HIGH achieving students at a Thorne academy are set for the next step in their education after securing offers from some of the country's top universities.
A record number of students from Trinity Academy applied to go to university this year and several have been offered a place at a Russell Group institution.
The Russell Group represents 24 leading and largely city-based UK universities, which are renowned for research, outstanding teaching and learning experiences and for having strong links with business and the public sector.
Head boy Thomas Williams, 17, of Stainforth, has an offer from Manchester University to read economics.
“I need two As and a B. It takes some of the pressure off knowing already that I’ve got a place as long as I get those grades,” he said.
Danny West, 17, of Hatfield, was born in China and joined Trinity Academy in year 9. The bilingual student is hoping to achieve two As and a B to go to University College London to read chemistry with maths, but also has an offer from Warwick University.
Alex Dockerty, 18, of Hatfield Woodhouse, is set to read geography at Sheffield or Newcastle, where he could be joined by Nathan O’Neill, 17, of Thorne, who has an offer to study history and needs three A grades.
Ben Brint, 17, and Alex Frost, 18, both of Hatfield Woodhouse, are among a number of sixth formers at Trinity who have combined their studies with the challenge of achieving their gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, including completing an expedition to Snowdonia.
It is one of a number of activities students can pursue, including Japanese, Spanish and volunteering in the community, on a Wednesday afternoon.
Ben, who needs three As to study mechanical engineering at Sheffield University or two As and B to go to Nottingham, said: “It’s been good to do something different to studying and we’ve almost completed our gold award.”
Jonathan Thirkle, 17, and Cameron Lees-Weir, 18, both of Edenthorpe, and Laura Doherty, 17, of Dunsville, are among a number of students who joined Trinity Academy sixth form from other secondary schools.
Cameron, who is hoping for three As to read law at Sheffield, said: “I came here because I felt it was the local sixth form where I’d be most likely to get the results I need and they offered the subjects I wanted to do at A level, law, physics and psychology.”
Head of sixth form Gemma Hirst said staff had supported students to get their university applications in early.
“The majority were in by the end of November and all by mid-December which gave students a better chance of securing early offers for the course they wanted at their university of choice. We are delighted with so many offers from Russell Group universities.
“Now they have their offers the students can concentrate on their studies. They are all working very hard to achieve the grades they need.”
Miss Hirst said part of the mission to raise aspirations among young people at Trinity included an evening for Year 12 students and their parents on April 9, which will be attended by representatives of Nottingham and Oxford Universities.
Work is due to start next month on the new £1.2m sixth form centre at the academy, which is due to open in September and will allow Trinity to grow its years 12 and 13 to 400 students.