Around two years ago we shared the story of C, a young man who was one of the first pupils at High Peak School. C arrived at the school with a diagnosis of ADHD and autism spectrum condition. He was told by his previous schools he wouldn’t sit any exams.

C came to the school having experienced several school placement breakdowns. A few months after he came to High Peak his mother spoke of how well he was doing at the school and how, after years of uncertainty and worry, the future seemed brighter for him. She was right.

At the time she spoke of how C’s challenges had had a negative impact on his education over the years. His education was severely disrupted and he had been told he wouldn’t achieve any exams. He felt he didn’t fit in within mainstream and wasn’t wanted there.

However, in the two years since C has been at High Peak he has flourished.

Contrary to what the family had been told, C has studied for his exams, taken several different examinations and his teachers are delighted to say that he is now, like so many others his age across the country, awaiting the results of GCSEs.

C sat both his Maths GCSE and Photography GCSE and will find out in August how he did in those two subjects. Alongside these two examinations he has also been sitting Functional Skills exams and has gained a Level 1 achievement in English and is due to sit the final section of Level 2 in English in the near future. As if that wasn’t enough, C has also achieved Btec Level 1 in Home Cooking Studies.

He has also achieved Level 1 Functional Maths and Level 1 and 2 in ICT, both wonderful achievements for a child who was told he would not be able to take an exam at all.

It doesn’t stop there. C is due to remain at High Peak post 16 to continue his positive progress and continue achieving. Next term, following on from sitting a BTec in Science, C will continue his work in this field and will sit another year-long assessment in this subject.

Everyone at High Peak is extremely proud of all C has achieved. We believe the calmer environment, bespoke and flexible lesson plans, smaller class sizes and understanding of C’s individual needs have helped contribute to his continued successes alongside his determination and sheer hard work.

Not every day has been easy for C, but together we have worked through difficult times to ensure the school remains a consistent in his life. The local authority and his family, together with the school, have never given up on giving him the chance to flourish.  

We will continue to share C’s road to success over the coming months as he moves into Post-16 education and prepares for adulthood.