A FORMER Thomas Keble student and chairman of Stroud District Youth Council is going to Oxford University.

Tom Schaffner, 18, found out today that he was bound for Oxford where the aspiring politician will study philosophy, politics and economics.

The chairman of Stroud District Youth Council for the past year, working alongside elected members to develop policies for youngsters, Tom has developed a passion for politics.

After studying at Thomas Keble in Stroud he went on to continue his studies at Cirencester Sixth Form College – from which he will now depart for Oxford University.

He is among a record seven students who secured places at Oxbridge – Oxford and Cambridge universities – after achieving high results.

“I would like to congratulate our students on another year of outstanding results,” said Cirencester college principal Jim Grant.

“This has been the first year of the new linear A-levels, which have shown a massive increase in retention and achievement rates over the two year linear A-level compared to the same subjects in non-linear years.

“We wish all our students every success in their futures, and based on last year’s graduating students of whom over 81 per cent gained first class or upper second class honours, they can be confident about this.”

The Stroud District Youth Council (SDYC) was founded in 2000 by Stroud District Council in order to give a democratic voice to the young people (11 to 18 years) in Stroud district who had an opinion but no means by which to express it.