Bristol student travelled 100 miles to stay at school

Martha Heaps, 18, achieved A*s in English Literature, Philosophy, Maths and Further Maths.

A teenager who commuted from London to Bristol to stay at her high school has earned a place at Oxford University.

Martha Heaps, 18, did not want to disrupt her studies when her family moved from the West Country.

For two years she either studied remotely or travelled more than 100 miles to stay with friends when she attended St Mary Redcliffe School.

"It was very difficult at the start but the teachers have been absolutely superb," she said.

Martha achieved A*s in English Literature, Philosophy, Maths and Further Maths at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School in Bristol.

She subsequently secured a place at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford to study Mathematics and Philosophy.

She said: "With Covid-19 it worked out that I was home schooling more in the first year of sixth form.

"The school made allowances so that I could stay more at home and learn remotely."

'Shocked by results'

Fellow student Iman Mohamed, from Fishponds, has won a place at the University of Bristol's medical school.

"I did better than I thought because I did not think I would do as well in chemistry," said the 18-year-old, who got A*s in biology, chemistry and maths.

"I am shocked I got into medical school. I am thinking about emergency medicine. I do love living in Bristol and if I didn't work here, it would be another big metropolitan city."

Iman Mohamed, right, and Adam Harvey both praised their teachers on results day

The teenager said the pandemic presented its own set of unique challenges for learning.

"It was very difficult at the start but the teachers have been absolutely superb here and they made the whole online learning much easier," she said.

Adam Harvey, 19, from Stockwood, will be studying English and film studies at the University of Leeds after getting A*s in English literature, film and media.

The teenager said he had done better than he expected and was delighted to have won a place at university.

"I am very pleased and very, very happy. I wasn't sure if I would be celebrating today," he said.

"The pandemic did have its hurdles, but we wouldn't have got here without the teachers and during the last two years the teachers have been nothing but great."

"These are the first exams I've done since Sats, so I am really pleased."