London Oratory School
The London Oratory School, also known as "The Oratory" or "The London Oratory" to distinguish it from other schools, is a Catholic comprehensive secondary school for boys aged 7–18 and girls aged 16–18 in West Brompton. Founded in 1863 by The Fathers of The London Oratory then in Chelsea, London, it is historically linked to two fellow Oratorian institutions: the nearby Brompton Oratory and The Oratory School in Oxfordshire. The school is known for the quality of its choral and instrumental music and is one of England's oldest Catholic schools. The London Oratory School was named in The Sunday Times as one of the 'Top 10 Comprehensive Schools in the UK' for both 2022 and 2023.[2][3]
For similarly named schools in the United Kingdom and the United States, see Oratory School (disambiguation).The London Oratory School
Respice Finem
("Look to the end")
1863
Members of the London Oratory
The Very Revd Julian Large
Daniel Wright MA (Cantab)[1]
Boys
(Coeducational Sixth Form)
7 (Junior House) to 18
1,350~
6 (excluding the Junior House)
Red and black
"Quam Bonum Est"
The Oratorian, The Review
Old London Oratorians (informally Old Oratorians)
Overview[edit]
The London Oratory School admits 160 boys to the first form, as well as twenty boys who join the senior school from the Junior House. The School educates boys aged 7–16 and boys and girls aged 16–18 in the sixth form. There are around 1,350 pupils including about 350 in the sixth form.
The School shares its religious and cultural identity with the Congregation of the Oratory who founded the School and are its trustees. The school's formal links with the Brompton Oratory go back to the foundation of the school by The Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri (London) and continue as the Fathers of this Congregation are the trustees of the School. The London Oratory School and The Brompton Oratory continue their close working relationship which includes the Oratory Fathers supplying chaplaincy to the School and the School supplying the Schola choir for the parish.[4]
The school is notable for educating the children of a number of prominent politicians, including the children of the former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, children of Harriet Harman and former deputy Prime Minister, Sir Nick Clegg.[5][6]
Junior House[edit]
Twenty seven-year-old boys are admitted to the Junior House for a specialist musical education, including instrumental tuition. Some of the boys are admitted as choristers and sing in The Schola at from age 7. Boys admitted to the Junior House are full members of the school and are expected to continue their education at the school for the remainder of their Secondary Education. This is up until the age of sixteen.[13]
Pupils are selected on the basis of their musical aptitude and are required to take part in musical and, in the case of choristers, choral activities arranged outside normal school hours, including weekends and holidays, and to learn at least two musical instruments.[13]
The tradition of marking St Philip's feast day began in 1936.[18] The School celebrates its patronal festival with a Pontifical High Mass in Brompton Oratory on the feast of Saint Philip Neri, 26 May, or on the nearest Friday that falls during Trinity term. The Mass is followed immediately by the distribution of prizes to award winners and the presentation of ties and badges of office to the Senior Prefects by the outgoing Head of School. The official handing over of duties from the outgoing Senior Prefects to the incoming prefects occurs when the badges and ties of office are issued. All members of Staff traditionally wear full academic dress on this occasion.
The Principal Celebrant is usually a high-ranking official of the Catholic Church. Recent Celebrants have included:
Traditionally the Principal Celebrant preaches on the life of Saint Philip, with concluding comments directed to those pupils leaving the school.
The Guard of Honour is a tradition used by The London Oratory School for the Principal Celebrant of the Mass and senior guests. It is customary for the Combined Cadet Force,[30] consisting of the Army and RAF divisions to mount the Guard of Honour before the Mass as the Principal Celebrant enters the Brompton Oratory. The London Oratory School CCF has been badged to the Irish Guards since 2010. Previously the Army Section wore the cap badge of the Royal Green Jackets. Major General W G Cubitt, CBE, Major General Commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District was the Reviewing Officer at the CCF Biennial Inspection and oversaw the re-badging, together with the regimental adjutant and staff from regimental headquarters, making the London Oratory CCF the only Combined Cadet Force badged to the Irish Guards and one of the few CCFs badged to a Household Division regiment.
Music at the Mass is provided by The Schola Cantorum[31] and Chamber Choir assisted by The London Oratory Sinfonia. Organists for the ceremony have included David Terry, Nicholas O'Neill, Steven Grahl and Jeremy Filsell.
Awards are made both for curricular and extra-curricular aspects of school life. The conclusion of the patronal festival is traditionally marked with the school and congregation singing the school Song, "Quam bonum est".[32] After Mass there is a reception for the Guests, Senior Prefects, award winners and their parents in Saint Wilfrid's Hall, which is adjacent to the Brompton Oratory.
The John McIntosh Arts Centre[edit]
The Arts Centre which was inaugurated in 1991 by the then Prime Minister John Major, has a 305-seat theatre, with fly-tower, dressing rooms and orchestra pit, art studios and gallery space, a pottery, music teaching rooms, music technology suites, small recording studio, a recital area, practice rooms and four classrooms dedicated to each of the Junior House classes. In the foyer there is a large bronze sculpture of Athena by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi and major series of his original prints. In December 2006 the Arts Centre was renamed the John McIntosh Arts Centre in honour of the recently retired headmaster.[33]
Throughout the year there is a varied programme of concerts, recitals, plays, and exhibitions by pupils, parents and visiting artists and performers. In previous years the school has presented Macbeth, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, The Comedy of Errors, Much Ado about Nothing, and The Tempest, Molière's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme and The Hypochondriac, Gogol's The Government Inspector, Shaw's The Devil's Disciple and Pygmalion, Beckett's Endgame, Edward Bond's The Sea and Stone, Toad of Toad Hall, The Elephant Man, a number of one act plays including four by Chekhov, Arthur Miller's The Crucible and A View from the Bridge, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Peter Shaffer's Black Comedy, Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit, Alan Bennett's Habeas Corpus, and a production of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.[34] The sixth form usually put on two productions a year, with a play in the Michaelmas term and a musical in the Lent term.
Controversies[edit]
Sexual abuse allegations[edit]
In 2000, Father David Martin was accused of sexually abusing pupils through letters from anonymous students at the school. David Martin, who died in September 1998 of HIV related illnesses had been acting chaplain at the Oratory School from 1997 to 1998.[35] Childline confirmed that they had been contacted by young people making allegations of abuse at the school. Claims about his conduct were also detailed in letters to Hammersmith and Fulham social services, the Archbishop of Westminster and to national newspapers in late October 2000.[35] Hammersmith and Fulham council considered there to be “no evidence with which to base any further investigations, because the letter was anonymous, there was no specific allegation of child abuse, and obviously Father Martin was dead.” A spokesman for the Westminster diocese said: “Naturally the church is deeply concerned whenever any allegations are made against a priest and especially if there are any victims of abuse. Any allegations need to be fully investigated and the church authorities will cooperate fully.” Father Ignatius Harrison, main chaplain at the Oratory School was fully aware of the investigation, stating that there had never been any concerns about Father Martin's behaviour.[35] Hammersmith and Fulham social services, with the police, launched an investigation, which stalled due to the unclear lines of responsibility - Father Martin was chaplain at the school for four terms but was employed not by them but by the Oratory Fathers. Child protection officers attempted to establish the identity of the boy who made the complaints, only having his first name. There have been no further updates since December 2000.[35]