The Oratory School is a boys' independentRoman Catholic day and boarding school in Woodcote, north-west of Reading. It is the only remaining all-boys Catholic boarding school in Britain, and has announced that it will become co-educational from September 2020. Founded in 1859 by John Henry Newman, The Oratory has historical ties to the Birmingham Oratory and is the only school founded by Newman. Although a separate entity from the nearby Oratory Preparatory School, it shares a board of governors and 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, the school "enjoys inspirational leadership, has achieved GSG 'overall best in UK' for three years running and is consistently at the top of the tree", with "state-of-the-art" boarding facilities and an ongoing refurbishment programme under way. The Independent Schools Inspectorate said in 2007: "Pupils and staff show deep and committed support to the Catholic values that underpin the school", and "genuine excitement and enjoyment shine through in sporting, musical and creative activities. Individual pupils and teams have achieved distinction in a wide range of activities, particularly in sport", and pupils "have recently represented Great Britain in rowing, shooting and real tennis, England in cricket and Ireland in rugby".
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.
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 caliber 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.
Real tennis
The Oratory is one of five schools in the United Kingdom with a real tennis court 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 Rob Fahey beat USA player Tim Chisholm.
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 an older pupil had been beating younger students and killing animals outside school.
Leavers' day photo
In May 2018, it was reported that several sixth form students had attended their informal leavers' day photo dressed as slaves and "cotton pickers". When the group of boys arrived for the photo they were turned away by the headmaster. The students later returned to the school and a photo of them within the school grounds was shared on social media. The students later stated that several of their black friends supported their choice of costumes and had joined in by dressing as the slave owners. A spokesman for the school apologised for the students' behaviour and said that the school condemned all forms of racist behaviour.
