St Benedict's School, usually referred to as St Benedict's, is a British co-educational,
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
day school
A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...
for pupils aged 3-18 situated in
Ealing
Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...
, West London. A
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
school, it accepts and educates pupils of all faiths.
History
Foundation
St Benedict's School, Ealing was established following the arrival of Benedictine monks from
Downside Abbey
Downside Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in England and the senior community of the English Benedictine Congregation. Until 2019, the community had close links with Downside School, for the education of children aged 11 to 18. Both the abbey ...
into
Ealing
Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...
in 1897 to found the first
Benedictine Abbey in London since the Reformation. Under the leadership of Sebastian Cave, Ealing Priory School opened on 2 October 1902 with three boys enrolled, following a foundational £5 donation which later featured in the school’s first Priorian magazine. Originally a
boys’ school, it was renamed St Benedict’s School in 1948, and ultimately became fully
co-educational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
in 2008.
Location
The school has occupied various premises at various times in its history, firstly in Blakesley Avenue, then taking rooms in the priory in 1904 before moving across to Orchard Dene (which currently houses the junior school) in Montpelier Avenue. In 1906 , about a mile from the main school grounds, in
Perivale
Perivale () is a mainly residential suburban town of Greater London, west of Charing Cross. It is the smallest of the seven towns which make up the London Borough of Ealing.
Perivale is predominately residential, with a library, community ce ...
were purchased to provide a sports ground. By the 1920s Orchard Dene was used for boarders and the school was located in two houses on Eaton Rise. A purpose built school building linking these houses was in use by 1936. During the Second World War pupils were evacuated into the now junior school – boarding ceased – and the abbey church was badly damaged by a bomb on 7 October 1940.
Sex abuse cases
In October 2009, David Pearce, a monk of
Ealing Abbey and former headmaster of the junior school, was jailed for eight years, subsequently reduced to five years, for sexual abuse offences at the school in the period from 1972 to 1992 and for one further offence in 2007 after he had ceased to work in the school.
In March 2011, Laurence Soper, the abbot of Ealing Abbey during the 1990s, was arrested on child abuse charges relating to the period when he was a teacher at, and the
bursar
A bursar (derived from ''wikt:bursa, bursa'', Latin for 'Coin purse, purse') is a professional Administrator of the government, administrator in a school or university often with a predominantly financial role. In the United States, bursars usual ...
of, St Benedict's School; it was reported in October 2011 that he had failed to answer bail and was being sought by the police.
[Father Laurence Soper of Ealing wanted over sex abuse](_blank)
BBC News 14 October 2011 In 2016, he was arrested in Kosovo and extradited to the UK to face trial. In early December 2017, following a 10-week trial at the Old Bailey in central London, Andrew Soper (as he is now known) was found guilty on 19 counts of child sexual abuse including buggery, indecency with a child and indecent assault. He was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment.
Children suffered severe corporal punishment which was often used as a means to initiate sexual abuse or for sexual gratification.
It was claimed that there were daily queues of boys outside the headmaster's study waiting to be caned. A stated that aged 11 he got into trouble in class. The teacher made him kneel in front of the class and continued the whole of the lesson standing on the boy's hands. Jurors at the trial were told about Soper's victims getting sadistic beatings. One survivor said in court, "I have tried countless times to take my own life as I just cannot cope any more."
Following these incidents, and other alleged offences, the Abbot commissioned a report to be prepared by
Alex Carlile, Baron Carlile of Berriew
Alexander Charles Carlile, Baron Carlile of Berriew, (born 12 February 1948) is a British barrister and crossbench member of the House of Lords. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Montgomeryshire from 1983 to 1997 under the banner of the ...
with a view to making recommendations on the school's governance.
As a result of the changes made the
Independent Schools Inspectorate
The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect private schools in England. These schools are members of associations, whi ...
said in its 2013 inspection report that the pastoral care at St Benedict's was excellent.
In October 2011 the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of t ...
ordered its own enquiry into the same matters, to be conducted by then-Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster
John Arnold.
In 2016, Peter Allott, deputy head, and former local
Conservative Party councillor who had worked at the school since 2004 was jailed for 33 months for possession of child abuse images, as well as possession of a class A substance. However, it was made clear by the
CPS that there was no evidence that Allott had abused his position of trust within the school, and no offensive material was found there.
In 2018–19, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) commissioned by the UK Government was investigating any institutional failures to protect children from sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, and the handling of complaints about Catholic schools and specifically relating to investigations at
Ealing Abbey and St Benedict's school. The pope's representative in Britain, archbishop Edward Adams, refused to co-operate with the inquiry.
The school was described as a "grim and beastly place" by the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), and that "a culture of cover-up and denial of sexual abuse operated at Ealing Abbey."
By October 2019, the IICSA had received 18 further allegations against 8 monks and staff, and believed that the true scale of the abuse is "likely to be much higher", than those convicted the report found.
School life
Governance
Since its foundation members of the monastic community at Ealing Abbey have taught at, and provided pastoral, spiritual and educational leadership, within the school. Until the senior school's first
lay headmaster, A.J. Dachs, was appointed in 1987, all headmasters were monks of the abbey. Since 1951 the senior school headmaster has been a member of the
Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), formerly known as the Headmasters' Conference and now branded HMC (The Heads' Conference), is an association of the head teachers of 351 private fee-charging schools (both boarding schools ...
.
Following the recommendations of the
Carlile report (see above) the school, which had been under the trusteeship of the monks of Ealing since its foundation in 1902, became an independent charity in the form of a company limited by guarantee, independent of the Abbey Trust. New governance arrangements, with a lay chairman, came into effect from September 2012.
Student representation and the student council
The
Independent Schools Inspectorate
The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect private schools in England. These schools are members of associations, whi ...
(ISI) recommended the school consider enhancing internal student representation prompting the formation by the school of a school council with its formal powers outlined in its
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
.
Students may run in elections throughout the school, from the third form to the upper fifth with two representatives elected from each year. Sixth form students can run for the offices of student president and chair of the sixth form common room.
The structure of the school council consists of the student president and the student president's chapter. Members are appointed to the chapter by the newly elected student president to represent students in matters regarding food and health, estates and buildings, pastoral and equality, finance and investment, sixth form, upper and middle schools, and the vice president's office. The first codified school council constitution was signed in January 2016 by the student heads of school, student president, school chaplain, headmaster, chair of the sixth form common room, leader of the upper and middle school council and the chair of the school governing body.
Ethos
The school promotes
Catholic Benedictine values through its mission of ''"Teaching a way of living"'', based on the
Rule of St Benedict
The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by Benedict of Nursia, St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.
The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up ...
. Registration sessions are accompanied by prayer, in which pupils participate and sometimes lead. Mass is celebrated weekly in the school chapel or in the
Ealing Abbey, for those staff and pupils who wish to attend. Retreats organized for each year group give time for reflection and for spiritual growth. Trips are organized, for instance to Rome on a study pilgrimage and to Lourdes, where pupils develop their understanding or are able to express their commitment to service.
The
Independent Schools Inspectorate
The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect private schools in England. These schools are members of associations, whi ...
noted in its 2013 report that, at all ages, pupils' personal development is excellent. In line with the Benedictine mission, pupils show respect for themselves, for others and for the world around them, in 'learning how to live'. They enjoy relationships with peers and adults alike and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.
Sport
The main sports for boys are rugby and cricket and for girls netball and hockey. The school is notably good at fencing, producing national and international fencers. Fencing is a main sport for both boys and girls. The school also offers other sports including dance, tennis, swimming, badminton, basketball, volleyball, cross country running, weight-lifting, athletics and boys' hockey. The school, under new headmaster Joe Smith, introduced football as a main sport for boys and co-curricular girls for the beginning of the 2024/2025 academic year.
In rugby the school was runner-up in the
NatWest Schools Cup
The National Schools Cup (currently known as the Continental Tyres Schools Cup for sponsorship reasons) are a set of annual England, English schools' rugby union cup competitions, with the U18 Cup being the main competition. The finals of the Cup ...
at under 18 level in 2008; at under 15 level it was winner in 2005 and runner-up in 1993. The school's 1st XV was undefeated in 2008 in 21 of 22 league matches, finishing top of the Canterbury Rankings, and was selected by the
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...
to represent England in the
Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament
The Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament is an international rugby union tournament for 15-a-side youth teams which is held every year during the Golden Week (Japan), Golden Week holidays (29 April – 5/6 May) in Fukuoka prefecture, ...
, losing only to the eventual winner. The under 13 side won the 2012 junior champions of the
Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens, the world's largest rugby tournament. The St Benedict’s 1st XV finished 3rd in the 2021 SOCS Daily Mail Schools Trophy – a national competition played under a merit table system by more than 100 teams, going undefeated in the process.
Co-curricular activities
In the senior school there are over 100 clubs and societies. Pupils run a
debating society
Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...
, staff a
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, sub divided into Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to ...
and participate in the
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, as well as producing art, music and drama. The school further encourages co-curricular activities by offering scholarships in art, drama, music and sport alongside academic scholarships. Every year the school produces and holds art shows, whole school drama productions, music and sport festivals.
People
Headmasters
* Dom Sebastian Cave (1902–1916)
* Dom Wulstan Pearson (1916–1917)
* Dom Dennis Goolden (1917)
* Dom Roger Huddleston (1917)
* Dom Edward Green (1917–1919)
* Dom Dominic Young (1919–1936)
* Dom Austin Corney (1936–1938)
* Dom Adrian Morey (1938–1939)
* Dom Rupert Hall (1939–1945)
* Dom
Bernard Orchard (1945–1960)
* Dom Gerard Hayes (1960)
* Dom George Brown (1961–1965)
* Dom Bernard Orchard (1965–1969)
* Dom George Brown (1969–1978)
* Dom Anthony Gee (1978–1987)
* Tony Dachs (1987–2001)
* Christopher Cleugh (2001–2016)
* Andrew Johnson (2016–2023)
* Joe Smith (2023 -present)
Notable alumni
*
Peter Ackroyd
Peter Ackroyd (born 5 October 1949) is an English biographer, novelist and critic with a specialist interest in the history and culture of London. For his novels about English history and culture and his biographies of, among others, William ...
, English biographer, novelist and critic, winner of the
Somerset Maugham Award
The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each year by the Society of Authors
The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to ...
and two
Whitbread Awards
*
Patrick Baty, historian of architectural paint and colour, consultant in the decoration of
historic buildings
*
David Beaumont, diplomat for the
CRO, and the
Foreign Office
Foreign may refer to:
Government
* Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries
** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government
** Foreign office and foreign minister
* United ...
who later served as
high commissioner to Botswana
*
David Bermingham, member of the NatWest Three, a group of three British businessmen involved in a high-profile court battle against charges of fraud
*
Peter Biller, academic specialising in medieval thought, heresy, and medicine, emeritus professor of medieval history at
University of York
The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...
*
Paul Bradley, British-born Irish actor, played Nigel Bates on ''Eastenders''
*
Christopher Caudwell,
Marxist
Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...
writer, thinker and poet
*
Julian Clary
Julian Peter McDonald Clary (born 25 May 1959) is an English actor, comedian, novelist and presenter. He began appearing on television in the mid-1980s. Since then, he has also acted in films, on television and in stage productions, including n ...
, comedian and novelist
*
Vinny Codrington, sports administrator, latterly chief executive of
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Middlesex which has effectively been subsumed within the ceremonial ...
*
David Coleman
David Robert Coleman (26 April 1926 – 21 December 2013) was a British sports commentator and television presenter who worked for the BBC for 46 years. He covered eleven Summer Olympic Games from 1960 to 2000 and six FIFA World Cups from 196 ...
, professor of demography University of Oxford, and advisory council member at
MigrationWatchUK
*
Brian Cotter, Baron Cotter, politician, former member of Parliament for
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...
*
Dimitri Coutya,
MBE, wheelchair fencer who won gold medals in both
Épée B and
Foil B at
2024 Paris
*
Declan Donnellan, stage director, author and film director, founder of
Cheek by Jowl
Cheek by Jowl is an international theatre company founded in the United Kingdom by director Declan Donnellan and designer Nick Ormerod in 1981. Donnellan and Ormerod are Cheek by Jowl's artistic directors and together direct and design all of ...
international theatre company, multiple
Olivier Awards
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...
winner, Chevalier de
l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant co ...
*
Robin Devenish, retired physicist at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
, former dean of
Hertford College, Oxford
Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main ga ...
*
Kerry Downes, professor of
history of art
The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetics ...
, specialising in
English Baroque
English Baroque is a term used to refer to modes of English architecture that paralleled Baroque architecture in continental Europe between the Great Fire of London (1666) and roughly 1720, when the flamboyant and dramatic qualities of Baroque ...
architecture
*
Ned Eckersley,
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
er
*
Laurence Freeman, priest, and director of the
World Community for Christian Meditation
*
Howard French, newspaper editor who co-ordinated the merger of the ''
Sketch'' with the ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
'', and the launch of the ''
Mail on Sunday
''The Mail on Sunday'' is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. Founded in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it is the biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK. Its sister paper, the ''Daily Mail'', was first published i ...
''
*
Reginald C. Fuller, Catholic priest who was appointed
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western canon, th ...
of
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...
by cardinal
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (24 August 1932 – 1 September 2017) was a British Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Westminster from 2000 to 2009. He was also president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made ...
in 2001
*
John Gapper, associate editor and chief business commentator of the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
''
*
Jonathan Glancey, architectural critic and writer who was the architecture and design editor at ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
,'' and previously, at ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
.''
*
Sebastian Gorka, former US government official, served under President Donald Trump as Deputy Assistant to the President
*
Peter Hennessy, Baron Hennessy of Nympsfield, historian, journalist, and academic specialising in the history of government, Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at
Queen Mary University of London
Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and formerly Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public university, public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University ...
,
crossbencher
A crossbencher is a minor party or independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. They take their name fr ...
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
*
Jonah Holmes,
Welsh international rugby union player
*
John Hooper, journalist, author and broadcaster, currently Italy correspondent of ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' and a contributing editor of ''The Guardian''
*
Damian Hopley,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
international rugby union player,
Melrose Cup winner, founder and chief executive of the not-for-profit registered trade union
Rugby Players' Association (RPA)
*
Dominic Inglot
Dominic Inglot ( ; born 6 March 1986) is a British former professional tennis player and a Davis Cup champion. A doubles specialist; he made the final of twenty seven ATP World Tour events, winning fourteen, including the Citi Open and Swiss ...
, professional tennis player, current British no. 2 in doubles
*
David Luckham, emeritus professor of electrical engineering at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
*
George Loffhagen, professional tennis player
*
Peter Linehan
Peter Anthony Linehan, FBA (11 July 1943 – 9 July 2020) was a British historian of medieval Spain.
He was a fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, where he was Dean of Discipline, and a fellow of the British Academy.
Life
Linehan was born in ...
, scholar of medieval Iberia, fellow, tutor, and dean of
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...
*
Colin MacCabe
Colin Myles Joseph MacCabe (born 9 February 1949) is an English academic, writer and film producer. He is currently a distinguished professor of English and film at the University of Pittsburgh. , academic, writer and film producer
*
Angela McHale, actress and comedian, known for her variety of British television roles including roles in ''
Not Going Out
''Not Going Out'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom created, written by and starring Lee Mack. It has aired on BBC One since 2006 and is the second-longest-running British sitcom, behind ''Last of the Summer Wine'' (1973–2010). Th ...
'', ''
The Catherine Tate Show
''The Catherine Tate Show'' is a British television comedy sketch programme written by Catherine Tate and Derren Litten featuring a wide range of characters. ''The Catherine Tate Show'' aired on BBC Two and was shown worldwide through the BBC ...
'' and ''
Grange Hill
''Grange Hill'' is a British Children's television series, children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive school. The show began its ru ...
''.
*
Duncan McNair, commercial and corporate litigation lawyer, author and charity campaigner
*
Tony McWalter, politician, former
MP for
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England. It is located north-west of London; nearby towns and cities include Watford, St Albans and Berkhamsted. The population at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 cens ...
*
Denis MacShane
Denis MacShane (born Josef Denis Matyjaszek; 21 May 1948) is a British former politician, author, commentator and convicted criminal who served as Minister of State for Europe from 2002 to 2005. He joined the Labour Party in 1970 and has held ...
, politician jailed in the UK Parliamentary expenses scandal,
Minister of State for Europe
The minister of state for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, is a ministerial position within the Government of the United Kingdom, in charge of affairs with Europe. The minister can also be responsible for government policy towards ...
in the
Labour Government from 2002 until 2005; Member of Parliament for
Rotherham
Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...
from 1994 to 2012
*
Oriane Messina, comedy writer and performer
*
Douglas Murray, journalist, associate director of the
Henry Jackson Society
The Henry Jackson Society (HJS) is a trans-Atlantic foreign policy and national security think tank, based in the United Kingdom. While describing itself as non-partisan, its outlook has been described variously as right-wing, neoliberal, an ...
, associate editor of ''
The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
,'' who appears regularly in the British broadcast media
*
Dom Gregory Murray OSB. Composer, organist, liturgist.
*
Denis O'Regan, rock photographer whose imagery is particularly associated with the
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
movement,
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
,
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
, and
Duran Duran
Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...
*
Bernard Orchard, Catholic Benedictine monk, and
biblical scholar
Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the can ...
who would later return as headmaster of the school
*
Chris Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, former
cabinet minister,
chairman of the Conservative Party
The chairman of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom is responsible for party administration and overseeing the Conservative Campaign Headquarters, formerly Conservative Central Office.
When the Conservative Party (UK), Conservatives are ...
,
European commissioner, British
governor of Hong Kong
The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the United Kingdom, British The Crown, Crown in British Hong Kong, Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executiv ...
, chairman of the
Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland
The Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland was established in 1998 as part of the Belfast Agreement, intended as a major step in the Northern Ireland peace process. Chaired by Conservative politician and the last Governor of Hong ...
, and governor of the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
Trust,
chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
of the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
*
Gary Prado Salmón, Bolivian military officer, government minister, diplomat and ambassador, who was head of the special forces unit which captured Marxist revolutionary
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
in 1967
*
Ben Ryan, rugby union coach who coached the
Fiji sevens to two
Sevens World Series titles, and a gold medal in
sevens rugby at the
2016 Rio Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
*
John Sauven
John Sauven (born in Ealing, west London, on 6 September 1954) is a British environmentalist who was executive director of Greenpeace's UK division from 2008 to 2022, and previously responsible for Greenpeace's communications. Sauven started w ...
,
economist, and executive director of
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...
UK since 2008
*
Andy Serkis
Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his motion capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Gollum in ''The Lo ...
, film actor known for his roles in prominent films such
''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy, ''
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'', ''
Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', ''
Star Wars: The Last Jedi '' and ''
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...
''
*
Labi Siffre
Claudius Afolabi "Labi" Siffre ( , born 25 June 1945) is a British singer, songwriter and poet. Siffre released six albums from 1970 to 1975 and four from 1988 to 1998. His compositions include " It Must Be Love", which reached number 14 on the ...
, singer, songwriter, musician and poet
*
Joe Simpson,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
international rugby union player
*
James Smythe, novelist and screenwriter
*
Iain Softley
Iain Declan Softley (born 30 November 1956) is an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films include Backbeat (film), ''Backbeat,'' ''Hackers (film), Hackers, The Wings of the Dove (1997 film), The Wings of the Dove'', ''K-PAX ...
, film director, producer and screenwriter, whose best-known films include ''
Hackers
A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who achieves goals and solves problems by non-standard means. The term has become associated in popular culture with a security hackersomeone with knowledge of bugs or exploits to break ...
'' and ''
K-PAX''.
*
Alexander Stafford,
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Member of Parliament for
Rother Valley.
*
Greg Stafford (politician)
Gregory James Stafford is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Farnham and Bordon since 2024. He is a member of the Health and Social Care Select Committee and an Opposition Assistant Whip.
St ...
,
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Member of Parliament for
Farnham and Bordon
*
Billy Withall, British Army officer
*
John Zylinski,
Polish prince
References
External links
St Benedict's School websiteSt Benedict's School PortalBBC League TablesProfileon the
Independent Schools Council
The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 private schools in the United Kingdom. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the business interests of its ...
website
The Old Priorian Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Benedict's School
1902 establishments in England
Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in the United Kingdom
Private co-educational schools in London
Private schools in the London Borough of Ealing
Educational institutions established in 1902
Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
Roman Catholic private schools in the Archdiocese of Westminster
Schools of the English Benedictine Congregation