A Liverpool student who had just finished an overnight labouring shift spraying fences collected two A grades in his A-levels. Patrick Foy, 18, from Speke, arrived at St Francis Xavier Catholic Academy in Woolton directly from the site where he had been working.
Surprised by results
Patrick secured A grades in geography and criminology, along with a C in religious studies. He told the ECHO he was "definitely surprised" to have achieved such strong results after a challenging year. He had to clean the dust from his face before celebrating his success.
He said: "I wasn't expecting either of them to be honest, maybe the A in criminology but the other two were definitely unexpected."
University plans
The 18-year-old now hopes to study psychology at the University of Liverpool. He plans to go through clearing to apply for the course, having been inspired by studying the psychological aspect of criminology in year 12.
Patrick works as a full-time labourer, 40 hours a week for the summer. He explained: "I spray fences so I had to clean myself up, I had powder all over my face and then come here straight away. I finished at 6am so it's a bit of rest then go the pub for a few drinks."
Another top performer
Fellow student Zac Mainwaring, 18, from Woolton, also celebrated impressive results, achieving two A*s in geography and history and an A in religious studies. He said he was "really happy" with his marks, which reflected his work through the year.
Zac, a Liverpool fan, will now study law at the University of Liverpool, having been inspired by attending conferences on the work to deliver the Hillsborough Law.
David Hayes, headteacher at St Francis Xavier Catholic Academy, said: "We're really pleased with the results, we're really pleased with the students and how they've performed. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the young men this morning has been wonderful. All have gone on to achieve what they want and where they want to go to next." He added that all staff were proud of the students' efforts through an "incredible year of hard work."
