Intellectually curious & academically ambitious

The Oratory offers a rich and broad curriculum

All academic subjects are taught in small classes by specialists who aim to inspire a genuine love of learning in all students. Students are encouraged to be intellectually curious and academically ambitious. 

Students leave The Oratory with higher grades than the national average for their ability. The breadth of the subjects on offer, combined with subject-based enrichment, promotes strong academic development. 
 

Academic endeavour is very much encouraged; we want our pupils to work hard, take responsibility for their own learning, and strive to achieve everything they are capable of. All pupils follow the internationally recognised and intellectually rigorous GCSE and A Level curricula, with the Extended Project Qualification also offered at 6th Form.

One-to-one attention is at the heart of all we do. As a smaller school, the students have the benefit of great relationships with their teachers and tutors, who know their strengths and their weaknesses, and can support them throughout their entire school journey, ensuring that each and every student achieves their potential during the exam period and beyond.

First choice universities for A Level pupils

2024 sees another year of excellent A Level exam results with the majority of our students gaining entry to their first choice universities.
 

Ex Umbris Learning Culture Brochure

"Ex Umbris et imaginibus in veritatem"
(Out of shadows and phantasms into Truth)
Saint John Henry Newman

One of the key features that distinguishes a great school from a mediocre school is a clear learning culture.

If not told how to learn or supported in developing healthy learning habits, most students will maintain or develop habits that work against effective learning.

Our Founder, Saint John Henry Newman’s vision of education was of a holistic process of active engagement in learning that would develop not just the knowledge of facts, but a deeper understanding of reality, wiser judgement, and profound personal flourishing.

Our Ex Umbris learning culture aims to keep Newman’s educational vision alive in the twenty-first century.