A seven-year-old boy has become the youngest pupil to pass a higher level GCSE exam.

Nirav Gathani has received a grade B for his information systems exam, after studying for four hours a week at a private college in Watford, Hertfordshire.

It is the second time in two years that students from Ryde College have made GCSE history.

Last year, six-year-old Krishan Radia became the youngest person to pass a GCSE, after gaining a C grade in the foundation level of the same computing exam sat this year by Nirav.

Next year, pupils as young as five are set to be entered for the exam by the college.

'Mum took notes'

Nirav, who opened his result envelope on live television on Thursday, said: "The first paper was OK, but the second was harder.

"My mum sat in on the lessons with me to take notes because the teacher was going quite fast."

Harsha Gathani: "I'm very proud"

His mother Harsha, 32, a fund accountant for an insurance company, burst into tears when she discovered Nirav had passed the exam.

"He has done extremely well. I'm very proud of him. It's all through hard work, pure dedication, and he's loved it, every minute of it.

"Nirav has thoroughly enjoyed learning about computers. It started when I took him to do a summer course at the college and he carried on from there.

'Hardest paper'

"He is a normal boy who also loves playing football and is on his PlayStation all the time."

College Managing Director Michael Ryde said: "It's fabulous, it's absolutely fantastic. He did a higher tier paper which is the hardest paper you can do at GCSE. Nobody else has ever done so well at such a young age."

Nirav, who is being taken to Disneyland in Paris on Friday by his mother as a reward, wants to join the Royal Navy when he grows up so he can travel the world.