THE future looks bright for six pupils at Bury Grammar School who have been offered places at the country's top two universities.

The four girls and two boys are now busy working towards their A-levels to achieve the grades required for the courses in Oxford or Cambridge.

Hoping for a move to Oxford are 18-year-olds Kathryn Hernandez and Nichola Leach, who want to read law and geography respectively.

The girls wishing to attend Cambridge are architecture hopeful Fiona Dickinson (17) and Charlotte Maher (18), who hopes to study social and political sciences.

Their success in receiving offers from the universities has been praised by headteacher, Mrs Bobby Georghiou.

She said: "I am delighted that four of our very deserving students have won their condiitonal places at Oxford and Cambridge universities. All four have very bright minds, as you would expect, but they also have intellectual curiosity, can work exceptionally hard and enjoy the challenge. Each one has been challenged by their teachers at Bury Grammar School Girls to work well beyond A-level and I am sure they will achieve highly at university."

School captain Matthew Trafford (18) and Jack Spellacy (17) are also hoping to attend Cambridge to study law and maths with physics.

The Reverend Steven Harvey, head of the boys' school, said: "Places on both courses are highly competitive and these offers reflect very well indeed on the intellectual ability of the boys and on the quality of teaching which they have received. We are very proud of them for receiving these offers and we wish them well as they complete their studies at Bury Grammar School Boys."