The Oratory School () is an HMC Co-educational independent Roman Catholic day and

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

for pupils aged 11–18 located in Woodcote, north-west of Reading. Founded in 1859 by Saint John Henry Newman, The Oratory has historical ties to the

Birmingham Oratory The Birmingham Oratory is an English Catholic religious community of the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, located in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham. The community was founded in 1849 by St. John Henry Newman, Cong.Orat., the fi ...

and the

London Oratory School The London Oratory School, also known as "The Oratory" or "The London Oratory" to distinguish it from other schools, is a Catholic Church, Catholic Secondary school#United Kingdom, secondary school for boys aged 7–18 and girls aged 16–18 in W ...

. Although a separate entity from the nearby Oratory Preparatory School, it shares a common history. Newman founded the school with the intention of providing boys with a Roman Catholic alternative to Eton College. According to the '' Good Schools Guide'' (last review: Oct 2021), the school is “an active choice for families looking for a small, nurturing environment... Parents tell us - ‘it’s like a new school'; ‘we all want to be on board... With excellent leadership and now girls on board, too, The Oratory seems to be thriving." The Oratory has received the highest grade of 'Excellent' for both

Independent Schools Inspectorate The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect independent schools in England. These schools are members of associations, w ...

(ISI Report: Nov 2021) categories: pupils’ academic & other achievements and pupils’ personal development.

History

The Oratory School was founded in 1859. The first boys arrived before work began on 1 May that year. The objective was to provide a Roman Catholic alternative to other schools, particularly for the sons of converts from

Anglicanism Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

who considered existing Catholic schools culturally and socially inferior. The school was originally located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, attached to the

Fathers' House and the Oratory Church. In 1923, under pressure for additional space, it moved to

Caversham Park Caversham Park is a Victorian-era stately home with parkland in the suburb of Caversham on the outskirts of Reading, England. Historically located in Oxfordshire, it became part of Berkshire with boundary changes in 1911. Caversham Park was ...

, a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

stately home An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

near Reading. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, that property was requisitioned by the government, initially with the intention of being used as a hospital, but in the event being purchased in 1941 by the BBC as a base for its Monitoring Service. The school acquired a new site not far away in Woodcote, where it has remained ever since.

Music and The Schola Cantorum

The school has an orchestral and choral tradition, with former choristers of Westminster Cathedral among the pupils. The school's professional youth choir, known as the 'Schola Cantorum', has over 40 pupils and demands high performance calibre and therefore standard auditions and requirements. They have performed at venues such as Windsor Castle and for the Pope, as well as frequent public performances around the country, most commonly London, most recently Nelson's mass and Zadok the Priest in Hyde Park. Several choristers have recently joined the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. Oratory school playing fields - geograph

Oratory school playing fields - geograph

Real Tennis

The Oratory is one of four schools in the United Kingdom with a

real tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...

court (others being Radley,

Canford Canford Magna is a village in Dorset, England. The village is situated just south of the River Stour and lies between the towns of Wimborne Minster and Poole. The village has a mixture of thatch and brick buildings, mostly serving as residences ...

, and Wellington College) and plays this sport, hosting championships and international tournaments. It was the first location in the United Kingdom to construct a Real Tennis court for 80 years, finishing the building in 1990. Over recent years the UK Professional Singles Tournament has been held at the court, and in April 2006 the World Championships were held there in which world no. 1 Robert Fahey (Australia) beat USA player Tim Chisholm. In January 2020 the World Championship Eliminator match took place between Camden Riviere and Old Oratorian, Nicky Howell. Camden Riviere went on to play the current Real World Tennis World Champion, Robert Fahey in the Final Eliminator in Boston in February 2020. In September 2020, The Oratory School welcomed Claire Fahey, reigning Women's Real Tennis Champion as its Head of Racquets and Games Coach. Robert Fahey is Head Professional of The Oratory School Real Tennis Club (ORTC). Together Team Fahey represents the most successful partnership in history winning almost 100 open titles between them.

Notable head masters

The current head master, Joe Smith is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. *1862–1865 Tom Arnold *1867–1868

Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame placed him among leading Victorian poets. His prosody – notably his concept of sprung rhythm – established him as an innovato ...

*1910–1921

Edward Pereira Edward Thomas Pereira (26 September 1866 – 25 February 1939) was an English priest and schoolmaster, and a cricketer who played first-class cricket between 1895 and 1900 for Warwickshire and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He was born in C ...

*1933–1939

Illtyd Trethowan Illtyd Trethowan (12 May 1907 – 30 October 1993), born Kenneth Trethowan, was an English Benedictine monk, Roman Catholic priest, philosopher, theologian, and author. Early life Born at Salisbury in 1907, Trethowan was the son of Will ...

*1953–1967

Adrian Morey Adrian is a form of the Latin language, Latin given name Adrianus (given name), Adrianus or Hadrianus (disambiguation), Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria (river), Adria from the Venetic language, Venetic and ...

*2000–2014

Clive Dytor The Reverend Father Clive Dytor MC (born 1956) was the headmaster of The Oratory School, Woodcote, near Reading, Berkshire, England. A former Church of England clergyman who became a Roman Catholic (like Cardinal Newman who founded the school), he ...

Controversy

Sexual abuse

In February 2013, it was discovered that Jonathan O'Brien, a former teacher, had been involved in sexually abusing boys aged ten to sixteen while working at The Oratory in the 1980s. O'Brien was sentenced to thirteen years imprisonment.

Disciplinary

In February 2014, there were allegations that older pupils had been beating younger students and killing animals outside school - including the skinning of a cat. A teacher resigned and alleged that she had done so because her concerns over the pupils' behaviour had been repeatedly ignored. She then filed a claim against the school for "forced dismissal" but the claim was thrown out by the Reading employment tribunal as she had voluntarily resigned and was not "forced to quit". The then-headmaster Clive Dytor stated that the incidents she mentioned had already been dealt with.

Notable alumni

Former pupils include Hilaire Belloc,

Christopher Tolkien Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (21 November 1924 – 16 January 2020) was an English academic editor, becoming a French citizen in later life. The son of author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien edited much of his father' ...

Michael Tolkien The Tolkien family is an English family of German descent whose best-known member is J. R. R. Tolkien, Oxford academic and author of the fantasy books ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Silmarillion''. Etymology According to R ...

, Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, tenor Gervase Elwes, war artist Simon Elwes, Igor Judge, Michael Berkeley, rugby union players Danny Cipriani and

Ayoola Erinle Ayoola Erinle (born 20 February 1980 in Lagos, Nigeria) is known for being an England international rugby union player. He was educated at The Oratory School and at King's College London, representing both his school's 1st XV and the King's Col ...

, Olympic gold medallist John Pius Boland, English cricketer Benny Howell, actor Jonathan Bailey, '' Made in Chelsea'' stars Francis Boulle & Frederik Ferrier, and Portuguese royal Afonso, Prince of Beira.

References

External links

The Oratory School website

Profile
on the Independent Schools Council website {{DEFAULTSORT:Oratory School, The Boys' schools in Oxfordshire Boarding schools in Oxfordshire Educational institutions established in 1859 Oratory of Saint Philip Neri Roman Catholic independent schools in the Archdiocese of Birmingham Independent schools in Oxfordshire Catholic boarding schools in England 1859 establishments in England Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Real tennis venues