Moulsford vs The Oratory Prep for day pupil

[YourRareFox]

Hi all,
We’re starting to look seriously at prep school options in Berkshire / Oxfordshire and would really appreciate any first-hand views. Our shortlist has come down to Moulsford and The Oratory Prep, and we’re a bit torn.
We’re currently leaning towards Moulsford – we like the feel of the school, its ethos and what seems like a really strong all-round offering. However, The Oratory Prep is significantly closer to home, which is obviously a big practical advantage day-to-day.
I’d love to hear from anyone with experience of either (or both!) on things like:

• Academic standards and stretch
• Pastoral care and overall atmosphere
• Sport and extracurricular opportunities
• How well they prepare children for senior schools
• Any noticeable differences in culture or “type” of families
• How big a factor the commute ended up being in reality

Also, if anyone considered both and chose one over the other, what tipped the balance? Thanks so much in advance – it’s such a big decision and really appreciate any honest insights!

No experience of Oratory but everyone I know with DC at Moulsford is very happy. Never heard a bad word about it.

Hello, I went through the same decision making very recently!

I chose Oratory and so glad I did. It felt much more "normal" than Moulsford. They are both very similar but my eldest child loves swimming and OPS pool and swimming team is brilliant.

Commute from Henley is so much easier and as you say is a big factor day-to-day. My children have got a choice of senior schools and are being stretched academically - were at state before. The teachers picked up on gap straight away and they just love learning now.

Love how friendly the parents are - made lots of friends already. Happy to talk any time if you want to hear more.

Diamante27 - thank you for your message. The swimming is a big pull for us too.

We would be travelling from Caversham Heights so only 13 mins to OPS and 20-25 mins to Moulsford. Also, my sister flagged that the traffic around Moulsford at drop off can be really bad.

Do you see any impact of the Oratory ownership model impacting day to day quality? (Good or bad…)

no problem - it's so difficult to make these decisions!

I have also heard that traffic is nightmarish around Moulsford/Cranford.

We get updates from the owners, Bellevue, and meet the governors sometimes. From my experience only good things and it's good to know they won't be going under!

New Headmaster starting in September who I've met and he seems brilliant! I think he's going to make the school go from strength to strength. He's also meeting prospective families online before he starts so you could ask the Admissions girls if they can put you in touch.

Thanks for flagging re new Headmaster. Nothing has been said about that on current comms. Just read a bit online and very interested to read about to move from laptops to workbooks. We are very keen on whichever school edging towards written work, rather than time spent looking at screens. They'll have plenty of time spent using screens when they're older...