June 12th 2024.
Last year, the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, visited a school in Boston, England. As he bids to remain in his position at the upcoming General Election, Sunak is making sure to connect with the people and prove himself as one of them. In a recent interview with ITV, he shared that his parents made sacrifices to pay for his education at the prestigious Winchester College, including giving up luxuries like a Sky TV subscription. This was a decision that Sunak fully understands and supports, saying, "There'll be all sorts of things that I would've wanted as a kid that I couldn't have...Famously, Sky TV, so that was something that we never had growing up actually."
According to Tatler, Sunak's parents chose to take on the high fees of Winchester College themselves, after he missed out on a scholarship. But what was his upbringing really like? Let's take a closer look.
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But let's get back to Rishi Sunak and his background as a young person. Where did he go to school? Well, he attended a private preparatory school called Oakmount in his hometown of Southampton. However, when the school closed down in 1989, Sunak moved to Stroud School in Hampshire. According to a 2020 biography titled "Going For Broke: The Rise of Rishi Sunak," he was the head boy at Stroud, as well as the captain of the cricket team and a fan of football, hockey, and athletics. Today, Stroud School is a non-selective co-educational school for children ages three to 13, and is known as the preparatory school for King Edward VI School in Southampton.
In the early 1990s, Sunak attended Winchester College, a prestigious public school in Hampshire. As of 2021, the annual cost of attending this school is over £33,000 for boarding students and over £38,000 for day students. However, it is not clear how much it would have cost three decades ago when Sunak attended. After Winchester, Sunak went on to study at Stanford University in California, where he earned a Masters degree in Business Administration as a Fulbright Scholar.
In an interview with Sky News in April 2022, Sunak spoke about his time at Winchester College, saying, "It was an amazing opportunity...it was something that was really extraordinary. It certainly put my life on a different trajectory...it's part of the reason I'm sitting here. I'm really grateful. I look back on that time, it's helped make me who I am as a person. I'm sure it helps me do the job [of Chancellor] in the way I do it." It was also revealed that Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murthy, had donated over £100,000 to the school at that time.
During leadership debates in July and August, Sunak also mentioned his background and education, stating, "My parents were part of an immigrant family that came here...They didn't start with very much, but they worked day and night, saved and sacrificed to provide a better future for their three children. And I am nothing but enormously grateful for everything that they did for me. I'm certainly not going to apologize for the fact that they worked hard, and they aspired to do that for their kids." On his website, Sunak adds, "My parents sacrificed a great deal so I could attend good schools...I was lucky to study at Winchester College, Oxford University and Stanford University. That experience changed my life and as a result I am passionate about ensuring everybody has access to a great education."
So there you have it, a closer look at Rishi Sunak's upbringing and education. Stay tuned for more updates on the General Election on our live blog. And if you're curious about other Prime Ministers, check out our article on how many Prime Ministers the UK has had. And while we're on the topic of Sunak's background, don't miss out on our article about his parents and their life raising their three children. Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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