The Oratory School was founded by Saint John Henry Newman, and it is to him that the school looks for inspiration and guidance. The Oratory is a Catholic School, meaning that it is a Catholic school that is unashamed of its Catholicity, while recognising that not all the pupils in the school are Catholic. Theology is then a broad term describing that religious formation and study of religion which goes on in the classroom. Here at The Oratory, Theology is firmly founded in the teaching of Catholic Christianity in keeping with the spirit and example of our founder, John Henry Newman, and in line with the Catholic Bishops’ Curriculum Directory. If the pupil is studying the subject to exam level, then it is called Religious Studies – RS – which is the exam boards’ official title for the syllabuses.

The department is housed in large, friendly, dedicated classrooms. There is a large collection of books for pupils to use and the Library is stocked with an excellent selection of reference works. The School Chaplain delivers the 6th Form core RS teaching.

Fr David Elliott - Head of Theology

1st, 2nd & 3rd Form

In the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Form, pupils follow the course, “Source to Summit”, the textbooks of which are published by Oxford University Press. These help pupils to learn and reflect on Catholic beliefs and teachings as well as understand moral, philosophical, and ethical approaches to life in the modern day, particularly focusing on the example and witness of good role models for young people today. The aim is to give an excellent foundation of knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Christian faith, which lies at the heart of The Oratory community. In the 6th Form, a suitably broader range of content is studied: world faiths, ethical issues, Church history, religious philosophy.

GCSE

For the 4th and 5th Form, all pupils study the full GCSE course (AQA Religious Studies, Specification B). The pupils study the compulsory paper on Catholic Christianity which is 50% of the course. The other 50% is split between two papers: Judaism and Mark’s Gospel. Naturally, this course does not examine each candidate’s own faith, but requires a thorough knowledge of the material – as in any academic discipline.

Find out more about our Religious Studies GCSE here: GCSE Subject Options Brochure.

A Level

Currently, the school is following the Edexcel course studying Ethics, New Testament, and Philosophy of Religion. Pupils are taught by members of the department who are highly qualified in their fields. Theology, Philosophy & Ethics has much in common with any subject where evidence is sought (the arts and sciences). It shares with English, History, and Classical Civilisation the disciplines of analysis of texts and evidence, and seeks to train the pupil to assess this material in order to make reasoned conclusions. Although some may think that Theology, Philosophy & Ethics is very different from the sciences, it actually uses the same approaches in order to find ‘the truth’. Sometimes this is using empirical evidence – assessing material which is proven, and sometimes using the rational side of our brain to prove something or come up with sensible theories.

Find out more about our Theology, Philosophy & Ethics A Level, including course content and assessment, here: 6th Form Subject Options Brochure.

At the heart of the Oratorian ethos which Saint John Henry Newman wanted for his school is the life-affirming nature of a deep and active faith: to be Christian is to be fully and enjoyably human. To this end we make a number of trips and visits each year which combine fun and interest with sound doctrinal input and spiritual reflection. 

Our trips include Westminster, a Newman “pilgrimage” to Birmingham, Harvington Hall, Arundel, and nearer to home for the younger years, Mapledurham, Littlemore, and St Albans.