Lord Patten visits his Alma Mater

Published on isbi School News dated Tuesday 2nd of October 2012

St Benedict's School's most famous alumnus came back to visit his Alma Mater on Monday 17th September. Lord Patten, now the Patron of the School, was presenting six Lower Sixth students with their inaugural awards as Patten Sixth Form Scholars.

Emily Ball, John Boyle, Rhavine Chandrapala, Joseph Curran, Demetris Soukeras and Sebastian Strug had each performed outstandingly well in the Sixth Form scholarship exams, held for the first time this year, and they also achieved excellent GCSE results this summer.

In his speech Lord Patten reminded the audience that he had come to St Benedict's School from The Visitation, Greenford, as the recipient of a scholarship award, and that he wholeheartedly endorsed the school's Bursary Appeal which he launched in February 2010. He recalled that he had been 'blissfully happy' at St Benedict's and that the education he received at the school had laid the foundations for his university study and subsequent career.

The scholars had the opportunity to ask some questions. They had clearly done their homework on Google because the opener was: 'Before you lost your seat you were tipped to become either the Chancellor of the Exchequer or Foreign Secretary. Which would you have chosen?' Lord Patten, answering with the benefit of hindsight, replied 'Foreign Secretary!' He described his time as Governor of Hong Kong as 'the best job I ever had.'