The Oratory School is an HMC co-educational private Roman Catholic boarding and day school for pupils aged 11–18 located in Woodcote, 6 miles (9.7 km) north-west of Reading, England. Founded in 1859 by Saint John Henry Newman, The Oratory has historical ties to the Birmingham Oratory and the London Oratory School. Although a separate entity from the nearby Oratory Preparatory School, it shares a common history. Newman founded the school with the intention of providing boys with a Roman Catholic alternative to Eton College. Until 2020, when it first admitted girls, it was the only boys’ Roman Catholic public school left in the United Kingdom. According to the Good Schools Guide, the school is “an active choice for families looking for a small, nurturing environment."
The Oratory School
The Oratory School aerial view
The playing fields
Woodcote is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Wallingford and about 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Reading, Berkshire. It is in the Chiltern Hills, and the highest part of the village is 600 feet (180 m) above sea level. Woodcote lies between the Goring Road and the A4074. It is centred on the village green and Church Farm, with the village hall centred on the crossroads.
The Black Lion, Woodcote