More than half of adult students taking their GCSE at a college achieved high grades in maths.

While the academic qualification is predominantly taken by teenagers, adults at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) were among those celebrating their results this year.

The college saw 56.8 per cent of students aged 19 or over pass their maths exam with high 9 to 4 grades while 46.1 per cent of adults were awarded top grades in English.

This was the first time the students sat their GCSE exams since the pandemic, with many studying them alongside full-time courses and some without English as a first language.

Hanieh Damer Cheli, 33, said she can now plan for her future after achieving a grade 9s in maths and combined science, as well as a 5 in English.

She said: “I couldn’t sleep and woke up at 4am! I was so nervous that I asked my friend to check my results. I was predicted 8 or 9 in maths.  I was expecting a bit higher in English, but I’ve still got good grades.

“My English teacher was fantastic. She was so caring and kind and really paid attention to her students. I felt confident about my knowledge going into the exam. I’m so happy, and I can now plan for my future. This is the first step to university, but I know I can do it.”

CONEL offers A-levels at its Enfield Centre through its City and Islington College (CANDI) Sixth Form Hub.

Several vocational courses are also being offered at its Tottenham and Enfield centres such as accounting, business, construction, engineering, creative media and more.

Kurt Hintz, executive principal of Capital City College Group, which includes CONEL, said: “I would like to congratulate all our GCSE students on an excellent set of results this year.

“It is a tribute to their hard work and resilience and the dedication and support of our teachers and staff that they have achieved the grades they deserve. I wish them all the very best for the future.”