A talented 11-year-old student has surpassed expectations after winning a full scholarship at one of the UK's top girl's boarding schools.
 
Ishal Mahmud from Portsmouth has won a full scholarship to join St Swithun's School in Winchester this term.

As well as excelling academically, Ishal is the first and only Muslim organist in the country and an active member of the Royal College of Organist.

Ishal was also a chorister at Portsmouth Cathedral and will be joining Winchester Cathedral Choir and is also a member of the Royal School of Church Music.

Ishal's mother Momtaj  said, "I am a disabled mother of two and my husband is a taxi driver.

"We have tried to do whatever we can to support our child in her aspirations and we are so proud of all her achievements. 

"It has not been an easy journey for Ishal but no barrier has been able to halt my daughter, which resulted in many people giving her the nickname 'the British Malala.'

"Coming from an underprivileged and disadvantaged background this is a huge achievement for anyone from our family or our community. 
 
"It was a tough decision to send my daughter off to a boarding school, especial coming from a Muslim community where it is heavily frowned upon. 

"But we knew our daughter's education, performing arts and sports interests will be best served by St Swithun's School. 

"As a disabled person it was never going to be sustainable to continue supporting my child in all her activities.

"Furthermore, as an Asian woman I know how difficult it was for me to aspire to higher education and I could not let my daughter share the same struggles."

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Ishal, who was recently invited to become a member of Mensa after scoring in the top 1% of the population said,

"Being part of St Swithun's is a dream come true. I have always had a calling to attend a boarding school as it would give me the all the opportunities I so much desire from a full and enriched life. 

"I cannot wait to get stuck in and expand my academic wings.

"Although I have so much to learn and discover in this world before I settle on a career path, my dream is to become a successful lawyer in the future. 

"Law, for me, is an essential element in maintaining a world of order and justice.

"Through my travels I have seen how different legal systems can impact lives and through my history studies I have seen how cruel the world can become when we go astray from law and order. 

"One of my favourite books to date is The Diary of Anne Frank, which took me into the life of a little girl who was a victim of one of the greatest injustices in the world, the Holocaust. 

"During my travels in Israel I toured the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial where I was just old enough to see the true level of evil that humanity can reach.

"I want to be a defender of law because, like Anne Frank said, 'In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart'. "