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After the flurry of several single sex schools becoming coeducational in the last few years, it’s time to take stock and consider a major reason why the few remaining boys’ boarding schools continue to flourish in the face of the trend towards mixed schools.

Being a former Royal Marine who served in the Falklands, it would take considerably more space to retrace for you my path to becoming Head Master at The Oratory School, Woodcote, on the Oxfordshire Berkshire border – where we are committed to remaining a boys’ only boarding and day school. However, my particular interest in education is how boys are better enabled to thrive as rounded, uninhibited individuals in a boys’ only environment where they are keen to play rugby and cricket, but also enthusiastic about performing on stage and singing in the choir. At The Oratory School it’s not uncommon to see boys at choir practice who are wearing their rugby kit, having just come off the field!

However, a significant common thread among boys’ only boarding schools is that we have been ahead of the curve when it comes to acknowledging how former Armed Forces personnel can play an essential part in providing strong role models in a boy’s education. We have many ex Services officers and NCOs among our masters.

These members of staff bring leadership skills, unique experiences and a driving force to every boys’ school ethos, where a high activity diet should be in the blood. Of course, former Forces personnel complement the breadth of expertise that is necessary and superbly provided by the other staff, but they bring an extra dimension unique to their uniformed life. Ex-Service people heartily underpin my unofficial motto that should apply to any boys’ school: ‘a busy boy is a happy boy’. The community of boarding schools is second nature to former Forces staff, where they readily deal with the need to keep boys busy and motivated, be it between prep and supper, or on a rainy Saturday when fixtures are cancelled.

It’s at boys’ boarding schools that you find a strong calling to teaching for former Servicemen. Briefly looking at The Oratory School as an example, in the last year we’ve taken on a former Army Major who teaches mathematics, and another former Army Major whose subjects are Spanish and French. They joined our established staff among whom is a retired Army senior NCO, who has coached our target rifle shooting team members to perform consistently well at national level. One of our senior masters is a Reservist pilot – made an MBE for his services to air cadets – and Contingent Commander of our Combined Cadets Force. In addition, we have two former Royal Marines.

Of course, a strong CCF contingent is a huge opportunity for boarding school boys to gain fantastic opportunities and experiences in Army, Navy and RAF Cadets, and, clearly, former Service personal have much to offer with their skills, knowledge and enthusiasm. From what I know of them, I’d guess they would each say, too modestly, that they are just trying to do the best they can in their duty to young people, and will give little or no regard to the full-time dedication they give to this vocation.

At The Oratory School we are celebrating our 150th anniversary this year (2009), and remain as committed to teaching boys as was our founder – the great Victorian educationalist and theologian John Henry, Cardinal Newman. He was influential in the Catholic tradition of education by being the first to provide a Catholic school with lay teachers. While our Catholic ethos remains at the heart of The Oratory School ethos, we happily accommodate boys from other traditions and none. Today among our parents are officers of all three Services and the school is full; that must be because boys-only schools are fulfilling the wishes that many parents still have for their sons’ education.