Wheelchair bound Jessica Soanes, who attends Sherborne School for Girls boarding school, has excelled in her GCSE results with two A*s, six As and a C. Jess has Arnold Chiari Malformation, a condition which means she is frequently in a lot of pain, resulting in a lot of time out of school, this year in particular. Not letting her condition hold her back, Jess is regularly leading fundraising projects in school, competing in a range of wheelchair athletic events including the London mini-marathon, and last year she took the John Muir outdoor award and went camping, canoeing and on an environmental project with a number of other girls. This September, as she goes into year 12, she has been nominated to be the Head of House in her boarding home. “She really is a true inspiration to others”, said headmistress Jenny Dwyer.