A CHARD student has become the first from her school to be offered a place at Cambridge University.

Caitlin Smith has received an offer to read English at Peterhouse College in the 2021 academic year.

The offer came after Caitlin achieved a fantastic set of GCSE results while studying at Holyrood Academy and is set to achieve an impressive series of A Level results this summer.

Caitlin said: “I was shocked and jumping for joy in my room as I read the offer.

"I texted my parents and friends and emailed (teacher) Mrs Challis and was so happy she rang and I was able to talk to her and share the news, I am still so happy just thinking about it.

"I know the next few months are going to need me to continue to work hard to ensure I achieve the necessary grades but the goal of being at Cambridge this October has made me more motivated than ever to do this.

"More than anything I am grateful to those who have helped me achieve this offer, my A Level teachers have constantly encouraged me, the time, support and preparation Mrs Challis has given me and my friends and family who believed in me when I was uncertain. Thank you to them all."

Dave MacCormick, headteacher at Holyrood, said, “I am absolutely delighted for Caitlin because she has consistently shown a relentless work ethic and the kind of academic curiosity befitting of an Oxbridge candidate.

"She has worked so hard to achieve her place, at a time when competition for places becomes more fierce each year. Everyone at Holyrood is so proud of Caitlin, especially her teachers."

During the first lockdown Caitlin competed in the Peterhouse Campion Essay Competition, writing a piece on Wordsworth's Immortality Ode, which allowed her to explore the nature of Wordsworth's relation to the Romantic Movement; combining her current studies with her own wider reading.

Caitlin has been able to further her understanding of literature this year with her Extended Project Qualification on William Faulkner and other influential Southern American authors.