TOMORROW is D-Day for school leavers across the South aiming for a passport to work and further education.

The release of A-level results will bring to an end weeks of anxiety, one way or the other.

Most should secure their places, but even if the news is not so good, it need not spell disaster.

Institutions throughout the region are gearing up for the traditional influx of enquiries from students who miss out on their expected grades.

Southampton Institute is running a free 24-hour clearing hotline - 0800 847800 - to cater for those seeking last-minute places. It opens tomorrow at 8am and continues through to 4pm on Saturday.

Southampton University is also confident of maintaining a clearing service, despite fears of industrial action by admissions tutors.

The main helpline number, available over the weekend, is 01703 595959. Students interested in the faculty of engineering should call 01703 592869.

Staff at King Alfred's College in Winchester are accepting inquiries on 01962 827234.

The Universities and College Admissions Service (Ucas) says the choice available through clearing may now be wider, due to the introduction of student tuition fees.

Next week Ucas will send students a clearing entry form. If students see a course that appeals, they should make contact with the institution. If the college likes what they hear, they will ask for the clearing entry form - the student's admissions "passport". If things fall through, they will send it back again. Students can only apply through the clearing system to one institution at a time. The advice is not to panic as lists of clearing vacancies will run through September.

See tomorrow's Daily Echo for coverage of A-level results across the South.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.