St Benedict's School

St Benedict's School offers a vibrant and nurturing environment where academic excellence and personal development are prioritised. With a rich history and...

St Benedict's School, Ealing, is the largest Roman Catholic Benedictine co-educational independent school in London, founded in 1902 as a small school within the newly established Ealing Priory (now Ealing Abbey) in West London. The Priory was a daughter house of Downside Abbey in Somerset and the school was originally for boys only. It was renamed from the original Benedictine Priory School to St Benedict's School in 1948 and became co-educational in 2008. Today the school educates around 1,185 pupils aged 3-18 across an integrated Junior School (with the Benedictine houses named Bede, Fisher, Gregory and More) and a Senior School (with houses Barlow, Gervase, Pickering and Roberts).

The school is a member of the HMC, the CISC and ISI. The Headmaster of the Senior School is Joe Smith; the Head of the Junior School is Robert Simmons. The school's Patron is Chris Patten, Lord Patten of Barnes, formerly Governor of Hong Kong and currently Chancellor of the University of Oxford. The campus, on Eaton Rise in central Ealing, sits beside the Grade II listed Ealing Abbey church.

St Benedict's most internationally recognised alumnus is Peter Ackroyd, the biographer, novelist and critic. Ackroyd's London: The Biography is among the defining works of late-twentieth-century English non-fiction; his novel Hawksmoor won the Whitbread Award and the Goncourt Award; his earlier The Great Fire of London and his life of T. S. Eliot established his reputation. He won the Somerset Maugham Award for his early work and has twice won the Whitbread (now Costa) Prize. Other St Benedict's alumni include the Marxist literary theorist Christopher Caudwell (real name Christopher St John Sprigg), whose Illusion and Reality remains influential in Marxist aesthetics; the EastEnders actor Paul Bradley (Nigel Bates); the architectural historian Patrick Baty; and the Cambridge medieval historian Peter Biller.

The school operates a substantial bursary programme intended to provide Catholic boys and girls of Ealing and West London families educational access regardless of family means, maintaining the Benedictine tradition of monastic-school hospitality.

We have a proud academic record of outstanding examination results and our pupils gain places at the UK s top universities. In addition to academic success, St Benedict s recognises the importance of educating the whole person, by encouraging principled leadership, resilience and character in our pupils, and by promoting the Christian values of integrity, fairness and generosity. This holistic approach to education is a hallmark of the School, informed by the 1500 year-old Rule of St Benedict, and there could be no better way of equipping young people for the future.

At St Benedict s, there is a vital focus on personal development, through our outstanding co-curricular programme. St Benedict s has a distinguished sporting tradition: while many boys and girls train and compete at county and national level, everyone is encouraged to enjoy sport, teamwork and fitness. Music and Drama are both excellent; there is a strong choral tradition, many instrumental ensembles and frequent concerts demonstrating very high levels of musicianship. Termly drama productions have recently included Amadeus, Les Mis rables and A Midsummer Night s Dream.

Our Benedictine heritage shapes the way we live and learn together. We value reflection, kindness, and hospitality, encouraging students to think deeply, act generously, and contribute positively to our community. These values guide daily life at St Benedict s and help every young person to grow in confidence and integrity.