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A diagnosis of a rare cancer did not stop Jack Tilstone from prioritising his studies and achieving top GCSE results.

When Jack suffered shoulder pain in December 2019, his doctor, physiotherapist and osteopath put it down to fast growth or playing on his Xbox.

When a lump then developed in February 2020, his mother Nichola – a children’s nurse – knew immediately what it was.

Jack, from Stansted, was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma – cancer of the immune system – which led to immediate chemotherapy, immunotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, with a five-month stay in hospital.

As a result, Jack missed almost two years of schooling at Forest Hall School.

But, despite it all, he achieved a grade 9 in photography and grade 8 in geography early, as well as today picking up two grade 9, one grade 8, two grade 7, three grade 6 and one grade 5.

He will now go on to Saffron Walden County High to study further maths, maths, economics and politics.

He said: “I am proud.

“When I returned to school, there were some weeks when I could only manage four days. The school were good and gave me extra time to complete my work when I needed it.

“My teachers have been great and the school has been very good at supporting me.”

Jack is now considered in remission and is returning to hospital every two months to be monitored.

Proud mum Nichola said it has been Jack’s determination which has got him his results today.

She said: “With what he has been through, these results are amazing.

“We have always said he is naturally clever, but actually he is really determined. If he wants something, he does it.

“He was incredibly poorly, so we just wanted him to focus on getting better. But, he did not use it as an excuse to not do his GCSEs, he worked really, really hard.

“The school has been absolutely brilliant. They were just so supportive. Anything he wanted, they granted it, they didn’t question anything at all.

“We just wanted him to get the results he wanted. He deserves to be able to choose what he does next. He has done really well and that is down to his determination.”

 

 

Finding a school where teachers understood Oscar Perry’s needs has enabled him to flourish.

He collected one grade 8, two grade 7, two grade 6, four grade 5, a Merit and a Distinction on GCSE results day.

Having been expelled from a primary school for his angry outbursts, Oscar – who has communication disorder – is looking forward to a bright future.

Oscar, who will study maths, further maths and physics at fellow BMAT sixth form Sir Frederick Gibberd College in Harlow, said: “I am really excited about my grades.

“My teachers gave me extra sessions after school which was a really big help. All of my teachers have been really supportive.”

Proud mum Samantha, from Little Canfield, said all Oscar needed was for a school to take the time to get to know him and understand his needs for him to achieve.

She said: “He had the determination to just do it. When he joined Forest Hall, he was meant to go into the nurture group, but instead he started in set four for everything – he soon moved up and ended up in set one for maths and science.

“He needed to be treated as a human being. We do not want children to all be the same and to conform to everything. He soon realised that it is okay to be different.

“Forest Hall has supported his needs. Oscar helped his teachers to recognise his needs and they allowed him to be himself. He just wants the very best for himself. The school has never told him he can’t do something. He knows what he wants to do, he just has to be allowed to do it.

“He has turned his life around. He has grown up to be such a lovely young man. We are so, so proud.”