WELL DONE: Klaudia Suchowak is pictured using Braille and the numeracy device she uses to learn maths. - Picture: Phil Radcliffe

A POLISH teenager who moved to Britain in the hope of finding a cure for her blindness is celebrating success in her GCSEs.

 Klaudia Suchowak’s academic achievements are all the more remarkable because she only began studying at Newcastle’s St John Fisher Catholic College in January.

 She was entered for some exams a few months later and has now gained a C in maths and an A in Polish.

 The 16-year-old, who lives in Cross Heath, said today: “I’m very glad I got these results. I think I will do more GCSEs next year.”

 Despite her age, Klaudia was placed in Year 10 at the school because she had joined part-way through the year.

 She now has a head start on her classmates, who will be doing their exams next summer.

 St John Fisher uses an embossing machine to convert worksheets, notes and homework into Braille.

 She also receives support from specialists at Staffordshire County Council and a learning support assistant.

 The school has provided extra tuition in English too.

 Klaudia, who arrived in Staffordshire in June last year, said: “At school, I do the same things that the class is doing.

 ”But they give me information in Braille and I also have a laptop in most lessons. I use a talking program on the computer.

 ”In the maths exam, I had two Braille machines. One was for the exam paper and other was for my notes.”

 Klaudia has had sight problems all her life.

 She was born prematurely and suffered damage to her retinas.

 ”I am not totally blind. I can see light and shade,” she said.

 In Poland, the education system is much less inclusive and blind pupils are generally sent to special schools.

 Klaudia’s mother, Anna Slowik, aged 35, said: “She was in a special school 250 kilometres from our home there. She would come home every two weeks for a weekend.

 ”We thought we could be together all the time as a family if we came to England. Here, you can go to a school near home.

 ”We also moved here because we had this dream of Klaudia being able to have an operation on her eyes so she can see. It’s not possible to have this in Poland.”

 It is still too early to know if the operation can be carried out in England, and whether it would be on the NHS.

But Klaudia said: “I can’t wait to have it.”

 After the teenager arrived in Staffordshire, she initially tried to get a place at Newcastle College.

But the college advised her to go to a high school because of her age.

 It took months to find a school which would offer her a place.

 In the meantime, she received home tuition.

 The family picked St John Fisher partly because of their Catholic faith and also because of its reputation for languages.

 Klaudia is one of several pupils to sit a Polish GCSE there this summer.

She said: “I like the school and my friends.

 ”The teachers are also very nice.”

 Staff quickly recognised Klaudia was very good at maths and suggested she work towards the GCSE.

 She did not have Polish lessons, but took the exam in the subject.

 Janette Bissell, the school’s key stage four co-ordinator, said: “Klaudia has done fantastically well.”

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