Dr Javed Bashir

GCSE and A-level results should be celebrated, but academic qualifications alone do not prepare young people for a good and meaningful life. Parents and educators should also foster independence, resilience, kindness, compassion and practical abilities such as budgeting, cooking, communication and handling setbacks. Young people should be allowed to make mistakes, take responsibility and gain perspective through volunteering and community engagement. Disappointing results should not be treated as the end of a young person’s future, since apprenticeships, vocational education, employment and other routes offer further opportunities.