Ripon school’s top-performing student faced 'devastating loss' of grandfather shortly before final exams

A Ripon Grammar School student who overcome the loss of her grandfather and another who coped with the disruption frequent house moves are among those celebrating A levels success.

Nekha Abraham, 18, from Bishopton, Ripon, achieved an exceptional set of A-levels after overcoming the devastating loss of her grandfather shortly before her final exams.

The resilient teenager’s outstanding results came despite her deeply-adored grandfather became seriously ill and sadly passing away just two weeks before study leave began.

The Ripon school’s top-performing student this year,was unable to travel to India to attend his funeral and had to continue preparing for her exams while dealing with her grief.

"It was quite upsetting, especially while particularly needing to focus on revision,” said Nekha.

"I’m so relieved about my results."

She has now secured a place to study veterinary medicine at the University of Nottingham, fulfilling her ambition of becoming a vet.

Outside the classroom, Nekha gained valuable experience for her future career through a weekend job as a client care assistant at Bishopton Vets in Ripon.

Meanwhile, Jessica Forbes-Bell, 18, from Ripon, is now preparing to begin a medical degree at the University of Edinburgh this autumn, fulfilling her long-held ambition to become a doctor.

The determined youngster achieved two As and an A in biology, chemistry, maths and biology, alongside and A in her extended project qualification.

Born in Harrogate, Jessica’s childhood was shaped by frequent moves across the UK and overseas because of her father’s work as a strategic consultant.

She attended two primary schools and two secondary schools throughout the UK, spending a year at middle school in Toronto, Canada, before moving to Ripon in 2021 to join Ripon Grammar School in Year 9.

Jessica believes the stability she found at Ripon Grammar School was instrumental in helping her achieve her ambitions.

“Ripon Grammar School has given me stability after moving around so much,” she said.

"The school gave me consistent support and provided someone to talk to when things became overwhelming.”

More than 70% of all grades achieved at RGS in this year’s A levels were at A*-B.