Worle Community School Academy (WCSA) celebrated the achievements of its students today (Thursday) after 'sensational' GCSE results.

Three students, Jamie Allard, Olivia Finch and Ben Freeman, obtained a total of nine grade 9s, the highest GCSE grade available.

Olivia and Ben will both now study the same A levels in biology, chemistry and maths and also both hope to secure places at Oxbridge in two years time.

They both share a passionate desire to save lives through their future medical careers.

Ben was inspired to save lives after watching the Ebola crisis on the news in 2014, when he was only eight years old.

He said: “Ebola in 2014 inspired me to go into medicine. I would like to help design new medicines and help save lives. It has been my driving force.

"I see how polio was debilitating as an illness and now we don’t hear anything about it.

“All of the teachers at WCSA have been incredible in supporting, helping and inspiring me to this and my future. I could not have done this without them.”

Olivia wants to be a medical doctor in the army. She was head girl last year and student editor of The Jill Dando News.

She said: “WCSA has been brilliant. The school has given me so much in the past five years.

“It has helped me to be aspirational. The science department in particular has inspired me towards a career in medicine and given me the confidence to think big."

“Covid-19 also helped me to decide to pursue a career in medicine. I want to change the world for the better.

"The fact that I can help people in situations like a pandemic has inspired me.”

There were other achievements across the year group which also included Chris Royce and Millie Smith, who achieved eight and seven grade 9s respectively.

WCSA principal Jacqui Scott said: “Our students have worked incredibly hard and this is a just reward for their amazing efforts.

“Well done to them all. We are delighted also that some of our students such as Ben and Olivia want to go and help prevent future pandemics and to change the world through science and medicine.”