There is no doubt that life has been cruel to A-level student Kirsty Oldfield. The 17-year-old was orphaned in January of this year - her father dying eight months after her mother - and her dream of going to university hung by a thread because she did not have enough money to feed, clothe and house herself while studying.

Then this hard-working young woman, who had been surviving on her part-time earnings as a waitress and a meagre grant of just £30, was told by benefits staff the only way she would qualify for more was if she got pregnant.

Not many people, let alone teenagers, would battle against such adversity with the tenacity Kirsty has shown.

It is particularly heart-warming that her plight has been recognised by so many people, both locally and around the world. In less than a week, more than £40,000 has been pledged by well-wishers - many of them pensioners sending in £5 and £10 donations - who have been moved by the, frankly, disgraceful situation she finds herself in.

Gathering that amount of money in such a short space of time is amazing but the one individual who doesn't appear to have seen fit to respond quickly is Schools Secretary Ed Balls, who probably has more power than most to rectify this situation.

The generosity of her supporters will mean that, for now, Kirsty's story will have a happy ending in that she will be able to continue her education. But Mr Balls and his Government colleagues need to take urgent steps to ensure no other young people find themselves in such a predicament and are failed before their lives have even really begun.