A FORMER E-grade pupil in Chemistry has fulfilled his dream to become a PHD in the subject teachers told him to abandon. Dr Matthew Aldred, aged 26, of Parkdale Road, Tonge Moor, is now a chemist and says that a poor exam result should not put people off from pursuing their dreams.

When he was 18 he was keen to do well in Chemistry, but the former Canon Slade School and Sixth Form College pupil, received a disappointing low grade. He was strongly advised from teachers that his life-goal to become a chemist was just a pipe dream.

Dr Aldred said: "As a result of poor exam results, thousands and thousands of pupils are marshalled on to a less preferred path, often far from ideal and one which they lack the passion and determination necessary for them to succeed."

Dr Aldred vowed to prove his teachers wrong and enrolled on a BSc course in Chemistry at the University of Hull.

He showed early promise and, at the end of his first year, achieved grades that were among the highest in his year. He maintained these high grades throughout the three-year course, ultimately receiving a 2:1.

Dr Aldred then decided to continue in his ambition to become a doctor of Chemistry, enrolling at UMIST - now part of the University of Manchester - to do an MSc in the subject.

After successfully completing the course, he returned to Hull to complete a three-year PhD study.

At his PhD conferment ceremony, less than a month ago, when he officially became a Doctor of Chemistry, he said he had accomplished the very thing which many had advised him against pursuing.