Tom Curran - A young prodigy who taught himself advanced maths during lockdown is celebrating after achieving outstanding exam results. Aged just 13, Tom Curran – who joined Darlington’s Carmel College in 2020 – taught himself GCSE Maths during lockdown and earned a Grade 9, before going on to self-study GCSE Further Maths this year, achieving another Grade 9 with an impressive 97 per cent score.
He went on to study A-level maths alongside his GCSE subjects, and achieved an A* two years early. He has also secured nine Grade 9s at GCSE today across English, Religious Studies, History, Spanish and Computer Science.
Tom now plans to take Further Maths at A-level as well as Physics and Chemistry, with hopes of studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge University.
Cian Tyan - A dedicated young carer and community leader is among those celebrating his GCSE results today.
Cian Tyan, a student at Carmel College, in Darlington, balanced his studies with helping to care for his younger brother, volunteering at his local train station, and advocating for young people as a Member of Youth Parliament – and more.
As part of the school’s Student Council and an active member of its Politics Club, he successfully campaigned for changes at Carmel College, and won an agreement to make shorts an official part of the school uniform policy.
Cian plans now to pursue politics in his future career after spending his summer on work experience placement in the Houses of Parliament.
Eva Ferguson - A talented young artiste who split her time between revising and performing is singing with joy after receiving her GCSE results today.
Throughout her time at Carmel College in Darlington, Eva Ferguson has starred in school shows, sung in its choir, has performed as a member of the Darlington Amateur Dramatics Club, and has appeared in productions at the Darlington Hippodrome.
She even revised from dressing rooms while performing as Pritti Pasha in Darlington Operatic Society’s production of Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, starring in the school musical, and achieving a Grade 8 LAMDA acting qualification.
Andrew Gardner, assistant head teacher, said: “Eva’s passion for the performing arts is matched by her academic commitment – she consistently goes above and beyond in her studies.
“Her creativity, discipline, and enthusiasm has made her an exceptional student and a valued contributor to both our school and wider community.”
Ava Parnaby - A North East national netball star is celebrating GCSE success after an outstanding sporting season. Ava Parnaby, who attends Carmel College in Darlington, achieved a strong set of Grade 8s and 7s across her subjects. In the run up to her exams, Ava divided her attention between revising and netball – playing for Oaksway Netball Club, in Hartlepool, and Leeds Rhinos Netball, travelling across the country to compete as part of the national netball performance league.
She said: “I’m very pleased with my results. It was extremely hard dividing time between school and my sport, especially with all the travelling and training, but I’m really proud of how it’s all paid off.
“I’m so grateful for the support from my teachers, coaches, and family – they’ve helped me stay focused and motivated. I’m excited to carry on with both my studies and netball next year.” Ava now plans to keep playing while studying Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and Art at Carmel Sixth College.