours.

The second element is the theory of knowledge (TOK) course which is similar to the A-level in critical thinking but is not studied in such depth. The student needs to do a presentation for this. Thirdly, there is an extended essay of 4,000 words on a topic of the student’s choice.

The IB is ideal for a student who is a good all-rounder and who might not be sure of which area they want to focus on so prefers to keep their options open. Even though it is more work than A-levels juggling six subjects, it is very rewarding for someone who is reasonably academic. This podcast from Woman’s Hour testifies to the fact that the IB engenders independent study, giving young people a good grounding for university.

The diploma is recognised worldwide and most good universities require between 32 and 42 points, to secure a place (each subject being marked out of 7 and up to 3 points for TOK and the essay so a maximum of 45 points is awarded). The exams are all taken at the end of the second year so you do not have the pressure of regular exams for two years. Also the average point score has remained stable in recent years unlike the A-level, so when it comes to applying to university you know what to aim for.

With A-levels still being in a state of flux given the recent introduction of the A* grade, it looks like the IB will continue to gain in popularity in the UK when it comes to end of school exams. Although my daughter may prefer to leave an open verdict, with her 4,000 word essay still to be written by the start of the next term!

Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.

Many mums and dads feel under so much pressure to be perfect parents that they hide behind a veneer, for fear of criticism and failure, one report states. As demands on parents increase, they feel they are being stretched too thinly. Fitting in the homework is hard enough but what about taking them swimming once a week?

Recent research has found that the social class that children come from has more effect on them than ‘good parenting’.  In order to help bridge the socio-economic gap, helping families at a time of transition in their education, for example from primary to secondary school, can make a significant difference.

However, in my opinion, research in this field only tells half the story and ‘good parenting’ is not easy to assess. Perhaps parents themselves are their own worst enemies?

Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.

According to the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME),  in 2008 4.5% of pupils aged 15 or under were entered for it but this figure had more than doubled by 2010 to 10.9%. This is often driven by the desire of schools to boost their performance in the league tables – not a healthy policy in itself and often detrimental to the best interests of the children. 

It means that young people stop studying maths at the end of year 10 which is not a healthy trend. According to the report by ACME, all students should continue maths right up until the end of Key Stage 4. It’s worth remembering that diplomas such as the International Baccalaureate,  follow the pattern of exams sat on the continent, with all students taking maths right up until the age of 18, choosing whether they take it at higher level, standard level or take the more straightforward mathematical studies.

Surely continuing maths as long as possible hones skills for the long term and a good grasp of maths may be invaluable in the workplace. Therefore early entries at GCSE should be discouraged, unless students are a) definitely A* material and b) set on taking maths at A-level, at which point they are usually offered ‘additional maths’ or GCSE statistics in year 11 to prepare them for A-level maths.

Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.

BBC News reports that a recent survey of business leaders has highlighted the fact that many young people lack the basic literacy and numeracy skills required in the work place. And with just over 900,000 16 to 24 year-olds currently out of work, the alarm is sounding. 

The government may be introducing new benchmarks, such as the English Bac (or Baccalaureate) to measure academic standards but the question remains: how employable are today’s school leavers?

The low take-up in science and technology at A level and in higher education is also a matter of concern. The STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) initiative is seeking to redress the balance. It remains to be seen what impact this will have on young people securing jobs in the long term though.

Graduates too are having a difficult time finding suitable employment with 40% of last year’s cohort being “underemployed” in low-skill jobs, BBC’s reporter Sean Coughlan writes. 

It might seem like the goal posts are being continually moved but there is a wealth of online resources out there to help improve their chances, such as BBC Skillswise or the Direct Gov website.

Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.

As a parent, by the time your children are 15 or so, you will probably be moving into the role of consultant rather than manager and your new skills will come into their own during revision time.

So it is more a question of being around, making sure they are eating balanced meals and getting enough sleep, rather than endlessly nagging them about revision. They may appreciate the offer of practical help: more revision cards, revision books, highlighters or past papers, BBC Student Life has some useful revision planners too.

Suggest they take a break and get some physical exercise once in a while. My son found it really beneficial going outside and practising his basketball skills for 15 minutes every so often or going for a run round the block.

Professor Sergio Della Sala from the University of Edinburgh, gives this advice: "The only way to really learn is to put the book away and test yourself, or test your buddy, or better yet, explain what you have just learnt to somebody else - a victim - younger brother, sister, your granny." My daughter has done some productive revision with friends, testing each other on chemistry and helping each other out if they don’t understand something.

If your son or daughter is taking an oral exam in a foreign language, it can seem like a real struggle preparing as often the spoken aspect of a language can take second place in the classroom. Why not listen to podcasts in the relevant language or listen to a radio station from that country? Try BBC Languages site or GCSE Bitesize for some useful audio content. This can be a good way to get immersed in the language and practise speaking skills.

A BBC News Magazine article reminds us of how little students actually learn things by rote, apart from times tables and lines for a school play, they are no longer required to learn poetry by heart like French school children have to. One time learning skills do come into play is for GCSE and A-levels. Scores of students across the UK are writing out revision cards and scanning them at any available opportunity.

Jo Lamiri refers in an earlier BBC Parents Blog, to different types of learners. Identifying what type of learner your son or daughter is, can be really helpful when it comes to revision. This can be the key to effective revision time. 

There are a number of useful resources online. GCSE Bitesize is always a good place to go for some online revision. Also the Radio 1 Advice page has some useful hints and tips as to how to handle study-related stress.

Once the exams are over, things can seem a bit flat. So it may be worth encouraging them to think of some way to mark the end of exams, going to see a movie, sorting out a trip away or just hanging out with friends. Even if the results won’t be out for a while, it’s a great achievement simply having come through the other side and it’s something to celebrate!

Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.

Check out the BBC Learning Scotland blog on exams. 

Inevitably, any new benchmark is likely to come in for some criticism and in this case, it is the fact that RE and Music are not included in the English Bac. It remains to be seen how schools offering a limited range of courses will fare under this new system and whether it will mobilise them into broadening their choice of subjects. I wonder if there will be some other measure introduced that will favour the schools offering more vocational courses?

To find out more about league tables in general, check out Sarah Kingsley's earlier blog, "a closer look at league tables".

Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.

You have to follow the same application process as you do when your child first starts school, contacting your local education authority in the first instance. Once  your child’s name is on the waiting list you cannot predict when a place might become available and if you do not take it up within a couple of weeks, you risk losing it. The offer will not always be made during a natural break in the school year either – it could come through during a holiday or at the end of the academic year as it is often triggered by a family moving away. 

The reason the schools are so keen to fill places that come up mid year is that they receive funding per pupil and they never know when they might be required to provide data.  Having an empty place can make a big difference to the budget, given that the average spend for a secondary school pupil across England for 2009-2010 was £5,200 while for primary school pupil it stood at £4,284. 

I remember starting my son at a new school at the start of Year 2 as a result of our house move. It was a big step to take but meant that we would be able to walk him to school again, rather than relying on the car or public transport. And with younger children tagging along, this was a major consideration. As I accompanied him into his new classroom and said good-bye, I don’t know who was more upset him or me.

The biggest issue for children when starting out at a new school is probably the friendship one. What will the other children be like?  How will I find my way around, especially given I am the only newbie on the block. Schools are generally well versed in sorting these things out.

When my children moved school one summer term when they were aged four and seven years old, they were each assigned a buddy on the first day, to show them round. This was hugely reassuring and they enjoyed being fussed over as several children wanted to be their friends. Changing schools then had its plus points as they were able to join in with all the fun end of year activities.

Are the teachers really strict? This is another question that crops up frequently. When my daughter moved school half way through Year 8, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the school she started at was actually more laid back than her old one and detentions were not given quite as readily.

What the peer group or immediate classmates are like is a big factor and will have an impact on how quickly they settle in. At primary school how well they get on with their class teacher will be really important as they spend the majority of the school day with them.

If your child is does have to change school for whatever reason, it is worth encouraging them to view it positively – a chance to benefit from all their new school has to offer and to make some new friends, while still keeping in touch with their old ones. 

Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.

Featuring an eight year-old girl who has two failed adoptions behind her, Maisie is adopted by Jim and Sue Clifford. We see how hard it can be to adopt an older child. They have already been through the process with their eight older children so they know it can be very rewarding, even if it's not always easy.

Often therapy is needed if a child has suffered abuse when younger, but if issues can be worked through, the outcome for them is infinitely preferable to going into care. Being welcomed into a loving family whom she can trust gradually transforms Maisie. Sue writes: 'We have helped Maisie not only to trust, but also to experience feeling cared for, nurtured'.

You can read Sue Clifford's blog on her experiences.

If you missed the programme, why not catch it on BBC i-Player?

Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.

I have been through it four times and although you know what to expect, it doesn’t get any easier. It’s the build-up in the school playground, from the end of Year 5 onwards that is often hard to handle. Much as you try to avoid the mention of secondary schools, all too frequently it seems to creep into conversations.

It’s a long process, deciding on a school. The hurdles include visiting the schools, deciding which order to put them on the application form and then possibly, entrance exams to prepare for, if you opt for a selective school in the bunch. Trying to cajole or bribe your son or daughter into doing one more verbal and non-verbal practice paper, before they can go off and play seems like climbing Everest at times.

Involving them in the decision-making process is vital, if you want to avoid conflict later. With my eldest son, we were keen for him to try for one of the local grammar schools. He missed the place by a couple of marks, having not handed in his workings out with his answer sheet. As far as he was concerned this was a cause for celebration, as he ended up at a very good comprehensive which he had preferred all along. It turned out to be the right place for him even if we had been uncertain about it to start with.

Keep in mind that you are initially only committing to five years at the school as some students opt to move for 6th Form anyway, for a variety of reasons.

This year, according to a survey done by the Guardian in 12 local authorities, 15.8% of children were not offered a place at their first choice of school this year, down 1% on last year. Parents are playing it safe by putting the most popular school at the top of the list, even if the likelihood of their child getting in is very slim. 

If you feel you stand a chance, you can always appeal. Work out what grounds you are appealing on, check with your local authority what the deadline is for appealing and what the procedure involves. You can find out more about the process from the BBC Parents site. Be prepared for things to go either way and try to manage your child’s and your own expectations - easier said than done.

Also, if your child has not got in to their first choice school, you can ask to be put on their waiting list. From our first visit in Year 5, my daughter had set her heart on this a selective school but did not quite make the grade in Year 6.

She decided she wanted to stay on the waiting list and took up the place at her third choice of school. She was making reasonable progress there, but not being fully challenged.  Half way through Year 8 a place came up in her first choice school as someone had moved away. The downside was she had to sit exams in English, Science and Maths at no notice. We felt we owed it to her to give her a second chance. To our surprise she got the place and has not looked back.

If your child has not been offered their first choice of school, remember there is always room for some slippage between now and September. Perhaps someone might move unexpectedly or suddenly get offered their first choice and this has a domino effect.

Whichever school your child goes to this autumn, help them to stay positive about it and point out the new and exciting challenges it has to offer.

Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.

Find hands on activities on Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention website.

Autumn half-term is a welcome break in what can seem like a very long term, with days getting shorter and nights drawing in. You may be wondering how to keep the kids amused during the holidays. As it can sometimes still be quite mild, a visit to a theme park or some other outdoor activity could be an option if boredom is setting in.

Here are a few suggestions:

If you are a keen cyclist like I am, then chances are your children will also want to cycle. It is a bit scary letting them go round to friends' houses by bike. Taking a cycling course during half term will help them be better prepared to use the roads. Some LEAs offer them for free. They can achieve level 1, 2 or 3 in the cycling proficiency test. Find out if one is being run near you by going on the Bikeability website and looking for your area.

Swimming is always popular with the family and a great stopgap when it’s pouring with rain. Also if life’s too busy normally to fit in weekly swimming lessons, half-term is a chance to do an intensive swimming course. Check out the Home of Swimming for more information on what's available near you.

If you’re anything like me, exhibitions take place at local museums or galleries and by the time I hear about them, they’re over. On the Culture 24 site, you can discover what is going on near you ahead of time and be sure not to miss out.

Wallace and Gromit are back with their  world of invention. And this time the website tells you how to have fun making anything from a magnetic bowling set to a balloon powered hovercraft. Building these models should keep a budding Einstein busy for a while.

Fiona Holmer is  Assistant Producer on BBC Parents.