NOT EVEN serious illness could prevent one Oldham Sixth Form College student from his aim of getting a university place.
Tom Astbury won a battle with leukaemia and has now earned a triple distinction star in his studies.
He will now go on to Bournemouth University, where he will commence a Paramedic Science degree course.
Tom, previously of Ashton’s St Damian’s RC Science College, combined his studies with volunteering as an emergency responder for both the British Red Cross and North West Ambulance Service.
And he is just one of a number of students to have achieved great qualifications.
Cian Lomax secured four A* grades in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths, and is progressing to Oxford University to read Chemistry.
Ayeza Akhtar, formerly of Chadderton’s The Radclyffe School, achieved a score in her Medical School admissions test that placed her in the top five per cent of UK students.
She will be studying Medicine at Oxford University from October.
There are many other superb outcomes in terms of both progression to a wide range of universities and degree courses, and to other excellent options, including apprenticeships and employment, while a number of students are taking a gap year before moving on to Higher Education in 2022.
Both Oldham Sixth Form College’s A-level and Applied General results are very strong and an impressive number of students have secured places at Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, and on to some of the most competitive degree courses, such as Medicine, Dentistry and Law.
Associate principal Suzannah Reeves said “We are delighted with and very proud of the achievements of our students especially after the challenges that they have faced, because of Covid-19, throughout the last two academic years.
“Our fantastic staff have worked tirelessly so that all students have been taught and supported incredibly effectively ensuring that a record number of students have progressed onto university, an apprenticeship or to employment.”