The new All-Weather Pitch (AWP) will help strengthen The Oratory’s reputation as a leading independent school for Sport, significantly enhance the school’s sporting provision, and ensure it continues to attract and motivate generations of children for decades to come.

The AWP will be utilised all year round, in almost all conditions, for a wide range of sports and recreational activities that will primarily include hockey, but also football and rugby training, and racquet sports. The AWP will provide an alternative space when the school’s grass pitches are occasionally waterlogged during the winter months, and will be used for training, fixtures and tournaments throughout the year. It will also enable the school to grow hockey as a co-ed sport. 

Victoria Watson, Head of Hockey, says “Our 1st XI girls have won the Berkshire hockey league for four years in succession and our 2nd XI claimed the Group B title for the first time this season. I am excited that the new All-Weather Pitch will transform our hockey provision further by enabling us to hold all practice sessions on site, saving travel time. We will be able to host fixtures at home, providing a fantastic opportunity for Oratory parents, relatives, and friends to come together to support our players. The new AWP will also give us the flexibility we need to offer boys the opportunity to try the sport for the first time.” 

The AWP will have a full-size, sand based, professional playing surface that will meet Sport England and International Hockey Federation Standards, as well as an adjacent area which can be used by pupils for warm-up sessions. The AWP will be surrounded by a run-off and spectator area and enclosed with ball stop fencing. It will be situated southwest of the main school building, in close proximity to the school’s Sports Centre. This development will complement the school’s existing grass pitches, tennis courts and Sports Centre facilities.

As competitive sport should be celebrated, shared and accessible to all, The Oratory will also use the new facility to develop and extend their outreach partnerships with local schools, community groups and charities. 

Matthew Fogg, Acting Head (Head Master from April 2025), says “Public access and benefit from our facilities has been a key aspect for the school throughout my seven years here. Our local community has been able to access a wide range of our sports facilities, from our boathouse and golf course through to our Sports Centre swimming pool, tennis courts and gym. Members of the public are also able to make use of our grounds for walks, and local football teams, such as Goring Robins, regularly make use of our pitches for matches. As part of our planning for the AWP and Padel Courts, we have given detailed consideration to when they will be needed by the school and when both facilities will be available for public booking and use. 

Our own experience of trying to book external pitches has shown what a shortage there is in the local area and public use of our AWP will help to alleviate this. Ample parking is available and we will update our site signage to ensure that any traffic using these new facilities is clearly directed to appropriate parking within the school grounds.”

In addition to an All-Weather Pitch, The Oratory’s racquets programme has grown to become a major sport in the school, led by Claire Fahey, the reigning Ladies Real Tennis World Champion. As a result, the school will see the introduction of four Padel Tennis Courts for the forthcoming academic year. Padel Tennis is perhaps one of the most accessible of racquet sports, has grown hugely in popularity in recent years, and will provide an important element of a “sport for all” approach. 

For over 165 years, The Oratory School has prided itself on its sporting excellence, breadth of opportunity and focus on participation for all its young people: after all, we all know that having a healthy body helps us to have a healthy mind for our studies. Many former pupils have continued to play sport throughout their lives and a considerable number have gone on to compete professionally around the world, fulfilling the school’s ethos to ‘Be you. Become More.’ The Oratory’s beautiful Oxfordshire estate has always been fundamental to its sporting success and it now looks forward to the next chapter of developing sports provision.

Discover more about The Oratory and everything it has to offer at The Oratory’s next Open Morning on Saturday 10 May. To book your place, click here.