An Old Buckenham High School pupil is celebrating after receiving an A-grade pass to become a paratrooper with the British Army.Months of hard work paid off for 16-year-old Alex Palmer who received the top grade after a gruelling physical and psychological selection process.

An Old Buckenham High School pupil is celebrating after receiving an A-grade pass to become a paratrooper with the British Army.

Months of hard work paid off for 16-year-old Alex Palmer who received the top grade after a gruelling physical and psychological selection process.

Sgt Major John Richmond and Sgt Paul King visited the school on Monday to speak to the pupils and present the certificate during the Year 11s final assembly.

The Old Buckenham student passed a psychometric test, medical, course to test physical and mental ability, and formal interview. He was then sent to the Army Development Selection Centre training camp for a gruelling two days and night where he underwent a full medical, upper body strength test, team tasks, memory tests and a final interview.

The A-grade army student will start his training in September at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate where he will spend 12 months learning team leadership and IT skills and doing adventure sports training and basic training.

After this he will move to Catterick for 14 weeks infantry training and four weeks of parachute jumps at Brize Norton before joining one of the three battalions based in either Wales or Essex.

Sgt Major John Richmond said Alex 'impressed us at every step'. Sgt Paul King added: 'If every recruit was this good we would have a very easy job!'