A-level high-flier Hannah sets her sights on vet career

Hannah Steele, 18, was among the top achievers at Derby High School, achieving A*s in biology and maths and an A in chemistry.

She will now go on to study veterinary medicine at the University of Nottingham.

Hannah said: “I really want to become a vet and it’s something that I’ve wanted to do from about Year 10. You have to start quite early as you really need to do work experience.

I’ve grown up with dogs and I’ve worked at vets and farms and at Easter I spent three weeks lambing.

“I’ve spent three weeks at a youth camp this summer so that’s been good and helped me to take my mind off my exam results. I think it started to sink in on Tuesday that I’d be picking up my results this week.

"I was really surprised when I got my results and I also felt relieved. It feels like my dream of becoming a vet is getting closer and starting to come true.

"I’m really looking forward to university, it will be another adventure.”

Derby High School achieved a 100 per cent pass rate across all subjects. A total of 41 per cent of all grades achieved were at A* to A and 68 per cent of students achieved A* to B grades.

In addition to their A-levels, more than a third of students elected to complete an Extended Project Qualification, which universities value highly for the independent skills developed in the process. Exploring a diverse range of challenging topics, 79 per cent of these students achieved an A* to B grade.

Retiring Headteacher, Denise Gould, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating such a fine set of results with our students, once again, in the second year of significant change to the examination system.

“Students’ hard work, coupled with the expertise of our staff, has ensured well-deserved success.

“In addition, these students have made an outstanding contribution in a host of ways throughout their time with us. These young people will prove themselves to be our outstanding leaders of the future.”