GRANDMOTHER Elizabeth Lally has finally proved her old school wrong by earning herself a degree of success with an MA in history.

The 58-year-old was told she had no academic potential when she was at school but has now added a masters degree to the Open University BA she gained when her own children were small.

Elizabeth, a staff nurse on the Cottage Ward at the Princess of Wales Community Hospital, in Stourbridge Road, Bromsgrove, studied for three years and did her final dissertation on the founding of the Worcestershire Rural Constabulary in 1839.

It earned her a distinction and Elizabeth, of Broome Close, Stoney Hill, now plans to go on to study for a Ph.D. by researching 19th century Worcestershire social history.

The subject is close to her heart because during the 1980s she worked as a curator at the West Mercia Police Museum.

She picked up her degree from Betty Boothroyd, former Speaker of the House of Commons and Chancellor of the Open University, in a ceremony at Birmingham Symphony Hall.

Elizabeth, a married mum-of-three, said the Open University had given her a wonderful opportunity to prove her old school wrong.

"I would recommend it to anyone," she said. "You need lots of support from your family but it's well worth the effort."