....to be unsurprised the BBC called the London Oratory a "prestigious private school" when it isn't?

[doorkeeper]

The London Oratory school is in the news because there's been a minor blaze there (nobody hurt) and a pupil has been taken in for questioning.

I was idly listening to PM on Radio 4, and they described the school as a "prestigious private school". Except it isn't, of course. It's a state-funded school. Except, again, it's functionally a free private school for posh and/or famous people that most ordinary mortals couldn't hope to get their kids into. I found this burst of accidental honesty from the BBC quite refreshing.

I'm sick of the posh London schools that are state-funded but that are effectively free private schools because of the way they massage their admissions. The now-disgraced former head of Holland Park School was taking HPS firmly in that direction, I know that a few other West London schools operate in the same way. I would love to see Ofsted - who were useless re the HPS scandal until it was too late - address this in some way. All children, even the ones whose parents aren't rich or famous, should have equal access to local schools, regardless of income, religion or parental connections.

AIBU to enjoy this bit of accidental honesty from the BBC?

It depends where your child is.
If they are stuck in a comp where less than half pass 5 gcses...

I think that's OP's point.

When you make education "equal access" for all people will find a way to make it not so. People with money will gather round the best schools and the more people with money who cluster round the schools the more money pours into the schools from the parents the better the resources the PTA can fund. Ultimately you end up with free private education like with this school.

@CaptainThomasPatButtonHall you've been to Muswell Hill then! Agree with your comments.

Ha! No, but my area is exactly the same. Thankfully we've snuck into the "free private school" in our area (and stick out like a sore thumb!). House prices are crazy because of the schools, most of which are occupied by ex-Londoners.

I don’t know how the London systems work but dont schools have a catchment area? So how do they massage entries if they have to take people from a certain area. There aren’t state selective schools in London are there?

Next to no London schools have catchments - it’s nearly always by distance (though I can think of one that’s a literal lottery, there are probably more)

The Oratory School is in an affluent area and is a faith school which prioritises by attendance, siblings and children of staff before straight distance.

Dontcha just love it when Auntie pretends to be the working man's friend 😉

Surely schools in affluent areas (especially in London) would always have a cache of affluent children going to them then.
I don’t really understand how that’s different to schools in affluent areas of any part of the country, apart from the fact that the areas are very affluent.

Tony Blairs children went to London Oratory when they were living in Downing Street, presumably because Cherie was a practising catholic. (As did Nick Clegg and Harriet Harman's)

And the girl went to Sacred Heart - Another similar set up r.e. state private school.

I think people sometimes assume London Oratory school is private because they mix it up with the Oratory near Reading.

I know someone whose DC got into Oratory from Kent I assume there were no dedicated Catholics living nearer.

Or it could have been because they are filthy rich... And bounced up the list over less "worthy catholics.'

This will be the future all over should 'real' privates be banned. The wealthier, sharp elbow variety will find a way to ensure their offspring aren't mixing with 'poor' people.

Boys from all sorts of backgrounds go to the London Oratory, many have parents in very low pay jobs. The admissions criteria is on its website and is transparent and fair. Yes there is a strong Catholic ethos and the school is supported by the Catholic Church. There are boys at the school receiving a top notch education who would otherwise not enjoy the same opportunities elsewhere, whose parents would not be able to afford a fee paying school.
Fulham is not particularly salubrious in fact there are lots of social challenges, social housing and deprivation in the area. It is an excellent school and because of that it is always over subscribed, with a waiting list. Admissions are not based on geographic proximity to the school it is literally a lottery so there are people from all over London there.

There are private fee paying schools with very similar names to the London Oratory, I wonder if that has caused some confusion on the BBC..

and is a faith school which prioritises by attendance, siblings and children of staff before straight distance.

That's normal for faith schools and many non faith state secondaries prioritise siblings, staff children before straight distance

I went to a Catholic school in another borough as did my siblings and had a friend who went to Oratory, although in this was the 90s.

The school is very short of money, as many other state funded schools are. It is on an over crowded central London site with no playing fields and many of the facilities are in poor shape. It has had issues with concrete causing closures in the autumn and this fire won't help at all.

Makes me laugh to hear it described as prestigious or a 'free' private school. Clearly said by someone who has never stepped inside one of London's independent schools.

I'm wondering why it's made headlines news when kids vandalise/ set fire to school buildings fairly regularly. Not at the London Oratory clearly 🙄

Did your dc not get a place @Alligator456? 😆

Of course it's a good school!

Where did I say it wasn't a good school? What did I say that wasn't true? The fact is that in common with other state schools, it is underfunded. The per pupil spend is the same per term at a London independent as it is for the whole year at a school like the Oratory.

I feel like there is this divide and rule thing going on where people are imagining that some state schools are some how accessing more resources and are just like an independent school. They aren't.

Anyway it's an awful thing to happen and I hope it doesn't cause too much disruption to the children's education.

It's not state funded access it's parent funded access through donations etc.

Agreed

@Alligator456 it certainly has prestige though hence why so many know about it. Despite its lack of funding & poor facilities it gets excellent results better than many private schools. I've stepped into a few London independents, they are not all the same.

Surely schools where this happens are very rare? Apart from the Oratory I don’t know of any in London - although several in eg Cambridge and Oxford, and the grammar schools in Kent and Bucks.