A REFUGEE whose family fled to Derby to escape the war in Bosnia has clinched a place at Oxford after getting top grades in his A-levels.

Sanel Susak moved to the UK, aged five, with his mother to escape the Bosnian War, in which more than 100,000 died.

He could not speak a word of English and had to learn the language using tapes and books bought by his mother, Enisa.

Now, the 18-year-old Landau Forte College student has won the first scholarship offered by London law firm Bird and Bird and will study law at Oxford.

Sanel said: "One of my earliest memories is sitting in a classroom and being told off by the teacher, but not understanding a word."

Bird and Bird's scholarship includes the firm sponsoring him for £2,500 per year.

"When I opened the results envelope yesterday, I was absolutely overjoyed. I needed the grades to get in," said Sanel.

Head teacher Stephen Whiteley said Sanel's success was a fitting reward for the youngster's hard work.

He said: "It's a remarkable story. Not only has he succeeded on an academic level, he has made a major and lasting contribution to the college."

Sanel was one of more than 12,000 young people across Derbyshire collecting their A-level results yesterday.

At the University of Derby, a record number of calls on the clearing hotline led to all but a handful of its available degree course places being filled.

The university has also seen a record number of A-level students getting the right grades to take up their places.

Just a few places remain in technology, despite the university having taken on an extra 143 places to fill in vocational subjects.

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