Nick Clegg Picks Labour's Favoured School for Son Antonio

Nick Clegg has picked the same school for his son as former PM Tony Blair did for his children.

From September, Antonio Clegg will attend a Catholic school in west London, the London Oratory.

A former grammar school in Fulham, the institution is a favourite with leading figures on the leftwing of British politics.

Former Labour leader Blair sent his son Euan to the school in 1995. Blair's son Nicky was sent not long after Blair swept to power in the 1997 landslide election win.

Euan became deputy head boy at the school.

More recently, Labour grandee Harriet Harman picked the London Oratory School (LOS) for her son, Harry. Harman's former government colleague, Ruth Kelly, sent her son Eamon to the same school where he is still a pupil.

Clegg will be reassured by the record of London Oratory, if not its status among his political rivals. Government inspectors ranked it "outstanding" and the number of pupils getting five or more GCSEs is twice the UK average.

Additionally, London Oratory has another connection with politics beyond some of its pupils. During the 1980s, it was part of the reason why then prime minister Margaret Thatcher shook up the education system.

Thatcher created grant-maintained schools to cut out local council "interference" in education after reading a furious letter about it by the then head teacher of the LOS.

A non-fee paying school, the school was transformed to an academy in 2011.

Clegg's decision was confirmed by the Liberal Democrats. A spokesman said: "In response to media inquirys Nick and Miriam [his wife] can confirm that they have decided to send their oldest son, Antonio, from September to London Oratory School

"He is a pupil at a state school, Our Lady of the Victories in Putney, where he has been going for the last six years. Now their decision has been made public, they hope that the privacy of their son will be respected."

The school motto is "Look to the end". Perhaps it can inspire Clegg too as he tries to quell the Lord Rennard groping claims scandal and end low national ratings.