20 May 2011
Dear Parents, Colleagues, Governors and Boys of Abingdon
It still feels as though term has only just got going, such has been the rather disjointed start. Already the Fifth Year and Lower Sixth have started study leave, the Fourth Year have taken their exams and at assembly on Monday I invited those of us currently here to wish the Upper Sixth all the best for their remaining weeks at Abingdon.
For these young men it is a strange period in their school careers. They are immensely preoccupied with the business of A level exams now very much on the horizon. They are also preparing themselves for the moment when they will walk out the gate for the last time. There are final experiences, playing in a music group, in a team, last lesson with a favourite teacher, dinners, parties, BBQs, Griffen Ball – each puts down a marker that the final rite of passage, leaving Abingdon forever, is now only a matter of days away.
As a rule of thumb I think that these boys hold Abingdon in huge affection. They are warm in their reflections when they talk to me about leaving. But they are 18, no longer school boys, and the reality is that many will feel that they just want to get on with whatever comes next. This is as it should be, the natural order of things, although this can be unsettling both at home and at school. There will be opportunities for the Upper Sixth to mark their leaving in fun ways, but I hope that all will keep a sense of proportion and equilibrium and conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to their status as adults.
For the boys’ teachers this period leading up to exams and the farewells has its own significance. Believe it or not, the passing out of a year group is a bit of a wrench. Over the years close and well regarded relationships teacher-student and vice versa will have developed. We are used to the process of them moving on and away and it’s our job to ensure that each is well prepared and skilled for whatever comes next.
Parents, however, are perhaps less sanguine. I do feel for parents at this time of year. Their sons are a mixture of apprehension about exams and the future, and hopefully a bubbling excitement but, for parents, these weeks also mark an important milestone as their children set out for greater independence.
I have suggested to the Upper Sixth that they might like to turn the occasional thought to what their parents might be going through during this slightly edgy period. It’s a big thing to accept that a son really is setting out now and the whole parent/child dynamic will shift. Parents have made an education at Abingdon a reality, teachers have made it happen. I hope that the boys will remember to thank both their parents and their teachers for all that we have collectively done to get them to this point. And of course I know that we all wish the Upper Sixth resilience and success during the exams in the lead up to that walking away for the last time.
All families will be engaged in supporting their sons through exams of one sort or another this term, indeed, many have already started. For the youngest boys these earliest experiences are not only to review what has been learned this year, but to instil important aspects of exam etiquette. I was very pleased to note that the Fourth Year exams are taking place in the examination hall and are conducted along the same lines as any public exam. Technique is half the battle.
The older boys should be revising entirely independently, having themselves organized their revision periods and ways they best learn. For these boys, parents play an important role by being relatively unobtrusive but still providing backup support. For all boys, keeping the fridge particularly well stocked, an eye on just how much revision is going on, encouraging suitably long periods to sleep and keeping younger siblings out of the way will be important and helpful strategies.
Parents can be more involved in exam preparation of younger boys, say First to Third Years. It is important to encourage your son but undue pressure, or excessive bribes for later success, can be counter productive. Certainly be available for testing and it’s worth having a copy of the exam timetable in a prominent place. Even Upper Sixth students have been known to miss an exam or be late which adds to the stress.
Finally, these exams are about this student, so unfavourable comparison with siblings, friends etc can be very demoralizing. Everyone can take great reassurance in knowing that the boys have been well prepared and well taught. This, with appropriate support at home, will take them a long way towards success. I wish all boys the very best for their exams.
The Deputy Head Academic and Head of Boarding will shortly write to parents to show how the new timetable will look in broad terms from September and assemblies are to be held to inform the boys. Dr Peter Willis, Director of Studies, has done an extraordinary job creating the new timetable from scratch and I extend very grateful thanks to him for this outstanding feat.
We congratulate Miss Lina Man on her recent marriage, also Mr Ben Phillips, and Mr Ben Whitworth on the birth of his first child. Director of Drama, Mr Jeremy Taylor, is back with us following his sabbatical and Mrs Vanessa Penrose is currently away on sabbatical, the Maths Department being led in her absence by Mr John Winters.
We are well on with appointing staff for September and it has not gone unnoticed that the number of applications for each post has increased considerably since the announcement of the restructuring of the Abingdon week, with many positions attracting half to two thirds over what might have been expected.
In my previous letter I reflected on our huge sports programme and the many successes. This time I’d like to focus on another aspect of the Other Half: the many trips and expeditions which take place. Second Master, Mr David Dawswell, is overseeing some 180 trips this year. This is a phenomenal statistic and one can only reckon at the number of hours colleagues put into preparing and then accompanying the boys to destinations all over the world.
I have been reading the reports from colleagues following some of the trips out over Easter:
Abingdon School Orchestra and Big Band returned home after a triumphant tour of four US east coast cities between 2 and 11 April, flying to Boston and returning from Washington DC.
The touring party of seventy-six boys, supported by eight staff, performed three concerts each for the orchestra and the big band, crowned by the final concert in Washington National Cathedral on Saturday 9 April when the orchestra received no less than three separate standing ovations for their programme.
The orchestra played at Worcester Cathedral in Massachusetts, at Horace Mann School in the Bronx, New York City and finally at Washington. Interspersed with these, the big band played at Boston College High School, Horace Mann and at The Washington National Cathedral School for Girls.
There were many, many highlights - but perhaps the one that will endure will be the final concert which the Abingdon Orchestra shared with St Albans and the NCS boys and girls and two other schools which were visiting with small choirs from Manhatten, NYC. After a choral first half, it was time for the substantial Abingdon contribution with the Bruch violin concerto (soloist, Charlie Hall), the Mozart aria, "Non piu andrai" (tenor soloist, Humphrey Thompson) and the Saint-Saens piano concerto 2 (soloist, Osman Tack).
The Washington audience clearly found Osman Tack’s pianistic virtuosity quite breath-taking and rose en masse after his performance. Following that, the orchestra performed Tchaikovsky's exciting Marche Slave, which again saw the enthusiastic audience of more than 600 rise to their feet. This reception was matched only by the enthusiasm with which the host families from both Washington and New York received the Abingdon boys. Many new friendships were forged and new understandings found.
Symbolically, perhaps, the concert finished with some large scale items for a massed chorus of 250 and a combined orchestra of 110 when youngsters from all five schools represented in the programme joined forces for the two National Anthems, two pieces by Parry (I Was Glad and Jerusalem) and an extract, Non Nobis Domine, from Kenneth Brannagh's Film of Henry V. The group returned safely to Abingdon in high spirits and a great sense of achievement. This was an epic tour and one to remember!
The Boat Club had numerous events and they were all a tremendous success:
Eights Head of the River – 2 April
Abingdon’s 1st Eight and 2nd Eight recorded their best ever results at the Men’s Head of the River on Saturday 2nd April. The 1st Eight came 40th and the 2nd Eight came 133 out of an international field of 405 crews including numerous senior national team crews.
GB Trials 5 – 8 April
Four Abingdon boys were selected to row for Great Britain at the Munich Regatta held on 7 May. Jamie Copus, Felix Newman, Vassilis Ragoussis and William Davey are four of the squad of 14 that will hopefully make up the bulk of the squad for the Junior World Championships to be held in England in August.
April Rowing Camp 16 – 22 April
The Boat Club training camp was a tremendous success with all six crews making strong progress on the River Lot two hours from Bordeaux. The contingent of sixty also honed their skills at go-karting, cycling and canoe polo during their stay.
GB Trial
Jamie Copus and Felix Newman won the Great Britain Trials held at Dorney Lake. Following a time trial and semi finals Jamie and Felix emerged victorious after a commanding performance in the final to secure 1st place out of 42 crews entered into the event. Both boys have been nominated for Sports Aid Funding and were presented with prizes from OA David Tanner CBE who is the British Rowing International Manager and Performance Director.
Many third year rowers were given the opportunity to learn to scull and train down at the boathouse during the course of the holidays.
During the second week of the Easter holidays 29 Second Year boys travelled to Plas Pencelli Outdoor Education Centre in Brecon for a week of adventure activities. Days were spent caving, climbing, canoeing/kayaking, and mountain walking, while evening activities included orienteering, the blind-folded "Dingle Descent" and problem solving. The gorge walk on the final morning was a real highlight with all the boys enjoying getting very wet while walking under and climbing down waterfalls. Everyone found the trip challenging but very rewarding with one describing it as a "once in a life-time" experience.
The following week 56 members of the first year also visited Wales to enjoy 5 days of activities at the Manor Adventure centre in Llanwrtyd Wells. The boys did five different activities each day, all based in the grounds of the centre, including abseiling, archery, fencing, a high ropes course, and raft-building. There was a good mix of sessions that required the boys to push themselves as individuals and those that needed good teamwork skills. The crate-stacking challenge where the boys competed in teams to build the tallest tower of milk crates was particularly enjoyed - especially when the crates were knocked over at the end leaving one member of the team suspended in mid-air!
The D of E Silver practice expedition to Anglesey found that a very windy period curtailed what the group could do. They camped in 45mph winds to meet their requirements. Paddling was difficult, but they had an introduction to rock hopping and following the coast from Porth Daffarch and back.
A second day's paddling in very strong winds saw them braving big waves in Treaurddar Bay and navigating round shoals over which the waves were breaking. One of the boys capsized and was rapidly rescued by the rest of the group before drifting onto rocks. With even stronger winds the next day paddling was abandoned and the group returned home early.
The Rifle Club were also busy. The Stade Rifle Team Germany spent seven days visiting Abingdon school for the annual twinning shooting match. They went on trips to the bus museum and to London for a bus and river tour. The annual match was held at Bisley; results 1st Stade A, 2nd Abingdon, 3rd Stade B. There was a surprise trip for the Germans when they visited F1 Renault and saw the latest F1 cars. Day 4 saw a friendly match at Bicester and it was nice to see past members of the rifle club and the former master in charge of shooting attend the presentation in the evening. Joint School rifle club captains Finbar Ryley and Benjamin Bryant gave excellent presentations at the awards evening in the presence of the Mayor of Abingdon.
The Gold D of E expedition saw the boys sailing from Plymouth to Fowey, unfortunately having to sail against the wind. As they approached Fowey the Coastguard came on the radio and asked nearby vessels to help a small fishing boat whose engine had faiied. They spent some time standing by this vessel before finally getting into Fowey for the night.
On the second day they had a very pleasant trip to Falmouth, spending a good night moored next to the National Maritime Museum. With good wind they made a long, but fast, sail back to Plymouth, spending the night near the old Mountbatten seaplane base. They explored Plymouth Sound and the Tamar, discovering that our nuclear submarines are all at sea, presumably off the coast of Libya.
Other trips, by no means diminished for not featuring in this letter, included the CCF Camp, Lower Sixth History trip to Paris and the Third Year History trip to the Battlefields.
Many, many staff were involved and I thank everyone who made these trips possible. Coming up over half term we have the history trip to Berlin for Fourth Year boys.
As ever, looking at our website will keep readers fully abreast of what is happening at Abingdon so do look to catch up with what the boys are doing.
This may be a shortish term but it’s no less intense than any other. I hope that everyone is enjoying the rapidly passing Summer Term, whether colleague, parent, governor or boy.
With all good wishes,
Felicity Lusk