A-level student Timothy Harding is off to Oxford University after achieving top results at Uxbridge College.

Timothy, 24, who will be reading Physics at Brasenose College, Oxford, is among the College’s top performers this year, many of whom will be taking up places in prestigious universities.

Other achievers at College this year, where the overall pass rate was 98% at grades A*-E, include: Cheyanne Jones, 19, who will be starting a Veterinary Science degree after studying science at College.

Tanzeel Ur Rehman, 20, who got AAAB and will be doing Physics at Warwick after studying maths and science A levels Mehrak Tariq, 21, who achieved A*A*C, in humanities and science subjects. She is currently confirming her university place after getting better grades than she expected.

Azrat Bilal, 20, who got AAA and is going to Bath to study Civil Engineering.

Nathan Mullins, 18, and Maninder Bains, 18, both with A*AA who will study Maths and Statistics at Warwick.

Hasibullah Samsor, 21, who achieved A*AA and is currently confirming his university place to read Engineering.

Timothy, from Pinner, who achieved A*AAB, took time out of education and worked in various jobs, including as a shop assistant and a lifeguard, before making the decision to aim for Oxford and returning to study at Uxbridge College.

Timothy said: “I am very happy and somewhat relieved to know I have achieved my goal to get to Oxford University. I really didn’t think I was going to get in as my GCSEs are mostly Bs, including a B in Physics, and I've had to do my A-levels twice, but Oxbridge entry is not about your background and qualifications. In fact 90% of the entry requirement is to do with the admissions test and interview process. Oxford and Cambridge are looking for well-rounded people, so whatever you’ve been doing in past years and even if your GCSEs aren’t that good, you can still do it.”

Amanda Washbrook, Head of the Academy at Uxbridge College, which teaches A-levels, GCSEs and vocational science, said: “I would like to say a huge congratulations to Timothy and to all our other A-level achievers this year. We have seen some really excellent individual performances, both in terms of high grades and distance travelled.

“When students are making the choice of where to study A-levels they don’t always realise that Uxbridge College offers a route to many prestigious and world-class universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. We always offer the highest level of support to students wanting to do this, in their academic studies, through the UCAS process, and in preparing for any entrance tests and interviews.”

Dr Alastair Mullins, Curriculum Director, said: “Yet again we are very pleased to see this performance at Uxbridge College, where our students consistently perform above the national average. The number of students who achieve their university aims is always impressive, whether through the A-level route or via our BTEC Level 3 qualifications and the HND, particularly when they come from such a wide range of backgrounds.”