The Oratory School Appoints New Headmaster from September 2016

The Governors of the Oratory Schools Association have announced the appointment of Joe Smith as Headmaster of The Oratory School with effect from September 2016.

Joe Smith was invited to be Headmaster as a result of his outstanding leadership of the Oratory Preparatory School (OPS) since 2010. He was educated at the University of Liverpool, where he took a First in English; he has a PGCE from Brunel and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Buckingham University. Before moving to the OPS, Mr Smith was first Head of English and then housemaster of a 13-18 boys’ boarding house at Monkton Combe School in Bath, where he also ran the Army section of the Combined Cadet Force and coached sport. He is an inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate.

Joe is married to Debbie, who is the Registrar at the OPS, and they have three children: Sebastian – who is in the 4^th Form at The Oratory – Imogen and Tom, who are in Years 8 and 4 respectively at the OPS.

He said “I am delighted and very excited to have been asked to lead TheOratory, a school with a fine history and a great future. My sadness at leaving the OPS after six years is tempered by my joy at being able to stay with the Oratory Schools Association – the Oratory “family” as we call it – and to remain in this beautiful part of the world.”

Joe Smith succeeds Adrian Wyles who has decided to step down from the position of Head Master at the end of the Summer Term 2016.