The Oratory School

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The Oratory School
File:Oratory.png
Location
Map
Woodcote
,
Oxfordshire
,
RG8 0PJ

England
Information
TypePublic school
MottoCor ad Cor Loquitur
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1859
FounderCardinal Newman
Local authorityOxfordshire County Council
PresidentRight Hon Lord Judge the Lord Chief Justice
Chairman of the GovernorsM H R Hasslacher
HeadmasterClive Dytor MC MA (Cantab) MA (Oxon)
Age13 to 18
Enrollmentgender = All boys
HousesSt John, FitzAlan, Faber, St Philip, Norris
Colour(s)Gold and Black
Former pupilsOld Oratorians
Websitehttp://www.oratory.co.uk/
For similarly named schools in the United Kingdom and the United States, see Oratory School.

The Oratory School is the only all-boys, Catholic, boarding & day school for senior boys public school in Great Britain. It has approximately 420 pupils and is located in Woodcote, Oxfordshire near Reading, United Kingdom.

History

The Oratory School was founded under the supervision of John Henry, later Cardinal Newman, in 1859, and the first boys arrived before work began on the first day of May in that year, "Sunday 1 May New School began." [1] The purpose was to provide a Catholic alternative to Eton particularly for the sons of converts from Anglicanism who considered existing Catholic schools culturally and socially inferior.[2] The idea of founding a school had been in Newman's mind for some time before that and education of the young was an abiding interest. In the early 1850s he had been invited by the Irish Catholic bishops to establish a Catholic university in Dublin, but it did not prove a success, though he was able to formulate the principles published as The Idea of a University. When the Irish project came to an end, he was approached by a group of Catholic laymen, principally converts to Roman Catholicism from the Oxford Movement, to set up a Catholic boarding school for boys run on English public school lines, rather than the monastically based Catholic schools that already existed. The original school was opened next to the house of the Oratory Fathers in Edgbaston, Birmingham.


The Oratory School moved from Edgbaston to Caversham Park, Caversham and, in 1942 (when Caversham Park was requisitioned to become a BBC listening station -now BBC Monitoring), after a short sojourn in exile at Downside, finally removed to its present location at Woodcote Estate, Oxfordshire. The Fathers of the Birmingham Oratory handed over control of the school to a Governing Body in 1931, but links with the Birmingham, London and Oxford Oratories remain strong.

The school today

The current headmaster is Clive Dytor (like Newman a convert and former Church of England clergyman), a veteran of The Falklands War who was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during the conflict, and an MA of both Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

The school roll of around 420 pupils includes both boarders and day-boys. The school has four senior (13-18) houses and one junior (11-13) house. The senior houses are: Faber, (house colour is yellow), FitzAlan (black), Norris (green) and St John (red). The junior house is known as St Philip (sky and navy blue). A major programme of rebuilding and upgrading is under way. Two new boarding houses have been built and the remaining two have been refurbished. The Art Faculty has been extended with new design studios, printing and ceramic areas. A new Maths and English Department have been finished and more academic changes are underway. All three sciences are taught separately. Languages include French, Spanish, Italian, Classical Languages and optional Mandarin in the 6th Form.

The school day runs from morning roll call and prayers at 08:25 to the end of prep classes at 19:00.

The CCF parades on Thursday afternoons. (In recent years several pupils have distinguished themselves as members of the CCF and gone on to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.)Old Oratorians are now serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Music & Drama

Activities include the Schola Cantorum (chapel choir), orchestra, chamber orchestra, jazz band, big band, many specialist vocal and instrumental ensembles, and the boys’ own rock groups. The Schola Cantorum sings weekly Vespers and Benediction, Mass on Holy Days and some Sundays during the year, and one or two annual concerts. Recent major works performed include Mozart: Requiem, Bernstein: Chichester Psalms and Janacek: Octenas. A smaller group of Cantors leads the singing at the other Sunday Masses. There is frequent collaboration with the Choristers of the Oratory Preparatory School. The instrumental groups typically give two major performances each year. Groups are specially formed to perform musicals and operetta working in conjunction with the Drama Department. A full and challenging A Level & GCSE Drama syllabus is offered.

Sporting fixtures are played in a wide range of sports against schools and colleges such as Radley College, Eton College, Harrow School, Millfield and City of London Freemen's School. The school has a Sports Centre with full facilities including squash courts, indoor pool and Real Tennis Court. It is one of only three schools in the country to have its own RT Court and hosted the Real Tennis World Championships in 2006. There is a nine-hole golf course, indoor shooting range, (the School is one of the top shooting schools in the country) as well as grass tennis courts, rugby and football pitches. The Oratory School won the 'Independent School of the Year Sports Award' at the Daily Telegraph & Norwich Union 2008 School Sport Matters Awards. Major sports include:

Cricket

The School has a great cricket tradition with regular fixtures against Eton, Magdalen College School, Stowe. Also clubs such as the MCC and the Berkshire Gentlemen. There is a tour to Barbados in December. The School has strong links with Barbados. The Oratory was one of the few schools to be allowed to play at Lords from 1926-1968 against Beaumont until 1966 and for the last two years against Downside. Old Oratorians Benny Howell plays for Hampshire & Berkshire CC and Daniel Housego plays for Henley and Middlesex CC.

Rugby football

Over the last decade the school has established itself as one of the better rugby playing schools in the country, and is now a match for anybody on its day. Master in Charge of Rugby Football is Tom Hennessy (former Munster and London Irish prop).

The first time in the schools history that the First XV were unbeaten in the then 126 years of history, was the 1985 -1986 season, where the team won all 14 matches including , Eton, Shiplake and the final match against London Oratory. This event was recorded in the Times Newspaper, The Telegraph and the team was awarded Team of the Month in Rugby World. Master in Charge of First XV was Paul Keddie, Captain and tight head prop was Stuart Pike who went on to play for London Irish along with Ted Stevens (Scrumhalf) (and Oxford University), Greg ("Olly)- Flanker, John Hollands (Loose Head Prop) and Paul Jevons - Full Back (and Oxford University)

Perhaps the two most famous pupils of the school to emerge onto the rugby scene in the past 5 years are Ayoola Erinle (Leicester Tigers and England) and Andy Vilk (Sale Sharks and Captain England 7's). A worthy mention must also go to Mark Bruce who plays for Buccaneers in Ireland and has represented the Irish 7's team. Daniel Cipriani attended the school from aged 11-13 before continuing his secondary education at Whitgift School.

Real tennis

The Oratory is one of only three schools in the United Kingdom to possess a real tennis court (the others being Canford and Radley) and enjoys considerable success in this ever increasingly popular sport, hosting numerous championships and international tournaments. The court is home to the Oratory Tennis Club, a club primarily made up of paying members of the public, but also of boys from the school. Every boy in the School has a chance to experience the game. The School has produced two national players in Richard Greenland and Paul Knox.

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 (Australia) beat USA player Tim Chisholm.[3].

At present Ross Brown and Mark Eadle run the Real Tennis club for the boys, assisted by Thomas Phipps who also runs the squash.

Shooting

The Oratory School Shooting Team enjoys frequent success both at CADSAM (Cadet Skill At Arms Meeting) and at the NRA Meeting at Bisley where they maintain their title of Holders of the Schools' Aggregate, The Cottesloe Vase & 4th Division Skill At Arms Champions. NRA[4]. The School has produced representatives shooting for the GB U19 & U25 Rifle Teams. Currently pupils shooting for GB in the Athelings tour to Canada and to Jersey.[citation needed].

Rowing

The School has a boathouse on the Thames near Hardwick House and has had some recent success on the rowing front; winning the Child-Beale cup for 1st VIIIs at the National Schools regatta in Nottingham in 2006. The crew were presented with the cup by Sir Matthew Pinsent. In 2008 a senior rower gained selection for the GB Coupe de la Jeunesse team winning a gold and bronze medal in Cork. The club also participates in the annual Henley Royal Regatta racing in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup. Only two other schools besides The Oratory attained double representation at Henley in 2008 - Eton and Shrewsbury.

Art studies

The school's Art Department is, according to the Good Schools Guide 2006/7, the Best Overall for Art & Design at A Level and the Best Results at GCSE for Art & Design in 2007. As a result of the academic success gained over the last 20 years, combined with recent awards from the 'Good Schools Guide', the Art Department has been awarded Foundation Course Status. At the end of the course students can be awarded a Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art & Design) or in fine art – Edexcel in parallel with their A2 courses. This award is usually only granted by universities and recognised art colleges.

Celebrated former pupils and masters

Former masters

Former pupils (Old Oratorians)

References

  1. ^ Newman’s Letters and Diaries, Volume XIX, p.120.
  2. ^ Paul Shrimpton, A Catholic Eton? Newman's Oratory School. Leominster: Gracewing, 2005. pp. 26, 29, 41-43. ISBN 0852446616.
  3. ^ Website of the International Real Tennis Professionals Association
  4. ^ "The Schools Aggregate" (PDF). 139th NRA Schools Meeting. National Rifle Association. 2008-07-17. Retrieved 2008-10-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Personal recollections of old boys reported on talkpage.

See also

External links

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