Acharacle’s budding legal eagle Charlie set to soar at Oxford
THERE was much delight among teachers and staff of Ardnamurchan high and Acharacle primary schools this summer when former pupil Charlie-Anne Pleming gained entry to the prestigious University of Oxford.
Charlie, 18, is the first pupil from either the primary or secondary schools to be offered a place at Oxford, where she will read for a law degree at Lady Margaret Hall next month.
Charlie, her family and former teachers are over the moon at her acceptance to study at the famous university.
‘I’ve always wanted to study law and to get the chance to do that at Oxford is amazing. I wasn’t expecting it,’ said Charlie, who already had an unconditional offer to study law at Edinburgh University before her exam results this summer secured her a place at Oxford.
Mum Jackie and dad Peter are delighted their daughter has done so well. ‘It’s been a highly stressful year for Charlie with all the studying she had to do. But she has always been very focused when it comes to something she wants,’ Jackie, who works part-time at Acharacle Primary School, told The Lochaber Times this week.
‘She just set her mind to go for it and now she’ll soon be off to Oxford University. It’s a fantastic achievement and we are all very proud of her.’
In June, as her secondary school career drew to a close, Charlie was honoured with the Lochaber Housing Award for Academic Excellence at a special pupil assembly. She was also the recipient of the Rotary Club of Lochaber Prize for Endeavour.
Despite her excitement, she admits to being a little nervous about the move south. ‘I’m a little bit anxious about moving, but also very excited and looking forward to it. The nice thing is I only have to be away for two months at a time,’ Charlie added. Speaking this week, a member of staff at Acharacle primary school said everyone at the school was thrilled for Charlie and Ardnamurchan high head teacher Christopher Millar-Craig commented: ‘We are obviously all so delighted for Charlie. She worked very hard and has done extremely well, getting three straight ‘As’. She is also a very good Gaelic speaker. She has a lot of good background skills.’
As for her future plans after her time at the university, which was immortalised in Evelyn Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited and the 1980s television series of the same name, Charlie hopes to practise human rights law.
‘That’s what I’d really like to do, but I am well aware you don’t always get to do what you want right away and have to work towards it,’ she said.