A student who swapped life in a tough part of London blighted by knife crime for one of Britain's leading independent schools as part of a pioneering experiment today clinched a place at Cambridge University.

George Weller, 18, achieved grade As in all four of his A-levels at Brighton College to see him gain a place reading natural sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

The teenager has become the first pupil from Kingsford Community School in Beckton, east London, to win a place at Oxbridge after being among the first tranche of pupils to come through the scheme run in conjunction with Brighton College.

During his time at Kingsford, three fellow pupils were murdered in knife crime incidents but George, who comes from a single-parent family, decided to forge a new life on the East Sussex coast.

Along with 11 pupils from Kingsford, George had to give a presentation to Brighton College explaining why he wanted to study in their sixth form before the 11 were whittled down.

George, whose mother and father are both unemployed, eventually won a place and studied A-levels in biology, chemistry, maths and further maths. He gained five A*s and six A grades at GCSE at Kingsford.

He returned to his former school in London last month, where he spoke to pupils about his story and urged them to believe in themselves to achieve their ambitions.

Brighton College headmaster Richard Cairns said today: "We always knew that with the right support and encouragement, George would flourish.

"He has been an outstanding pupil, not only academically, but in every part of school life. He is a popular and enthusiastic young man who will go far.

"Most importantly, George has demonstrated that the sky is the limit for every child in east London. With the right support, any child can achieve more than they ever thought."