The Oratory is a small school with a big heart and big ambition. Wherever your talents or aspirations lie – Academic, Art, Drama, Music or Sport – you can be assured that you will be provided with opportunities to celebrate and nurture your talent and fulfil your potential. Particular excellence at Sixth Form is recognised with the Head's award, which is used to recognise and celebrate those students who make a significant contribution to the life of the school. This could involve excellence and leadership in one area, or contributions across a number of different aspects of the school. 

Scholarships are merit-based awards recognising excellence either in a particular area or all-round. The granting of a scholarship carries with it privilege and responsibility. Each scholar is expected to set an example and be a positive role model for other pupils in their conduct and support a culture of ambitious endeavour and achievement. Our dedicated scholarship programme includes specific sessions for scholars that run in all areas across the week, with additional opportunities for individuals to tailor their programme to target their own needs. The Oratory’s size and ethos facilitates one-on-one conversations and guidance throughout a scholar’s time at the school, preparing them for a life of curiosity and exploration.

A scholarship usually carries a 10% fee remission and exhibition a 5% fee remission, but in exceptional circumstances these can be higher. The Head's scholarship for Sixth Form pupils carries a 25% fee remission.

For more detailed information about the scholarship offering, please view our Scholarships Brochure:

"Through my scholarship I have had the opportunity to develop my creativity to an even more advanced level. I have learnt a multitude of new skills and artistic techniques which wouldn’t have been possible without the various extra classes, specialist tools and studio facilities on offer to me as a scholar."

Current Art & 3D Design Scholar

We are committed to broadening access to The Oratory by offering means-tested financial support with the payment of school fees. Bursary funds are limited, with priority being given to those prospective pupils judged likely to benefit most from an Oratory education, and can be offered alongside a scholarship award.

Bursaries are offered both to new pupils and those who are already in school and whose families have suffered sudden and unexpected financial hardship.

Parents/guardians of existing pupils should contact the Bursar directly.

For new applicants to the school, Bursary applications will only be considered after an applicant has formally registered with us. If you indicate on your registration form that you wish to apply for support with fees, we will email you an activation link to an online portal where you can create an account to complete your application and provide supporting documentation. If you have not received this activation link, please contact the Bursar on bursary@oratory.co.uk.

Applications are reviewed by the Bursar and the majority, but not all, are passed to an independent company, Bursary Administration Limited, which will carry out a detailed review, usually including a telephone call with parents/guardians.

The granting of a bursary is discretionary. In making its decisions, the school considers a wide range of appropriate matters including, but not limited to, suitability, parental/guardian income (from all sources), assets (including personal property), and other matters that are particular to the pupil, such as family circumstances. The amount of the bursary award is not influenced by the child's abilities but by the extent of need. Each case is assessed on its own merits and awards are made subject to the school's ability to fund these within the context of its overall budget. As The Oratory does not have a large endowment, the school is mindful, when providing bursarial support, that there remains an overall fair balance between those who benefit and full fee-paying parents, many of whom are also making significant personal sacrifices to fund their children's education.

All bursaries are reassessed annually. For further details, please see our Bursaries Policy below:

MoD families who claim the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) will be required to pay only the minimum parental contribution of 10% of the basic boarding fees in respect of each child in the school, as stipulated under the CEA Regulations, plus all extras incurred as a result of the education of their child at the school.

For those families where parents are involved in the military and regularly posted abroad, boarding school is often the only option. All our Houses include full boarders alongside flexi-boarders and day pupils, which provides a vibrant community across all year groups, and our boarders experience a nurturing home environment under the supervision of our outstanding Housemasters and Housemothers. A full evening and weekend activity programme means that we can offer our boarders a whole host of new social and cultural opportunities that contribute another dimension to their broad Oratory education.

We have enjoyed links with the military services, indeed some of our current staff are from military backgrounds. This allows us to offer the best pastoral care for your child, where those on hand can relate to what they may be experiencing.

From a financial point of view, here at The Oratory School, we go above and beyond for military families. This is because we know the educational, pastoral, and spiritual support that we offer is unique. As a result, we can offer additional military concessions to supplement subsidies already in place for some serving military personnel.

We very much enjoy welcoming Old Oratorian (Alumni) as parents, and they are entitled to a 10% fee concession. 

Parents who apply for and accept a place for their third, or any subsequent children, will be eligible for a discount of 15% on each of the third and subsequent children’s school fees.

The discount will only apply whilst there are a minimum of three siblings in full-time education at the school. Where there are two siblings, the fees will revert to full fees for both children, but we welcome scholarship and/or means-tested bursary applications from families.