The Oratory School

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Coordinates: 51°31′57″N 1°03′30″W / 51.532562°N 1.058421°W / 51.532562; -1.058421
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For similarly named schools in the United Kingdom and the United States, see
Oratory School (disambiguation)
.

The Oratory School
Roman Catholic Oratorian
Established1859
FounderSaint John Henry Newman
Local authorityOxfordshire
Department for Education URN123282 Tables
PresidentThe Lord Judge
Chairman of the GovernorsPascale Lo
HeadJulian Murphy
GenderBoys and Girls
Age11 to 18
Enrolment373
Houses5
Colour(s)Oratory gold & black    
PublicationThe Oratorian
The Buzz
Former pupilsOld Oratorians
Websitehttps://www.oratory.co.uk/

The Oratory School (

Good Schools Guide (last review: Oct 2021), the school is “an active choice for families looking for a small, nurturing environment."[4]

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.[5]

History

The Oratory School aerial view

The Oratory School was founded in 1859. The first boys arrived before work began on 1 May that year.[6] 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.[3]

The school was originally located in

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.[7] According to a Freedom of Information Request the school withdrew from the Teachers Pension Scheme on the 31st December 2020.[8]

The Schola Cantorum

The school's youth choir is the Schola Cantorum; it releases recordings and is known for its

Tudor music.[9]

The playing fields

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.[citation needed]

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.[10] In January 2020 the World Championship Eliminator match took place between Camden Riviere and Old Oratorian, Nicky Howell.[citation needed]

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).[citation needed]

Notable head masters

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

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.[12]

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.[13][14] 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.[15]

Notable alumni

Main article: List of Old Oratorians
See also: Category:People educated at The Oratory School

Notable staff

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-1405881180
    .
  2. ^ "HMC Independent Schools | Headmasters' & Headmistresses' Conference". HMC. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  3. ^
    ISBN 9780852446614
    .
  4. ^ "The Oratory School, Nr Reading". The Good Schools Guide. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Independent Schools Inspectorate report 2021". isi.net. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022.
  6. ^ Newman's Letters and Diaries, Volume XIX, p.120.
  7. ^ "History of The Oratory School". The Oratory. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  8. ^ [1] https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/763181/response/1830358/attach/3/FOI%20Response%20Smail.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1
  9. ^ Breen, Edward. "Sacred Treasures of England". Gramophone. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Website of the International Real Tennis Professionals Association". irtpa.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  11. ^ Head decides to quit after walking old pilgrims’ trail dated 3 November 2014 at henleystandard.co.uk, accessed 3 May 2019
  12. ^ Thorne, Lucy (16 January 2015). "Jonathan O'Brien appeal: Former The Oratory School teacher loses bid to cut sentence". Archived from the original on 22 August 2016.
  13. ^ Millward, David (6 February 2014). "Industrial tribunal told of 'appalling behaviour' of pupils at Oratory School". Archived from the original on 22 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Public schoolboys 'stoned birds and skinned cats'". The Times. 5 February 2014.
  15. ^ "Housemother loses claim for constructive dismissal against Oratory School". Berkshire Live (getreading). 12 May 2014.
  16. ISBN 0904920380
    .
  17. ISBN 978-1-317-02119-3
    . Retrieved 28 November 2023.

Further reading

External links

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