Autistic student defies odds to pass his GCSEs

From being suspended from primary school for his behaviour and being told he would not be able to take his GCSEs, Sully has defied all odds.

The teenager from Plymouth, Devon, is autistic and said he did "way better" than he expected after opening his results.

The Tor Bridge High student said he was expecting to get 4s in all his subjects but received 4s,5s and even a 6 in English Language.

His mum, Harriet, said she was "eternally grateful" to the school.

She said: "Sully has Asperger's.

"In primary school he was getting suspended because of behaviour, we were told he would need specialist provision, that he probably wouldn't be able to take his GCSEs because he was missing so much school and he was heavily supported.

"The fact we've gone from not being able to taking him to school to getting these amazing results, it's wonderful.

"I always knew he had this potential in him and I'm just so glad Tor Bridge took a chance and saw that potential and manage to bring it out of him."

Sully, 16, said: "I did way better than I expected."

He was also relieved he did not have to re-take any of his exams.

The National Autistic Society said Asperger's syndrome' was a diagnosis previously given to some autistic people and is a lifelong neurodivergence and disability.

His younger sister Cordelia, 15, said she helped tutor Sully in the run up to his exams because she is predicted to get 9s in most subjects, including English which was her "best subject".

She said: "In the evenings we were revising for hours, and I'd be teaching him everything I know."

Sully said he will go on to study digital art at Access Creative College because art was "100% a passion" and looked forward to getting better at it over time.

Hundreds of thousands of teenagers collected their results for GCSEs, BTecs and Cambridge Nationals on Thursday.

Headteacher Tracy Stephenson: "We are immensely proud of everything Sully has achieved and of every young person collecting their GCSE results.

"Behind every set of results is a unique story and it was an incredibly special moment to see Sully open his results and discover he had surpassed even his own expectations."

She said education has the power to transform lives.

"When schools, families and communities work together, every child can be supported to thrive.

"We have high expectations for every student and firmly believe that SEND should never place a ceiling on a young person's aspirations.

Tor Bridge High, run by the Ted Wragg Trust, said the school received its best GCSE results across the board yet.

Stephenson said: "I'm incredibly proud because that's been our students' individual successes and seeing their smiling faces is what we do the job for."

She said results day was not just about the grades, but about building character over the last five years.

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