Two genius homeschooled brothers get top GCSE results five years early

A pair of brothers who are homeschooled have made their family proud by achieving impressive GCSE results, five years earlier than scheduled.

Zaviel and Rafayel Latif, aged 12 and 14, live in Lombard Road, Battersea, and attained the remarkable grades in exams that are typically sat by 16 year olds.

Zaviel achieved the highest mark, Grade 5, in foundation GCSE maths when he was just nine. This year he achieved Grade 8 in higher maths, Grade 7 in further maths, and Grade 6 in physics at the remarkable age of 12.

Zaviel said: “I have always loved maths, and homeschooling has allowed me to go deep into the subject which I wouldn’t have been able to at normal school. 

“I like having the choice to decide what I want to learn and I also don’t miss school lunches.”

Rafayel achieved his Grade 5 in foundation GCSE maths at the age of 11. He then went on to a Grade 8 in GCSE physics, higher maths and chemistry at the impressive age of 13.

Rafayel said: “I love coding, maths and science and am super excited to be now studying for my A-levels.

“I have enjoyed having lots of free time to explore my interests learning about rockets, building model rockets and designing things on my 3D printer.

“I love coding games at the moment and would like to be an engineer or computer scientist possibly although this may change.”

But Rafayel’s accomplishments do not stop there. He has actively participated for the Inner London Borough Cricket Middlesex team at both the U10 and U12 age groups.

In the span of under three years, he transitioned from not being able to read music to successfully passing Grade 5 piano.

At the age of 13, he achieved the remarkable feat of coding his first game on Roblox.

Zain Latif, father of the two boys, said: “My own homeschooling experience allowed me to have a more flexible approach to education and my wife and I were aligned in ensuring our children could develop at their own pace in their own time.

“Though Rafayel and Zaviel were both enrolled in formal schooling up until 2019, giving them the space to develop has been incredibly rewarding from a holistic perspective given how much they are involved in sports particularly cricket, taekwando and tennis.”

Their mother, Isha Doshi, said: “My brother was homeschooled for a period as was my husband and his brothers so I was very aware of the benefits and efficiency.

“The boys start their school day around 8.30am each morning and are done most days before 2pm, and this includes loads of breaks and lunch.

“This leaves them with ample time to pursue outside interests – Rafayel spends hours coding and playing the piano, while Zaviel can’t get enough of history documentaries.”

Pictured top: From left, Zaviel and Rafayel outside the exam centre where they sat GCSE foundation maths (Picture: Family handout)