Teen who cared for mum in council flat has No10 in sights after acing Eton
A teenager who was a carer for his mum in their council flat has become an old Etonian — and has designs on Number 10.
Ilyan Benamor, 18, is headed to university after landing three As at A-level at the prestigious school, where he was funded by an £80,000 scholarship.
He joins Princes William and Harry and politicians including David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Harold Macmillan on the alumni roll.
The aspiring journalist overcame a disadvantaged background and grief at the loss of a close friend, Raphaël Pryor, to thrive at the college.
He is due to study politics at the University of Warwick later this month, with a view to entering journalism and then politics.
He has taken out loans to cover his tuition and maintenance fees and has been given a small grant by Eton towards his degree.
‘The last year at Eton was the most fun, because it’s when you get put in charge of the societies and the lads in my house grew really close and went on a trip together,’ Ilyan said.
‘I had a few tough moments; there was a really traumatic experience when one of the boys in my group suddenly had a heart attack and passed away.
‘It was someone I’d been good friends with over a year and a bit and it shook me up. He was a couple of months from taking his A-levels and it was really unfortunate. I really felt the grief but also the love and care at Eton.’
Ilyan’s mum, Lalia Chikhaoui, fled war-torn Algeria before he was born.
She was diagnosed with cancer when he was aged just nine and he became her sole carer at their home in east London.
Ilyan nevertheless fitted in his homework at Forest Gate Community School, landing four nines, the equivalent of A stars, in English Literature, French, Business and RE.
Laila overcame cancer but now suffers from a debilitating condition called Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), which means she struggles with her mobility and sometimes needs to use a wheelchair or walker.
Ilyan started at Eton on means far removed from those of families who can afford the independent boarding school’s £52,749-a-year fees.
‘At first I felt a level of disconnect in the way I spoke and the way I look, as I was the only person of my heritage and background at the school,’ he said.
‘But then it starts to seep in and you become an Etonian.
‘I did make friends with other students who were on bursaries because we had that connection, but my best friend has a huge house in Richmond and had a completely different upbringing. I got to meet a lot of cool people and make a lot of good friends from different backgrounds.’
Ilyan got the As he needed in each of Politics, English Literature and French to secure his offer at Warwick.
His extra-curricular interests at Eton included belonging to the Middle East and North African, Francophone, Feminism, LGBTQ, Disability Awareness and Journalism societies.
In light-hearted end of school awards he was voted ‘least likely to give a talk about being an Old Etonian’ due to his left-wing leanings.
Ilyan missed out on the ‘most likely to be prime minister’ prize but he has eyes for the top job and a desire to address inequalities in society based on lived experience of the gulf between the state and private school systems.
‘Politics is something I’m very passionate about,’ he said.
‘Political journalism interests me and I’d like to take the Boris Johnson route into actual politics.
‘Becoming prime minister is the be all and end all goal, as I’d like to make a difference to society in general and to people like me who want to make the most of the incredible opportunities that are out there.’
Ilyan is currently at home in Stratford, where he is no longer the sole carer for his mum.
‘There are family who help out and my mum’s been working so hard to need less and less care,’ he said.
‘We have a bunch of support systems in place, like an alarm in her room and family who can always come round.
‘When I’m away there are digital tips and tricks she can use to help herself in certain situations, as FND gives her mini-seizures or completely paralyses certain parts of her body.
‘It’s a rare condition which is not well researched unfortunately.
‘She’s made a lot of sacrifices for me and I want to make her proud.’
Ilyan shared his story as education charity the Sutton Trust warned that ‘stubbornly wide access gaps remain’ despite more young people going to university.
Chief executive Nick Harrison said: ‘The parts of the country which have previously seen fewer pupils go to university are falling even further behind other areas.
‘This gap has increased since last year and is now higher than a decade ago. Urgent action is needed to tackle this.’
Labour has pledged to reform the tuition fees system and ‘press on’ with Tony Blair’s target for 50% of young people to go to university.
The party wants to ‘ensure that the ambition for any young person to pursue higher education, regardless of background or geography, is realised.’
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