PARENT Dave Arundel has a daughter studying A levels in Year 14 and a son in Year 12 in the Elite Athlete Academy. He said: “I am happy with both sides of the school. My son is a triathlete and he is being supported

HEIDI Fielding’s son is a cyclist in the Elite Academy. She said: “He absolutely adores it here. The support, help and mentoring that he has had from everybody here has been amazing. The flexibility with the timetable is fantastic.”

DIRECTOR of the Elite Athlete Academy Joel Banks is an ex professional athlete and former professional coach with a purely sports-based background. He said: “This is an opportunity to marry education and sport.”

ASSISTANT Principal of the Studio School, Carol Gordon, has a further education background and recently joined the school from London. She said: “I believe that young people can compete internati-onally and do their school work.”

YEAR 12 student Georgia Hall won two gold medals in golf in the Youth Olympics in Australia. The 16-year-old said: “I compete all over the world and if I need to go to a competition they are more flexible than other schools would be.”

TRIATHLETE Joe Arundel, 16 and in year 12, said: “It works perfectly. Every week my coach and I plan training around lesson times. If I need to miss a lesson the work can be sent to me. I am doing three A levels alongside my training.”