Mihir Patel (class of 1996)

Mihir is currently an Accountant after studying Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford.

Every single day at Reddiford, I would climb the front stairs and gaze up at those grand wooden boards, inscribed with the names of leavers from distant past to clear present. Every day, it was a little reminder that aspiration is a good thing, that even at the age of 11, you might leave behind something to be proud of. I won’t deny, at times it was a bit intimidating for a small child, the sight of so many names, all of whom you imagined had gone on to some success or other. Yet since leaving Reddiford what has stayed with me is actually how homely a place it was to start learning. Back then it was little more than two houses on a quiet residential street and this gave it an air of the familial. When I started out, there were only 120 pupils and you knew everybody’s name, but what is great to see is that Reddiford has grown so much and yet retained that close-knit community feel. I was lucky to have such a strong academic foundation to my education, but it was the focus on manners, politeness and moral values that I really thank Reddiford for.