Epsom College – latest: Murdered headteacher’s husband ran failed firm before deaths

Pupils, staff and parents at a school in Croydon have created a vast floral tribute to its former headteacher, who died on the grounds of Epsom College.

Ms Pattison was head of Croydon High School in Selsdon from 2016 to 2022, before moving to the prestigious private school to become its first female headteacher.

Posting to Twitter, the school said: “The whole Croydon High community are joining together to support one another and to honour the memory of our former Head, Emma Pattison and her daughter Lettie, who was a pupil in our Junior School.

According to Inside Croydon, one tribute said of Ms Pattison: “Your character and talents will inspire others for many years.”

A friend of Emma Pattison’s has described her as “beautiful inside and out”.

Zoe Roberts, a teacher at Caterham School, said: “It is tragic and we wish this had never happened. She was beautiful, inside and out. She was just the most wonderful person.

“We can’t put it into words at the moment, it is too raw. We are still working it out. It is just a tragic loss. “

Headteacher Emma Pattison and her husband George Pattison reportedly hosted a dinner party hours before their deaths.

A friend told The Sun: “On Saturday night they threw a dinner party. It was quite an intimate affair and literally turned out to be their last supper.

“Nothing unusual happened. There were no arguments, no indication he would go on to do something so horrific a short time later.”

Police suspect Mr Pattison killed his headteacher wife Emma and their seven-year-old daughter Lettie before taking his own life.

Police are “working around the clock” on the homicide case at one of the country’s most prestigious schools.

Detective Chief Inspector Kimball Edey, senior investigating officer on the case, said: “This is an incredibly traumatic incident and we are working around the clock to investigate and understand the exact circumstances which led to this point.

“We understand the public concern and upset, and we will clarify what we can, when we can, while respecting the right to a level of privacy for the families of those who have lost their lives.”

Staff and pupils at an elite private school are grieving after their headteacher was found dead with her husband and seven-year-old daughter.

Epsom College head Emma Pattison, 45, husband George, 39, and daughter Lettie were found on school grounds in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Surrey Police says it is treating the family’s deaths as an “isolated incident”, indicating there was no third-party involvement.

Pupils and staff at a prestigious private school in Surrey have been rocked by the news that their headteacher had been found dead with her husband and young daughter.

Emma Pattison, 45, and her husband George, 39, were found alongside seven-year-old Lettie at the £42,000 per year Epsom College, Epsom, early on Sunday morning.

Police are investigating the circumstances of the deaths but that no one else was involved.

Who was Emma Pattison? Matt Mathers has the details:

Helen Redfern, a Conservative councillor in Croydon, described headteacher Emma Pattison as a beautiful, inspiring, caring woman and called for more awareness around male violence in schools.

She tweeted: “I hope that local schools (co-ed and single sex) will address this — not just telling girls what to look out for, but to address the boys’ behaviour too.”

The death of Epsom College’s headteacher shows that even female leaders are “only as safe” as the men in their lives allow them to be, according to friends.

The Times reports that Cathy Walker, a former colleague, said: “Her death shows that domestic abuse and violence against women and girls is not reserved for those who have no voice, no platform, few opportunities.”

Ms Walker, who worked with Ms Pattison within the Girls’ Day School Trust, reportedly wrote on her blog: “It shows that you can be a female leader, empowered, successful, admired, looked up to: and still only as safe as the men in your life allow you to be.”