A girl who has been blind since birth chalked up a remarkable seven GCSE A grades, including four starred As, it was revealed today.

Kirsty Major, 16, of Sandway Drive, Thorpe Willoughby, is now studying A-level German, English Literature and sociology at Fulford School, York.

Kirsty sat her GCSEs at Selby High School where headteacher, Dr David Squires, said: "It's a fantastic achievement and we are all very proud of her.

"Kirsty has worked tremendously hard. She's a gifted and gutsy girl who has involved herself fully in the life of the school.

"Ours is not an easy school to negotiate with narrow staircases and little steps everywhere, but Kirsty has become very independent."

The talented teenager, who notched up 10 GCSE passes in total, had to have all her text books brailled. She sat the examinations on her own in a specially equipped office so as not to disturb the other students with her manual braille machine and lap top computer.

Her four starred As were in French, German, history and English Literature.

A former Thorpe Willoughby Primary School pupil, she lives with her grandparents, Stanley and Jean Major, who have brought her up from being a baby. Mrs Major said her granddaughter had had to have a special assistant to act as her eyes at Selby High, as well as a braille teacher.

She said: "Kirsty has worked really hard and achieved these results against all the odds.

"We went to meet her at school once, and she just whizzed round without any problems at all. She just gets on with her life and is a fine example to other people in similar positions.

"There was a lot of work involved. Kirsty has to read everything in braille, but she loves reading and it doesn't bother her."

Kirsty said: "The main problems were with diagrams in maths and science, but I was allowed a little more time for them in the exams."

She said she preferred to sit the exams on her own because she found the rows of desk in the gymnasium a little more daunting.

A member of Selby Baptist Church, Kirsty hopes to pursue a career in the Christian ministry. She says her faith and prayers have also resulted in an improvement in her sight.

She said: "I couldn't see anything at all until last September when I was able to make out things close to my face, although not in any detail. I believe the improvement will continue."

see COMMENT 'Double triumph'

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