Hasan Patel secured the place after a gruelling three-day assessment that included three entrance exams and seven interviews โ now he has the GCSE grades to secure it.
โI am a boy from a Leyton council estate who receives free school meals. My parents are on welfare and I share a room with my brothers.
โMy dad was very smart and politically engaged but lived in abject poverty in India.
โThe students at Eton are from the most privileged corners of society, we could not be any more different.
โMy views may be different to them because my life experiences are very different.
โI think that is what impressed Eton, they wanted someone who could offer a different perspective.
โEton is a place where they encourage debate, I genuinely believe I can offer something to the school.
โThis opportunity will allow me to return to my community better armed to tackle the many social problems we face.
โIโve been called a โchampagne socialistโ because Iโve been offered a scholarship to Eton, but Iโm Muslim and most of us donโt drink and my free school meals donโt serve champagne.โ
He said,
โI was really nervous this morning when I came to get my results but it turns out there was nothing to be stressed about,โ Hasan Patel, 16, said.
โIโm just really happy to have got intoย Eton.โ
To confirm his placeย at the prestigious schoolย once attended by the likes of Princes William and Harry, he had to score grades 7 and above in his GCSEs.
He got three 9s, three 8s and three 7s in his exams, the equivalent of A or A* under the old system.
Your boy from Leyton is going Eton college. I got the grades I needed and Iโm happy. If you canโt be happy for me please stay off my Twitter and moan somewhere else!
โ Hasan Patel ๐น (@CorbynistaTeen) August 22, 2019
George Mitchell Headteacher Saeed Hussain said: โWe are so proud of Hasan and what he has achieved. He has knuckled down and got the grades required to secure his place at Eton.
โThis is an extremely talented, extremely bright young man with a huge future. He is a shining example to all young people that no matter your background, with the right support, there are no limitations.โ
Hasanโs dad Abdul said: โI never thought when I left India in 1972 that my son would end up going to the same school that the English royalty have been to.
โAll of his family are so incredibly proud of him and what he has achieved.
โWe will miss him when he goes to Eton but going to this school will make a big difference to his future.
โWe want him to go to Oxford or Cambridge. Being at Eton he will have a very good chance.
โHe was always a very smart boy even when he was very young. At primary school he was the top of the class.
โWhen I was his age, I was the same. In India I was very engaged in politics, that was a long time ago now though.
โI guess you can say he gets it from me but he is also gone to a very good school which has encouraged him.
โIf it was not for his headteacher Mr Hussain he would not have got the opportunity.โ
Reported from Mirror
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Written by
Ustadha Fahmina holds a Sanad in Alimiyyah (6-year Dars-e-Nizami) from two recognized Islamic institutes and a Master's degree in Arabic from Indira Gandhi National University. She teaches Qur'an, Tafsir, Hadith, and Fiqh following the Hanafi school within Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama'ah. She founded Islam Hashtag in 2015 to bring authentic Islamic learning to Muslim families online. She also holds a degree in Optometry and is the founder of Optometryskills.com.
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Masha Allah Saeed ,Allah SWA give you a good chance because of your hard work , your parents supporting the day you born until today… etc. + the headteacher. As a mum I’ll make for you due Allah SWA to look after you make sure before everything remember Allah will help you more In’sha’Allah.