DCG Success Stories

GCSE Plus student Keisha Katamba didn’t think she’d do very well in her exams, but her teachers at Derby College Group always had confidence in her.

And their faith in her ability was well placed. Keisha, 19, got Grade 4 in Maths, Grade 5 in English and Grade 5-5 in Combined Science, and is now heading to Birmingham University to do a foundation degree in Data Science.

Keisha, who grew up in Uganda, moved to Derby in 2023 and did the Lexis ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) course for 16-18-year-olds at the Roundhouse. After Lexis, she enrolled on GCSE Plus at the Joseph Wright Centre to gain the qualifications she’d need for higher education and to further her studies.

She said: “I didn’t always believe in myself, but my teachers did. I found the course really hard at times. I didn’t think I’d get anywhere, but they knew I could do it. My teacher, Amy, supported me so much.”

Keisha has chosen her university course because she really enjoys “anything maths and science”.

She added: “I don’t know what I want to do once I’ve got my data science qualification, but I’m excited to do the course and see where it leads me.”