
The Oratory
The Oratory
Woodcote, England
Founded in 1859 as a boys’ school, The Oratory opened its doors to girls in 2015. Today it is a small, welcoming boarding school with stunning views over the Chiltern Downs. Conveniently located just ten minutes from Reading and 45 minutes from London, The Oratory offers a truly rounded education – strong academically, but equally rich in sport, music and the creative arts.

The Details
The Academics
The Oratory is a school with solid academic credentials. In 2024, 35% of GCSE grades were 7–9, while 27% of A levels were awarded at grade A – impressive figures for a non-selective school. Small class sizes, strong support and highly committed teachers play a key role in these results.
The curriculum is fairly traditional, with core subjects complemented by options such as Politics and Psychology. Art is especially popular among pupils.
Languages Taught
German, Latin, French and Spanish.
The Boarding
The Oratory has around 120 boarders, 50 of whom live full-time on campus. There are three boarding houses – two for boys and one for girls – and unusually, these are fully integrated with the day houses. This means day and boarding pupils spend the whole day together, encouraging friendships between local British pupils and their international peers.
The boarding houses, though functional in style, are cosy and spacious. Sixth Formers have their own rooms, while younger pupils share with up to two others.
Weekends bring an optional activity programme, ranging from surfing trips to Bristol to indoor skiing in Tamworth. And with Reading, Oxford and London all within easy reach, pupils have countless opportunities to experience British culture – or simply go shopping.

Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
Thanks to its small size and Catholic ethos, The Oratory is an especially inclusive and welcoming school – a bit like one big family. This atmosphere helps international pupils, in particular, to feel at home very quickly. For a relatively small school, The Oratory offers an impressively broad and high-quality co-curricular programme. Sport is outstanding, ranging from rowing and riding to the more unusual real tennis. The creative offer is equally strong, with well-equipped Art and Design departments, while music thrives too – not least through the school’s two choirs.
The location couldn’t be better for international families: just 30 minutes from London Heathrow, 10 minutes from Reading, 20 minutes from Oxford and 45 minutes from central London. What more could you ask for?
Weaknesses
At present, the school still has a slight imbalance between boys and girls, with girls making up around 35% of the pupil body. However, this is changing rapidly year on year.
Location
The Oratory sits in the heart of the Chiltern Hills, just outside the village of Woodcote. It feels wonderfully rural, with fields and woodlands all around, yet you can be in Reading, Oxford or even Heathrow in no time. A rare mix of countryside calm and city buzz right on the doorstep.
London Paddington - 1 hr by train
Oxford - 35 min by car
As a boarding experience, it’s a very well-rounded package – particularly well suited even for a shorter stay.
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