John McIntosh (OBE)
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John McIntosh, OBE, MA, FRSA, HonFCP, HonFASC (b. 6 February 1946) was Headmaster of the London Oratory School for 29 years until his retirement on 31 December 2006. Under his headmastership, the school was chosen by the Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, for the education of two of his sons and his daughter.
He was educated at Ebury School, Shoreditch College and Sussex University. He joined the London Oratory School as an Assistant Master for Mathematics at the age of 21 in 1967, was promoted to Deputy Headmaster in 1971 and was appointed Headmaster in 1977.
The London Oratory School was and remains a comprehensive school in the trusteeship of the Fathers of the Brompton Oratory which has allowed it a measure of operational independence, both from the local education authorities and also from the local diocese of the Roman Catholic Church. McIntosh used his freedom of action to develop the academic excellence of the school, substantially increasing (for example) the numbers of boys obtaining admittance to Oxford University, and also to develop its music department, introducing a junior house, admitting boys at the age of seven, for a specialist music course.
His success, in improving the examination results and university entrance achievements of boys from a mixed ability, non-fee paying state school, by taking advantage of his exemption from the usual organisational constraints imposed on local authority schools, brought McIntosh to the attention of the Conservative governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, which was looking for new policies for state education consistent with its instinctively laissez faire philosophy, and it was a flagship school for their 'Grant Maintained' experiment.
McIntosh was appointed to the Conservative think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies Education Group in 1982, so that he could contribute policy ideas; he became a member of its Council in 2005. Between 1988 and 1991, he served on the Education Advisory Council of the Institute of Economic Affairs. He served on the Health Education Council between 1985 and 1988, and on the National Curriculum Council between 1990 and 1993. He has been a member of the Catholic Union of Great Britain since 1978.
He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1996. He was also made an additional member of the Headmasters Conference, which is mostly identified with the headmasters of independent schools (known as public schools in the UK), though they have admitted the heads of a number of outstanding state schools as associates for some years. He was frequently quoted in the press on matters of educational controversy, particularly after it became known that the Prime Minister's children were at his school.
Among his many interests include Music, he is a talent pianist and organist. He is currently the Dean and Education Advisor of Academy of St. Cecilia in London, which takes its name from the Accademia di Santa Cecilia ([1]), the musicians' guild in 17th century Rome of which Corelli, Pasquini and Alessandro Scarlatti, among others, were all members.
He is also a member of the Abbot's Advisory Committee at Ampleforth College, a governor of St Philip's Preparatory School in London, a trustee of the English Schools Orchestra and Choir. Thus leading a very active retirement.
