Sixth Form & Leavers' Prize Giving 2026
We were delighted to welcome our Upper Sixth leavers back to School on Friday 4 September for our annual Sixth Form and Leavers’ Prize Giving.
The evening marked the start of the academic year and began with a drinks reception for our 2026 leavers and their families in the Atrium, followed by a formal prize giving ceremony at Ealing Abbey.
Our guest speaker for the evening was Matthew Carr (OP 2017) who joined St Benedict’s in Year7, and was former Head Boy. After completing a post-graduate degree in International Relations, Matt joined the Cabinet Office as private secretary to two Ministers of State and has now spent the last 15 months working in crisis response.
Head Boy, Oscar L-J opened the proceedings in the Abbey with a heartfelt welcome, while Head Girl, Krisha P led the opening prayer. This was followed by two powerful vocal performances from Lower Sixth students Jessica W and Stanley W.
Prizes were awarded to students in Upper Fifth and Lower Sixth for academic excellence, leadership, sport, the arts, and contribution to school life.
Headmaster, Joe Smith congratulated all the students on their achievements, including this year’s excellent GCSE and best-ever A level results.
Addressing the leavers with pride, Mr Smith said:
"Good luck in the next stage of your journey, be proud of your old school, remember the values it taught you – at all times, as the title of the great Spike Lee’s film has it, ‘Do the Right Thing’ – and know that we will all be rooting for you and here for you if you ever need help or support."
Guest speaker Matthew Carr recounted his time when he first started at St Benedict’s, remembering the words of School Master, Dicky Thomas, from one of the early assemblies: “get involved and try new things, because it is the busiest students who are the most successful.”
He attributed much of this to his approach to both school life and then his career path offering the students words of encouragement to "step out of their comfort zones and be busy trying things you've never tried before, rather than just focusing your time on what you already know you're good at."
He then went on to recount his own version of Mr Thomas' words:
"Get involved, and try new things, because the busiest people are the happiest people. And if there is one thing I wish for all of you here tonight, as you embark on this exciting episode in your lives, it is that you all go on to be happy, whatever the future holds."
The evening concluded with every member of the Class of 2026 receiving a parting gift from Assistant Head: Director of Sixth Form, Alex Heald, alongside many students receiving special awards for outstanding achievement.
As our leavers take their next steps into their future pathways, we wish them every success beyond St Benedict’s.
View the full gallery of images here:
