Prestwich 15-year-old Shmuli Tesler can match his age in GCSEs, his 12 A*s this year adding to the three A grades he gained at 14.
The Manchester Mesivta pupil “wouldn’t call myself a brainbox — but I am hard-working. I’ve just got an interest in the subjects.” He had opted to take a high number of exams to increase his chances of securing a place at a top university.
“I want to work in finance,” he said. “I’m not put off by the economic climate because it was the recession that started my interest in it. It’s in the news the whole time so it is difficult not to be interested.”
His father, Chaim, said Shmuli had been encouraged rather than pressured. “I am very proud of my son, who had no private tutors. We can’t afford that. We are a humble family.”
Other standout performers at the strictly Orthodox school were Ovadia Harris, Dov Seitler and Shmuli Hanson.
At Manchester King David High, Harry Lewis led the way with 12 A*s. Harry is the son of Bury South MP Ivan Lewis but will not be pursuing a political career. He discovered his results at 4am local time on holiday in Miami and said his achievement had made his parents very proud.
“I always had an aim to get double figure A*s. I wasn’t expecting to get all of them.”
Leeds Grammar School pupil Max Gordon was a genuine star turn with GCSE astronomy among his 11 A*s, a subject he studied for during his lunch hours. Another Leeds Grammar success story was Rachel Isaac, whose 10 A*s follow an A* in Jewish studies last year. Sam Bodansky clocked up six A*s and four As, adding to the A* in GCSE maths he gained at the age of 11.
He also has A*s in A-level maths and further maths sat over the past two years.
This summer Sam took part in a UK Mathematics Trust Olympiad training camp at Queen’s College, Oxford, receiving intensive tuition in maths outside the conventional syllabuses. The camp also identifies potential members of a squad of students who continue training throughout the year with a view to representing the UK in a future International Mathematical Olympiad.
