QE pupil Kalil Rouse won a London-wide award after achieving 11A* grades and 1A in his GCSEs.
Kalil, 16, was presented with the London Schools and the Black Child award for outstanding GCSE achievement in a ceremony at the House of Commons. He had been one of three boys shortlisted for the award and only found out he had won the top prize at the ceremony. He was presented with his award by Meg Hillier, MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch.
Kalil is an accomplished chorister and instrumental musician, having attained Grade 7 on trumpet. He has also received numerous awards for rugby.
Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, organised the awards, which are now in their second year, to counter negative black stereotypes in the media. “I wanted to show that there are young people out there who are doing amazing things,” she said. “Britain is brilliant in how well everyone gets along together, but it is very important to counteract what you see in the media."
Kalil said: "I was speechless for about ten seconds when I heard. But I worked hard for it.
His father, Don Rouse, Kalil's father, said the awards help dispel “prejudice and negativity”. He added: "We need to get rid of the idea that black boys are just going to hang around on street corners and mug people, which has been embedded for many years."