A STUDENT in a Hereford school who suffered with “severe” mental health issues has blown her parents away with her GCSE results.

Hannah Agalato suffered with severe mental health when the pandemic began.

The 16-year-old has not been to school for two years but her teachers at the Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School guided her throughout her turbulent time.

She passed all her GCSEs and even got 9s, the top grades, in English literature and English language.

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She also got grade 8 and grade 7 in science and maths, grade 7 in RE and a grade 5 in French.

Her mother Marie Agalato hopes in sharing Hannah’s story it will help thousands of children who struggle.

As a counsellor, she knows how tough it can be for teens, she said.

“When our own daughter went into a very dark place at the beginning of the pandemic, she was diagnosed with general anxiety and started taking medication,” she said.

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The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) at Hereford Hospital helped Hannah so much, she said.

Mr Jonathan Nicholas is a science teacher and a deputy at Bishops, and he along with Hannah’s four teachers Miss Davies, Miss Wilkins, Mrs Greenwood, and Mrs Barker never gave up on her.

“Despite her not being well enough to go into school for two years, they supported her through email, zoom and went above and beyond to ensure Hannah was supported in her school work,” said Ms Agalato.

Hannah has her heart set on being a chef and opening her own restaurant in New York City one day, which is where some of her family live. 

She has been accepted on to a professional chef course in Hereford.