Place at Oxford for the son of refugees

EDI Rama, the son of Kosovan refugees, left his family in tears after gaining three A*s and winning a place at Oxford University.

The 18-year-old student at Newham Collegiate Sixth Form, East Ham, east London, will read maths at Corpus Christi college in September.

It is a far cry from the Balkan war zone his painter and decorator father, Arsim, 48, and receptionist mother Gezime, 42, escaped from in the mid-1990s.

They fled the ethnic violence that spiralled out of control as the former Yugoslavia broke apart.

His parents were the first people Edi ( pictured) called after discovering he had scored top grades in his maths, further maths and chemistry A-levels.

He said: ‘When I told them how well I had done they were both in tears.

‘It means so much to them that their son has done well in this country. They are so grateful for everything this country has given us. If they had not left Kosovo and been caught up in the fighting, chances they would not have lived long enough to have children, let alone have one going to the best university in the world.’