Spotlight on young achievers
By Simon Horne

Christ Church College, Oxford by Tetiana Shyshkina on Unsplash

As we all start to finally begin to believe lockdowns may be a thing of the past, schools are reflecting on 16 months of alternating periods of remote learning, student ‘bubbles’, drafty classrooms and loads of hand gel. The A level and GCSE results are a testament to all the hard work and resilience of students and teachers. At Friern Barnet School, we have focussed on making sure every student can move on to the next stage of their education. GCSE results have been good but they are only a step to the next stage of the students’ education and development.

This year we have something different to celebrate. Let me introduce you to Tao Lustigman, a student at Friern Barnet School. Tao is a remarkable young man, who at the age of 16, has gained a place at the prestigious Christ Church College at Oxford University. Not content with just taking his GCSEs, Tao studied for three advanced level subjects at the same time and has achieved A* in maths; A* in further maths; A in economics.

Tao came to the school after his primary education in Israel. His first language is Hebrew which makes his achievements even more impressive. He is sociable, articulate and has demonstrated an impressive ability to cope with his work at school whilst also studying independently at home. He will be going to Oxford to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), two years earlier than normal.

As his headteacher, I take great joy in his success. At Friern Barnet School we have always endeavoured to stay true to our conviction that education should be more than getting on and off an exam treadmill.

Tao is leaving us as a mature, independent learner who engages with life and all that it throws at us. This is a lovely story with a happy ending. It shows that hard work and high aspirations, combined with support and encouragement can result in great things.

Tao will now be preparing for university life and we wish him all the best in his further studies. We expect to hear a lot more about Tao Lustigman in the future.

Simon Horne

Head Teacher Friern Barnet School

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