A Roman Catholic school attended by Nick Clegg ’ s eldest son and two of Tony Blair ’ s has been cleared of discriminating against the poor . The Office of the Schools Adjudicator criticised the Oratory School in London for engaging in ‘ social selection ’ , saying it had broken the rules in 105 different ways . The state-funded school in Fulham , West London , was ordered to revise its admissions policy last year after the watchdog decided it was biased against working-class and non-Catholic children . The Oratory School in London was cleared of discriminating against the poor and non-Catholic children . The watchdog accused the school of cherry-picking privileged white children using its strict faith-based entry requirements . But yesterday , this was overturned by a High Court judge who said this decision was ‘ flawed ’ and ‘ unreasonable ’ . Mr Justice Cobb said : ‘ The adjudicator ’ s conclusion that the governing body of the school had operated an admissions system which was socially selective , discriminatory , and unfairly disadvantageous to children from less well-off families was flawed and was reached by a process which was procedurally unfair to the school. ’ The original case followed a complaint by the British Humanist Association in the spring of 2013 . The school , founded in 1863 , has prioritised pupils based on whether they sing in the choir , arrange flowers in church , serve at the altar or assist in pastoral work . In its ruling , the watchdog said the school must not grant places ‘ on the basis of any practical or financial support parents may give to the school ’ - nor should children be favoured on the basis of their hobbies and activities . It said the ratio of children receiving free school meals - used as an indicator of poverty - was only 6-7 per cent compared with the local average of 25.1 per cent . Mr Clegg ’ s eldest son Antonio , 12 , attends , while Mr Blair sent his two eldest sons , Nicky and Euan , to the school with daughter Kathryn believed to have joined in the sixth form . The boys ’ school , which admits girls to the sixth form , also counts deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman among its alumni . A High Court Judge branded the decision by the watchdog 'flawed ' It is one of the most popular in the country and is always oversubscribed . In a reserved judgment after a hearing last month Mr Justice Cobb ordered the adjudicator to think again after remitting the case to be heard by a fresh adjudicator . He said : ‘ I am satisfied that the adjudicator reaches this conclusion by a mix of flawed reasoning and unfair process . In the circumstances I am satisfied that this finding must be quashed. ’ He ordered the adjudicator to pay 80 per cent of the school ’ s £155,000 costs with £60,000 on account . Ane Vernon , solicitor for the school , said : ‘ The allegation that the school was socially selective and discriminating against less well-off families has been hurtful to staff , pupils and parents . ‘ This damaging allegation has been found by the judge to be wrong and unfair , and the finding vindicates the robust approach the school has had to take against the Office of the Schools Adjudicator. ’ Headmaster David McFadden added : ‘ The judge ’ s decision supports us in continuing to preserve the school ’ s ethos and serving Catholic families throughout the whole of London . ‘ It is profoundly regrettable that the school - and other schools - have to expend precious resources , year after year , in standing up to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator . ‘ These are key resources that should go to our children ’ s education and their future , not overturning ultimately flawed and unmeritorious decisions . Schools within the state sector have serious questions to ask about the adjudication process. ’ The judge said he feared his conclusions would not bring an end to investigations into the school which had been going on for ‘ far too long. ’ London Oratory was rated ‘ outstanding ’ by Ofsted and has some of the best results in the country . The case comes after a group of secular vicars and laypeople wrote an open letter calling for all Church of England schools to stop admissions based on faith criteria . Church groups have complained that a ‘ secular agenda ’ is increasingly being imposed on faith schools which aim to uphold their traditional beliefs .
The Oratory School was ordered to revise its admissions policy last year . Came after watchdog found it was biased against poor and non-Catholics . Score: 6