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17
Aug 2024
Ripon students overcome adversity to triumph in their A-levels
Among the A-level successes this week were some very special celebrations for two students of Ripon Grammar School.
Oliver Robinson and Albert Saggers both overcame their own major challenges to triumph in their exams.
Oliver, who lives in Markington, achieved his goal of studying history at the University of York – despite being off school for five months for a major operation.
The 18 year old, who is is confined to a wheelchair, was born with the rare congenital disorder arthrogryposis, meaning his arm and leg joints are contracted.
During his lower sixth studies, he underwent a major operation at Sheffield Children’s Hospital to get his feet into a better position, and for most of that year had to work online while he recovered.
Despite the challenges he faced, he went on to gain two As and a B in history, politics and psychology in addition to an A* in his extended project qualification.
He said:
It was a struggle to try and adapt to this way of learning, but I persevered and focused on trying to keep up with the rest of my peers.
I was surprised when the results came through as I didn't believe I would achieve this highly.
It was a proud day for his family, too, with his mum Sandra adding:
With everything going on and the time he missed, I just feel unbelievably proud that he managed to keep on top of it.
School were amazing, very supportive, and when he did come back, brought him up to speed. He has some really good school friends too and if there was anything he missed, he could speak to them about it.
Albert, meanwhile, went from ‘ungradable’ in his mock physics exam to an A* at A-level after a last-minute ADHD diagnosis transformed his life. He also achieved an A* in economics, and A in maths, which was just two marks off an A*.
Before his diagnosis in January, he struggled to concentrate on his studies and never managed to do any academic work outside school hours.
Sixth form staff at the Grammar School noticed that he found it difficult to focus and encouraged him to be assessed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
He was diagnosed within the week and was put on methylphenidate medication.
Albert said:
It allowed me to focus and work for eight hours a day. I went from being able to do nothing to doing as much as I wanted. It gave me so much more energy. I’m very grateful it was spotted, and it has made all the difference.
I got into a lot of trouble at school, both primary school and secondary school, my attitude and behaviour weren’t great. Medication has really helped me to settle down and behave. It has changed my life.
Albert’s mother, Lucy Saggers, said:
Albert's ADHD diagnosis was a game-changer, and we are very grateful to the team at Ripon Grammar School, in particular sixth form coordinator Karyn Feingold, whose insight, actions and support were instrumental in getting him diagnosed.
After a short time adjusting to his diagnosis, Albert quickly gained incredibly useful insights into his behaviour. He read the recommended books and took all the advice he was given. Knowing he has ADHD allows him, and all those around him, to better understand his character and behaviour, there are some traits he can now watch for and others he can relax into.
He is a much more confident person as a result. He was always ambitious, but with the diagnosis and medication he could achieve what he had been trying so hard to do. We are thrilled with his excellent A-level results.
Albert is now planning to take a gap year and travel to Central and South America before studying economics at the University of Exeter.
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