Emma Pattison dances with her daughter Lettie in 2020
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The new headteacher of Epsom College has vowed to uphold the legacy of his predecessor, Emma Pattison. Sir Anthony Seldon takes up his new role from March 1 until September 2024, when a permanent head will be installed. While police are yet to confirm how Emma Pattinson died, she is believed to have been killed alongside her daughter by her husband on February 5.
President of Epsom College, Lord Alex Carlile, said he wished Sir Antony’s appointment “had never been necessary”.
Mrs Pattison was found dead at Epsom College hours after the 45-year-old had made a distressed call to her sister.
It is understood that George Pattison, 39, shot his wife and daughter Lettie, seven, before killing himself, with Surrey Police investigating the deaths as a possible murder-suicide.
Police said an investigation was being carried out to establish the full chronology and circumstances of the incident.
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Post-mortem results have not yet been officially released.
Epsom College has been shut since the deaths and is not expected to re-open until after the half-term holiday.
Speaking about his appointment, Sir Anthony said the school would move forward in the direction that Mrs Pattison had planned.
He said: “This is what Emma would have wanted for all the pupils and staff she had worked with, supported, and for whom she had such high hopes.
“Emma was driven, ambitious, and courageous – there is no better way to respect her memory than for Epsom College to forge ahead and embody the values that guided her life.”
Days before the murder, on February 2, Surrey Police had made contact with Mr Pattison when he updated a gun licence to change his address following the family’s move from Caterham.
However, no concerns appear to have been raised about a gun and ammunition being kept at his home.
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The chartered accountant’s legally owned gun was later discovered at their home on the school grounds, alongside the three bodies of the family members.
The appointment of Sir Anthony comes days after Mrs Pattison’s family released a statement through the police.
The statement described her as having had “a warm, welcoming smile and sparkling, blue eyes, full of optimism,” adding that Lettie was “Emma’s pride and joy”.
They described the girl as “adorable” and “vibrant” with a “compelling curiosity, a heart-melting smile and an intellect beyond her years”.
The family statement went on to thank the police for their “sensitive and thorough handling of the ongoing investigation into this horrendous tragedy”.
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