Top grades secure places at Cambridge

TWO high-achieving students at Dame Allan’s Schools are today celebrating eight A* A level grades between them and heading to Cambridge in September.

Ben Needham, from Walbottle, Newcastle, and Lucy Snowdon, from Longhoughton, near Alnwick, secured places at the prestigious University of Cambridge having worked hard in the face of personal challenges during their A Level years.

Ben, who was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 10, will read Mathematics at Peterhouse College following straight A* success in A Level Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computer Science.

The 17-year-old, who in 2019 won the UK Bebras Computing Challenge and aspires to be a maths professor or computer programmer, said: “I’ve loved maths since I was playing number games at Dame Allan’s Junior School and teachers have continued to challenge and inspire me throughout Senior School and Sixth Form.

“The Cambridge course really interests me and I couldn’t be happier with my grades. Getting to this point has been challenging at times – I like to follow rules and don’t like grey areas – but I’ve been very supported during periods of transitions or difficult phases, both by teachers and pupils.”

Lucy achieved straight A* results in French, Maths, Psychology and Philosophy and will read Linguistics at Christ’s College. She said: “The inner workings of languages, and how they change and develop over time, have always fascinated me and I can’t wait for the opportunity to study linguistics in a highly academic environment.”

The 18-year-old, who would like to work in academia and research, was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder in 2018, and her studies were impacted by the Covid pandemic.

She said: “There were some difficult times when the general sense of uncertainty around Covid exacerbated my health anxiety, but I can’t over emphasise my gratitude to the school for its support and pastoral care.

“The positive environment and the friendships I have formed at Dame Allan’s have encouraged me to thrive despite the adversity we have faced over recent years.”

Principal Will Scott congratulated both students on their success: “Ben and Lucy are fine examples of two students who are very naturally capable, but who have also worked exceptionally hard to achieve these fantastic results. Furthermore, they’ve done this while facing their own personal challenges, and it’s important to acknowledge just how valuable it is to have a strong pastoral care structure in school to support pupils on their academic journey.”