The House – A Place to Be
We recognise that moving to senior school or sixth form is exciting but can also be a daunting prospect for many young people so we have a very successful house system that gives them a place to belong within the school.
The House is both a physical entity as well as a group of pupils from a range of years. The houserooms are bespoke spaces where students can go for downtime with their friends, relax at break, over lunchtime or after school, and provide somewhere where they can socialise or play pool, table tennis or work. We have designed the houserooms to be bright, modern and spacious where students want to spend time, and as importantly to provide opportunities for peer mentoring.
The House system
Those who join us in the First Year, at age 11, join the Lower School under the care of the Head of Lower School. Our contemporary looking Lower School house room has areas for games, socialising and quiet relaxation.
Those joining us in the Third Year, at age 13, and when joining the Sixth Form, join one of nine houses: three houses cater for a mixture of boarders and day pupils and there is a further six day pupil houses. Each house is run by a Head of House who works closely with a team of tutors to safeguard and promote the welfare of the students within the house.
The Heads of House stand “in loco parentis” to the pupils in their house, while they are on school premises – and they will try to help them outside the school as well, with the co-operation of parents.
The Heads of House are assisted by teams of tutors, who look after tutor groups within the houses.
Tutors
At the beginning of the year, the tutor will check that timetables are in order, and, where necessary, will advise on courses and options. Besides overseeing a student’s wellbeing, the tutor will also monitor their academic progress, and will write a general academic summary when school reports are issued.
All tutors see their tutees for a brief period every day. Tutor time for each pupil amounts to at least one hour a week, in which tutor groups discuss topics such as choices, progress, current affairs and personal and social education. We regard this time as a crucial part of the educational experience at Abingdon.
Houses
Austin House
Head of House: Mr James Golding
Educated at Kent College, Canterbury, James then represented Kent County Cricket Club for 6 years whilst gaining a degree in Sports Science and Geography. After working for two years at Bristol Grammar School, James completed his PGCE at the University of Bath, before working at Abbeyfield School for 7 years as a PE teacher and housemaster. James moved to Abingdon in 2014 as Director of Cricket and became Head of Austin in 2015.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849056
- Email: [email protected]
- Austin House Duty Mobile: +44 (0)7557 667078
Tutors
- 6: Chloe Kenzie, Rena Papadopoulos, Mark Simpson and Michael Frampton
- 5: Keely Ewart-Brookes and Robert Pruciak
- 4: Andrew Appleton and Archie Holmes
- 3: Tom Allen and Jack Wrighton
Border's
Head of House: Mr David Border
David was educated at Reading Blue Coat School before moving on to UWE to study Pharmaceuticals. Having been offered a scholarship place at Sandhurst, David decided instead to pursue a career in teaching so completed his PGCE at Christ Church, Oxford. He has taught Chemistry at Abingdon since 2012 and took over the position of Head of House in September 2016. Beyond the classroom David has been heavily involved in rowing since a young age and still competes as a veteran. He also enjoys American football, cooking, cycling, and travelling.
Contact
- Telephone +44 (0)1235 849030
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: Jo Shindler, Nathan Brittain, James Ambrose, Laura Haar, Amy Donnelly and Emily O’Doherty
- 5: Lucy Hamblin-Rooke and James Ward
- 4: Ellen Salow and Adam Hepworth
- 3: Issy Michell
Crescent House
Head of House: Mr Matthew Kendry
Matt studied Engineering at Cambridge before working for Unilever as a project manager for several years. After a career move into teaching he joined Abingdon as Head of Crescent in 2014, and became Head of Boarding in 2016. He teaches Mathematics and coaches rowing, as well as running the Codebreaking Club. Matt also enjoys cycling and pub quizzes.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849046
- Email: [email protected]
- Crescent House Duty Mobile: +44 (0)7557 443150
Tutors
- 6: Nicholas Knowland, Alexandra Cardinal von Widdern, Kevin Magee and Christina Gallivan
- 5: Alex Axon and Willo Willoughby
- 4: Nick Ball and Henry Barnes
- 3: Mark Johnson and Lizzy Bland
Donnelly's
Head of House: Mr Tom Donnelly
Educated at Kennet School, Tom graduated from Loughborough University in 2011 with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science. Keen to pursue a teaching career Tom joined Abingdon’s Sports Department after graduation. Tom has previously run the Swimming Club and the Football Club. An avid traveller, Tom’s favourite trips have included the Golden Triangle in Iceland, the Margaret River Valley in Western Australia and Table Mountain, South Africa. Following six years as a tutor, Tom became a Head of House in 2019. As well as enjoying good coffee and photography, Tom is an enthusiastic cricketer, coaching teams both in and out of school.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849080
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: Hayley Geary-Andrews, Kate Isle, Lizzie Guinney, Mathew Dempsey and Claire Williams
- 5: Mike Webb and Maud Cottrell
- 4: Dan Foster and Daniel Mason
- 3: Rebecca Binnington
Gold's
Head of House: Mr Matthew Gold
Matthew joined Abingdon in September 2016 as Director of Rugby, having previously taught at The Windsor Boys’ School and spent ten years at The John Fisher School in Purley, where he was Head of PE and Head of Rugby. During his time at Abingdon, Matthew has also been a boarding tutor in Austin House and became Head of Gold’s House in September 2026. Matthew believes that a strong House is one where every pupil feels known, supported and valued. He is passionate about creating a positive sense of belonging, encouraging pupils to look out for one another, make the most of their opportunities and approach school life with confidence and ambition. Outside school, Matthew enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, keeping active, playing golf, watching live sport and listening to music.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849019
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: David Panter, Paul Williamson, Hettie Preiss-Chapman and Richard Stafford
- 5: Victoria Pradas and Dan Hughes
- 4: Maris Elmore and Sandy Garel
- 3: Joanna Bridgeworth
Ley's
Head of House: Mrs Kate Ley
Kate grew up in West Oxfordshire before heading to London to study Chemistry at Imperial College. She later returned to Oxford to complete her PGCE and began her teaching career at Tonbridge Grammar School. She joined Abingdon School in 2015 and has since taken on a variety of roles, including tutoring in both the Middle School and Sixth Form. In 2025, she was appointed Head of House. Over the years, Kate has contributed to a wide range of Other Half activities – from croquet and charities to shooting. As Officer in Charge of the RAF Section in the CCF, she particularly enjoys supporting students as they grow in confidence and take on leadership roles. Outside of school, Kate is a fan of strong coffee, long walks, and watching the Tour de France. Much of her free time is spent acting as a taxi service for her two children, Lara and Theo, who keep her on her toes.
Contact
- Telephone +44 (0)1235 849050
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: Lucinda Powell, Tony Gray, Emma Williamson, Oliver Lomax and Behnoosh Sabah
- 5: Rob Southwell-Sander and David James
- 4: Tom Eames-Jones
- 3: Andrew Broadbent and Julian Easterbrook
Pygott's
Head of House: Mr Richard Pygott
Richard studied Geography at Cambridge University and graduated in 2006. Despite the rest of his family being teachers, he left university to work for four years in international marketing as a graduate at Kingspan. A career in teaching was inevitable, however, and after a PGCE and Masters at Oxford, he worked at Hereford Cathedral School before spending four years at Magdalen College School, latterly as a Head of Year.
Richard’s passions are learning Welsh (with difficulty), singing 18th century catches, map collecting and chasing after his two young children, Edward and Hermione.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849020
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: Will Bower, Dave McGill, Natalie Spurling-Holt and Richard Taylor
- 5: Jason Preece and Victoria Middleton
- 4: Chris Burnand and Henry Morgan
- 3: Sophie Payne and Esther Peternek
School House
Head of House: Mr Mike Litchfield
Mike, an Old Abingdonian, studied Chemistry at Manchester University. After graduating he travelled around South East Asia before returning to the UK to work as both a Sub-Contract Manager and Project Manager on a large international defence program. Teaching came calling in 2007 and he began his career teaching Chemistry at Abingdon where he is currently Head of School House. Mike really enjoyed sport at Abingdon and currently helps with cross-country, referees rugby occasionally, and coaches the J15C crew.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849036
- Email: [email protected]
- School House Duty Mobile: +44 (0)7557 441058
Tutors
- 6: Oscar Hird, Dean Evans, James Hallinan and Alice Perry
- 5: Nick O’Doherty and Rosie Harris
- 4: Melissa Abbott and Ben Phillips
- 3: Callum Richardson and Yi Zhang
Stockdale's
Head of House: Mr Will Stockdale
After studying Geography at Oxford, Will worked at Deloitte as a Management Consultant, with his final project as part of Team GB for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. He started teaching at Westminster School in London, becoming Head of Year and later Head of Geography. He arrived back at Abingdon, this time as a teacher, with a young family and covered Head of Geography before becoming a Head of House. He coaches third year rowing and supports Geography clubs across the school. Will enjoys road cycling, travel and is a film fanatic.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849040
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: Liz Corley, Ian Middleton, Martin Poon and Chris Hack
- 5: Amanda McKend and Richard Fisher
- 4: Clare Ollerton and John Brooks
- 3: Vicky Palli Evans
