As the parents of teenagers across the nation take a collective sigh of relief that the exam periods are over, many are already preparing for the next stage after A-levels.
They’re also preparing for the conversation over the garden fence or all-important social media update about how their children got on and, importantly, which university they are going to.
I remember when my daughter finished her exams a couple of years ago, and every conversation seemed to lead back to: “So, how did Kayla get on?” I was so proud to tell anyone and everyone she would be reading economics at York.
“‘Read economics’, who am I?” I remember thinking. Old Middlesex Polytechnic Tim didn’t “read’ anything”. He did study Psychology, but only because his mum had told him to – it was the only “guaranteed” way to climb the aspirational social mobility ladder, she insisted.
My mum thought a degree would be my passport to success. It’s a belief held by many parents, both then and now, but with my 16-year-old son currently thinking about his own higher education options, I find myself reflecting on that advice, given all those decades ago.
