A-levels 2023: Students at Hartlepool's Dyke House Sixth Form College excel on results day

Nervous students and their families arrived at the college on Thursday to find out if they had got into their university of choice.

Taha Aslim, 18, is going to Durham University in September to study mechanical engineering after achieving three As and two Bs.

Taha, who is from Turkey, is already looking towards his next steps following university.

He said: “I want to start my own business. Probably go into cars. It’s all very broad at the minute though.”

Katy Newton, 18, achieved an A* and two Bs and has secured a place at the Oxford University to study English language and literature.

She said: “I am very pleased. I do not think it has quite sunk in. When I was little, I always wanted to go to a good university, and now I am. It is a dream come true.”

Sixth form friends Elly-Mae Waugh and Millie Andrews are both going to university in September to study forensic psychology.

Millie is going to Northumbria University and Elly is going to Teesside University.

Despite getting into her university of choice, it did not come easy for Elly after battling cancer during her time at school.

She said: “If truth be told, I did not think I would even get this far.”

Speaking about the struggles she faced at school, she said: “You spend that much time in the hospital, you fall behind in some things. It felt like you had to work harder, but I like a challenge.”

Elly has now been in remission for five years and is grateful for all of the support she has received.

School principal Adam Palmer, said: “I’m really pleased in terms of what the children have achieved and I am really proud with the grades that the individuals have achieved.

"Ultimately, I am really pleased that the children are moving on to the destination that they have wanted and going to their university of choice.

"There are a lot of happy faces which makes us really proud. We work really hard to prepare them for their next steps and next destinations.”