A six-year-old girl from Chadwell Heath has passed her GCSE maths exam.

Deborah Thorpe takes extra lessons on Saturdays and is not allowed to watch television after school from Monday to Thursday so that she concentrates on her studies.

She turned six last month and so was only five when she actually sat her GCSE, an exam normally taken by 16-year-olds.

Her father Charles Thorpe, 44, said: “We thought we might as well just give it a go. You see young people in the newspapers who have taken exams and you think, why not?

“I wouldn’t say maths is her favourite subject, but when she says she wants to be a doctor I tell her that she must be very good at science and maths.

“We want her to be outstanding and exceptional in every way.”

The mental health support officer does not believe that his daughter is too young to cope with exams.

He said: “I wouldn’t say that she is too young. Presidents of the world used to be old and now they are middle-aged. The younger generations are taking over now.

“We don’t stress her out, telling her ‘you’ve got to do this’.”

Deborah, who achieved an E grade in her GCSE, said she is not sure if she wants to take any more exams next year but wants to become a doctor when she grows up.