FORMER Hassenbrook Academy student, Sarah Reeves, has secured a place at Oxford University, following a successful results day last month.

Sarah started her education at Hassenbrook Academy with GCSEs, then left for higher education in college. She is now set to start her university journey at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

At Oxford University, Sarah will be studying history, a subject she has always been passionate about since being at Hassenbrook.

Joanne Williams, head teacher of Hassenbrook Academy, said: "Sarah has always committed to her studies in all subjects at Hassenbrook and was always seeking more opportunities to learn and grow during her time here. Her success is well deserved, but not unexpected, and she continues to be an inspiration to others."

Sarah said: "I am so excited to be studying history for the next three years and to experience university life in such a fantastic environment.

"Hassenbrook was a huge part of the process and not just in the fantastic academic support, which helped me to get GCSE grades that made me stand out in my application. The very personal support from all of my subject teachers put me at such an advantage at the beginning of my A-levels, to the extent that I had developed my skills of independent learning and dealing with complex concepts in new ways."

She continued: "Hassenbrook really encouraged me to develop my ability to communicate confidently, both in terms of speaking to larger audiences at presentation evenings and assemblies, and also in a more intimate setting, for example, speaking to school visitors, or housing discussion sessions in lessons.

"More than anything, my time at Hassenbrook taught me that I could achieve far better than I ever imagined I could and put me in the absolute best position for my Oxford application, both in terms of academic performance and personal enrichment."