How clearing can help with unexpected A-level results

Stephen Bull got into the Surrey campus of UCA through clearing and is now going into his fourth year

Thousands of students across the South East will find out their AS, A-level and T-level results on Thursday morning.

For many hoping to go to university, an anxious wait will be followed by celebrations as they discover they have secured the grades they hoped for.

But others will be disappointed and facing tough decisions, including applying to other universities or colleges via clearing.

However, a recruitment officer at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) said clearing wasn't just for people who hadn't achieved the grades they wanted, it was also "an amazing tool for if you got better grades than you thought".

Stephen Bull, a fourth year student at UCA in Farnham, Surrey said he was "known as the guy who would not go to university".

Mr Bull said: "Everything to do with university was very daunting for me because I had never educated myself about it as I wasn't going to go."

However, after finishing A-levels and speaking with a friend, he changed his mind and applied for a BA film production course at UCA through clearing.

He added that clearing was "a great opportunity" for people who weren't sure about their future.

Now going into his fourth year at UCA, Mr Bull has had the opportunity to travel to Portugal and Italy for film projects during his course.

Clearing at UCA

Megan Burnage-Isherwood, a recruitment officer at UCA, said the process of clearing involved talking about your grades and what you were hoping to study.

She described it as a "very friendly walkthrough" with "no silly questions".

"Ultimately there is no harm in calling up for clearing and having a chat...everybody is welcome," she said.

UCA offers courses including performing arts, film, architecture and fashion.

Its clearing phone line will be open from 8:00 to 20:00 BST until 21 October.

The University of Brighton's clearing centre is open from 8:00 to 18:00

In East Sussex, around 100 staff and students will be manning the clearing phones at the University of Brighton, "ready to give advice and help".

Elizabeth Sanz, the university's director of marketing and communications, said callers would "speak to somebody that gets it and really wants to help them through".

"We understand that clearing can be a period of real emotions," she said.

"Over the years, we've heard people crying. We've had it all. So there's nothing that we haven't heard before."

Since Covid-19 the university said it had seen an increase in students attending through the clearing process.

The University of Brighton's clearing centre will be open from 8:00 to 18:00.

Alternative paths

Student Sydney Miller secured a degree apprenticeship with engineering contractor Gallagher Group

For some students, university may not be the right fit.

However, various apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships can be found across the South East for post-18 education.

Sydney Miller from Maidstone, Kent studied construction, design planning and surveying.

She will receive her T-level results today but has already secured a degree apprenticeship with Kent-based engineering contractor Gallagher Group.

The 18-year-old said she "didn't feel pressure to go down a traditional route of education" as it "wasn't the right path" for her.

Ms Miller said: "I'm really excited to go into the future with this. It is a big, big step and it's a lot different. "

Students looking for alternative routes to university can find advice and information through The Department for Education’s Skills for Life campaign.

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