The Oratory School

"People should not jump to conclusions about the Oratory. Being quick to dispel any myths about ‘fake reviews’, I personally know and have interacted with all these current boys that have posted reviews, whether it be through sport or culture. I’m glad to see they continue to flourish and excel. We are a close-knit family. I could tell you something about every boy that has posted a review on here and as to why their success owes gratitude to the Oratory. Having been a part of this wonderful, diverse community for 5 years, I owe so much to the school. I was encouraged to get involved with as many things as I could; through this I got to know so many different kinds of people from all over the world - whether it be through music, through CCF, shooting, societies or drama to name a few. Opportunities are endless - everyone wants to get involved and interact with each other, which is great to see. Personally, I was particularly interested in getting to know some of the Spanish boys as I found their culture and history fascinating. They encouraged me to start studying Spanish. I am now studying this at degree level! We are a diverse, cultural family that wants to give everyone an equal opportunity to thrive in whatever they set their sights on. I started shooting at the Oratory having never touched a firearm before; I now compete at a national level, something I thought would never have been possible. Having always been an overweight person, I decided to start losing weight in the new year of my U6 (2017). All the boys and staff supported me on my journey to successfully achieve more than a 45kg weight loss. This is our family - we support each other and guide each other. The Oratory is a truly wonderful place, full of some of the most down to earth chaps I have ever met. Just like a family under Newman, our founder, we speak from ‘heart to heart’. We have not been forced to write reviews on here. It shows our commitment to dispel any unnecessary allegations, and to uphold the nature of the school."

"Edit: utter lies that the school are buying reviews. It’s alumni and boys who love their school. Lovely school with a fantastic sense of camaraderie. The staff are so considerate and often help my boy outside of class time with his work. He’s excelling at physics and Latin and he’s loving real tennis at the moment. Hope to be able to send my second son here too one day when he gets older!"

"Proud Asian studying rlly hard. Fantastic and perfect environment for overseas student! Great school! Fantastic sporting facilities as well!!"

"It’s a shame to see so many slanderous lies on this platform about the school. If you are looking for a trusted review, look no further: The Oratory School in Woodcote is a lovely school to be in. It has beautiful grounds, including a golf course and a great cricket pitch. The ground staff do a very good job of keeping the grounds looking very picturesque, which is very hard with a school of this size. The school has many teaching facilities, and uses resources such as Educake, GCSEPod and Kahoot! to enhance learning and revision. I myself have found these very helpful, especially in the run up to the exams, and must commend Mr O Lewis, Head of Physics, for incorporating these into lessons seamlessly. As well as great teaching facilities, the sports facilities are arguably the best in the area, with a brand new swimming pool, 3 squash courts, 2 gyms, a large sports hall and a real tennis court, one of the 43 remaining courts in the world. The school has very successful sports teams and I would definitely recommend attending for the sport alone. There are also many extra-curricular activities available, such as the Windhover Society (debating), and activities including Languages Film Club, where we learn about cultures and languages through the art of film. Music is also very strong at The Oratory. The choir visits foreign countries on tour, most recently Hong Kong and before that New York, and they perform in concerts around the country. Mr S Burrows, the Head of Music and Sixth Form, is a credit to the school with his musical expertise and enthusiastic nature. My only criticism of the school is that they are a little behind on the computing front. This has affected me personally as I wanted to do computer science for GCSE, however the school did not offer it, though they are improving rapidly and have since added computer sciences to their curriculum. The positives of attending this school really do outweigh the negatives, and I assure you that the school does not condone racism or anything of the sort, and there is a very comprehensive safeguarding policy in place. I would recommend this school to anyone who is looking for a secondary school or sixth form college for their child, as this is a great school and the people are lovely!"