FROM their early childhood Peter and Ally Schofield have battled with almost total deafness.

Their mother had to fight to get them into a special school in Newbury - even enlisting the help of Harrod's owner Mohammed Al-Fayed - after county education chiefs refused to pay.

But now the Bussage family is celebrating after both students scored high in their A-level and GCSE exams.

"I am so proud - we are absolutely delighted," said mum Valerie. "I always knew they were capable of getting good grades but it has been an uphill struggle."

Six years ago, the SNJ reported Valerie's battle to get Peter, now 18, into the Mary Hare School in Newbury - a specialist boarding school for deaf children.

Even after two tribunals, Gloucestershire's Local Education Authority refused to pay for IT whizz Peter to attend - leading her to write in desperation to Egyptian millionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed, who has since funded his education.

And it took another tribunal to get 16-year-old Ally, who bravely struggled in a mainstream secondary school for three years, to the centre as well.

"It was quite a relief to go there," said Ally, who got one A, two Bs and seven Cs in her GCSEs and wants to become a nurse.

"Teachers in mainstream schools don't know how to teach a deaf person, so they are always turning to face the board when they are speaking.

"I didn't really have many friends and I struggled to keep up with my work."

Peter, who started programming computers when he was eight, achieved an A in IT at A-level and two Ds.

He is to study computer science at the University of Lancashire, Preston, this month.

"I was hoping to get two Cs rather than two Ds," he said.

"But if I had had to stay in a mainstream school I probably wouldn't have bothered with A-levels at all."

Despite his computing talents, Peter is keen to work with animals and wants to become a park ranger after visiting a South African game reserve.

In keeping with thousands of other families around the country, the Schofields had a family meal out to celebrate the results.

But for this family the achievement was even greater.