• Source: The Oratory School

The Oratory School () is an HMC co-educational private Catholic boarding and day school for pupils aged 11–18 located in Woodcote, 6 miles (9.7 km) north-west of Reading, England. Founded in 1859 by John Henry Newman, The Oratory has historical ties to the Birmingham Oratory and the London Oratory School.
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 Catholic alternative to Eton College. Until 2020, when it first admitted girls, it was the only boys’ Catholic public school left in the United Kingdom. According to the Good Schools Guide (last review: Oct 2021), the school is “an active choice for families looking for a small, nurturing environment."
The Oratory has received the highest grade of 'Excellent' for both Independent Schools Inspectorate (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 who considered existing Catholic schools culturally and socially inferior.
The school was originally located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, attached to the Birmingham Oratory Fathers' House and the Oratory Church. In 1923, under pressure for additional space, it moved to Caversham Park, a Victorian stately home 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. According to a Freedom of Information Request the school withdrew from the Teachers Pension Scheme on the 31st December 2020.




Real Tennis


The Oratory is one of four schools in the United Kingdom with a real tennis court (others being Radley, Canford, and Wellington College), and plays the 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.
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.. The Oratory School hosted the Ladies Real Tennis World Championship in 2023, in an event won by Claire Fahey.
The school's head of racquets and games coach is Claire Fahey, Women's Real Tennis Champion. Robert Fahey is head professional of the school's Real Tennis Club (ORTC).




Notable head masters


The head master, Julian Murphy, is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

1862–1865 Tom Arnold
1910–1921 Edward Pereira
1933–1939 Illtyd Trethowan
1953–1967 Adrian Morey
2000–2014 Clive Dytor




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



Gervase Elwes (1866–1921) – tenor
Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) – orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist
John Pius Boland (1870–1958) – Irish Nationalist politician, Member of Parliament (MP), gold medallist Olympic games for tennis (1896)
Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart (1880–1963) – soldier and diplomat
Simon Elwes (1902–1976) – war artist
Christopher Tolkien (1924–2020) – academic editor
Igor Judge (1941-2023) – judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
Michael Tolkien (b. 1943) – teacher and poet
Michael Berkeley (b. 1948) – Baron Berkeley of Knighton, composer, broadcaster
Ayoola Erinle (b. 1980) – rugby union player
Danny Cipriani (b. 1987) – rugby union player
Benny Howell (b. 1988) – cricketer
Jonathan Bailey (b. 1988) – actor
Afonso, Prince of Beira (b. 1996) – Portuguese royal




Notable staff


Walter Abel Heurtley, classical archaeologist, taught at the school in the early 20th century, and was its bursar during the Second World War.
Gerard Manley Hopkins, poet, taught at the school in 1867-68.




See also


The Oratory Preparatory School
List of rowing blades by school and university




References






Further reading


Tinkel, Tony (2009). Cardinal Newman's School: 150 years of The Oratory School, Reading. London: Third Millennium Publishing. ISBN 9781906507091.




External links



The Oratory School website
Profile on the Independent Schools Council website

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