THE family of a boy who died following a road accident have heard he passed four of his GCSEs.

Matthew Peter Jones, 15, died the day after the crash in Overpool Road, Ellesmere Port, in July.

The Sutton High School pupil had sat five GCSE subjects earlier this summer. And when the results were announced last week, the Pioneer was able to tell his family he had passed four of them.

He got a GCSE in maths, one in English, and two others in a double science award.

His mother Catherine Pleavin, of Acre Road in Little Sutton, thanked us for breaking the news.

She received confirmation of the results in the post from the school the day after they were released.

Miss Pleavin said: 'I really wanted to know how he'd done in his exams, so I'm glad the Pioneer told me.

'I'm very proud of Matthew's achievement. He did really well to get four out of five.'

Shortly before his death Matthew had started an education and employment course with the YMCA.

Miss Pleavin said: 'He'd been there three or four weeks, although he didn't have a particular profession in mind. He was just going to see how things developed.

'But Matthew also had a lovely dream - he wanted to play for Everton Football Club.'

Her ex-husband, Matthew's father Martin Jones, who lives in Little Sutton with new wife Nikki, said: 'I am very proud of my son.'

Matthew died in the Countess of Chester Hospital the day after the one-vehicle car crash outside Whitby High School.

His friend Craig Boulton, 18, of Deerwood Crescent, Little Sutton, died at the scene. Two friends who were passengers were injured.

Last week Matthew's family handed a cheque for £502.15 to the hospital's intensive care unit, where he was treated after the smash. The money, collected at his funeral, will go toward an infusion pump for the ward.