Tessa Fernandes today turned her back on A-levels, despite gaining 10 GCSEs, in a bid to become big in business.
The Sydenham Girls’ School pupil will take up a place on a Dragons Den-style course that teaches students about enterprise and entrepreneurship.
It is run by the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy and Miss Fernandes is looking forward to lectures from business people including Mr Jones and Reggae Reggae Sauce founder Levi Roots.
Tessa, 16, from Catford, will take the one-year BTEC course at Westminster Kingsway College, where the Peter Jones academy is based. She said: “Most of my friends are staying at sixth form but I decided to go and do something that puts me into the world of business.
“I never wanted to follow what everyone else was doing.
“I have always wanted to start lots of different businesses, which is why I wanted to do this course.”
She said that she had been inspired by seeing her mother setting up a cooking sauce business.
And a friend of the family who runs a fruit and vegetable delivery business has been an inspiration, too.
Rider jumps on to future
A showjumper is hoping success in her GCSEs will spur her on to win a place at the Olympic Games.
Romilly Simmons, 16, gained three As, three Bs and three Cs in her exams and plans to study A-levels.
Romilly, from Taunton, combines her studies with competing across the country in showjumping and buys horses from Ireland to train and sell on to fund her riding. She qualified two horses for the Horse of the Year Show last year.
“I don’t come from a horsey family and am the first person really to ride seriously so have to find a way to fund my riding myself,” said Romilly. “I bought the youngsters from Ireland and brought them on to qualify.
“I like them to have lots of spark and personality.”
Romilly has jumped at the British Open at the NEC in Birmingham and came second in the Scope Festival in Staffordshire, and has qualified for Scope again this year.
