From Newham to Eton: Ethiopian migrant’s son lands PPE scholarship

The schoolboy son of an Ethiopian immigrant from one of London’s poorest boroughs is to follow in the footsteps of David Cameron and 18 other British prime ministers after winning a prestigious place at Eton.

Ishak Ayiris, 15, will swap an impoverished East End council estate in Newham for the hallowed halls of the world-famous public school after winning a two-year scholarship.

He will rub shoulders with the elite when he takes his place at the Windsor establishment to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics next September.

Ishak, from Forest Gate Community School, used money from the Pupil Premium — a Government scheme that gives schools extra money to encourage hard-up children — to help him win the two-year scholarship after impressing during a series of rigorous interviews at Eton.

He said: “Leaving will be hard for my family, not so much for me. Windsor is much quieter than Newham. Newham is loud, vibrant.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for me. It will be very different because the people I have grown up with in Newham and at Forest Gate school don’t have the same background as the people I will mix with at Eton.”

Ishak added: “When my dad found out he said he had two dreams in his life... coming to England and for his son to go to the same school as the Prime Minister. Both of these dreams have come true. So, yes, you could say he is proud.”

The youngster has now set his sights on going on to a place at Oxford University and then a career in politics. He said: “Drugs and crime have a big impact on our community here in Newham.

“My parents are helped out by state support and benefits. But I see Newham as my home. I want to live here for the rest of my life. I want to go and get the best education I can and come back and improve it.

“The people who live here, who were born here, know the problems and they are the best people to solve them.”

Ishak also credits his head teacher, Simon Elliot, for giving him the confidence to apply to Eton.

Mr Elliot said: “There is a great deal of extreme poverty in this area, but the Pupil Premium has given boys opportunities they might not have had.”