Oliver Chadwick is so dyslexic that he has the reading age of a six-year-old. But that doesn't hold him back and, this summer, the inspirational 18-year-old achieved stunning A level grades.
The student from Bath achieved his two A and one A* results in mathematics, further mathematics and chemistry. He is now embarking on his next educational adventure to study engineering mathematics at the University of Bristol.
Oliver's can-do attitude has seen him through every hurdle up until now. Much of his success is down to him being an incredibly hard worker and his decision not to let his dyslexia limit him.
Oliver said: "My dyslexia affects me quite a lot, but also surprisingly little if you think about it. When people hear that you can’t read or write, they think you can’t do anything.
"But it only really affects me day-to-day when I can’t read things like signs. I picked maths because it is something I can do mostly by myself and this makes me feel more independent."
When Oliver began to fall behind with his literacy in junior school, his mother Sophie organised additional lessons with the Dyslexia Association for two hours a week every Saturday. The mum also also reduced her own working hours so that she could help him with his reading and writing at home, but unfortunately there was little progress.
Two further dyslexia experts even confirmed that Oliver was one of the most profoundly dyslexic persons they had ever seen. Sophie, 54, said: "I knew something wasn't normal, but they spent a lot of time telling me that boys were often a little bit slower to learn than girls. Whereas it might take other children an hour to do their homework, it could take Oliver 20 times as long."
But Oliver has never let his disability bother him, choosing instead to focus on his strengths. He said: "It wasn’t until year six that I started to notice a difference between myself and my classmates.
"But I never felt stupid. I just knew that reading was something I couldn't do and there was no point getting upset about it.”
When Oliver started at Ralph Allen School in Bath, the youngster got through most of his lessons by listening intently to what the teacher said, and receiving one-to-one teaching support for some of his classes. Although Oliver sometimes found the change of support difficult, his mum believes his experience of interacting with different teachers and teaching assistants helped to develop his interpersonal skills.
It was when Oliver approached his GCSE years that there was much discussion around the kind of support he would need to sit his exams, let alone gain the grades he was hoping to achieve. He obtained one-to-one support 50 percent of the time, and throughout his A Level years had an assistant for all three subjects - which he claims made all the difference.
Oliver said: "My one-to-ones were brilliant. Mrs Morgan, my maths one-to-one was actually due to retire while I was still at school but she said she would stay on to see me through my A Levels.
"And Mrs Watson, my key one-to-one has been with me for seven years. I think among my teachers, Mrs Haggett changed the way she taught the most. At the start, she would just give us all something to read, but then she started making videos for me to watch and everyone ended up benefitting from those."
Oliver even has a reading pen that can read out printed text, line by line, and computer software that can read words on-screen. For exams, Oliver had his own room so that he could dictate his answers to a scribe. Facing what could be seen as a huge disadvantage, Oliver remained calm and collected in the run-up to his exams.
"There is no point in stressing," he said. " I always feel quite chilled because there could always be something you've forgotten, but you have to accept that and move on.”
Andy Greenhough, Headteacher of Ralph Allen, said: “I was astounded when I saw Oliver’s results on results day. We have known Oliver for seven years and have supported him through his GCSE’s previously.
"This was never going to be an easy journey, but we all knew how capable he was. It has been a labour of love with the staff who have been completely dedicated to helping Oliver achieve.
"This was a real team effort to support Oliver to achieve these results. We are all extremely proud and delighted for him. This was a moment that burns brightly and will long remain in our memories.”
At the University of Bristol, Oliver will receive study skills support, as well as a postgraduate mentor to help him find the right books and a peer mentor who is in his class.
