18 October 2011
Dear Parents, Colleagues, Governors and Boys of Abingdon
Half term is upon us and although it is flanked by the pre-test day and the staff study day, there should be plenty of time in between for everyone to take stock and rest. There will be several trips out to Berlin (Art), Santiago de Compostela (Spanish exchange), Boston (rowing), Turkey (Classics), Sailing, DofE and rugby and I thank all staff involved in anticipation. This Indian summer has been quite remarkable and I am sure that everyone has appreciated the warmth and brightness of this year’s autumn.
We have been very busy wrapped up in the routine of school life. There were many induction events to welcome boarders, the new First and Third Years and U6. The boarders have enjoyed their new enrichment programme with weekend events including trips to Oxford, Portsmouth, sailing at Farmoor, skating, the Ashmolean, watching the Wasps play rugby and a boarders’ dance.
I held receptions for parents from all years in September. I was delighted to be able to go to Hong Kong at the same time as Dr Peter Willis and Mr Tom Ayling were there interviewing the next intake. It was a genuine pleasure meeting our parents there and being able to talk to you about your sons. I was made to feel extremely welcome - Hong Kong hospitality is quite something and I look forward to visiting you all again next year.
On the staff front, all new colleagues are finding their feet and I hope are beginning to feel at home at Abingdon. I’m looking forward to visiting them in class over the next few weeks.
The Revd. Henry Kirk will be leaving Abingdon by the end of the year in order to work in the ministry of the Church of England. May I take this opportunity to thank Henry for his service to Abingdon and I wish him well for the future.
Congratulations are extended to Mr and Mrs Hall on the birth of their son Jesse James, and also to Mr and Mrs Perriss on the arrival of Harriet Alexandra.
At the U6 Parents’ Evening I spoke to parents about their sons’ AS results from last summer. As these aren’t published as such, as it is a work in progress, I wanted to mention them here as it was a record year for Abingdon.
In August they produced record AS results with 61.4% A and an A-B rate of 82.3%, beating the previous records by a couple of percentage points. The situation now, after most of them have dropped a subject and some re-marks have happened, is that the statistics for the subjects they are continuing to A2 are at 71% A grades and an A-B rate of 91% (around 8-10% higher than last year's U6 at this point). Traditionally the stats experience a boost following January re-sits (in the region of 8%). In short, everything indicates that the boys have a very strong chance of knocking the current A level record completely out of the water (2007: 73.4% A and an A-B rate of 92.6%). However, records are broken by boys who focus sharply on their targets, apply feedback from teachers assiduously and put in maximum effort where it counts. To date these boys are performing well and I encourage them in their endeavour to achieve their personal best.
I want to take this opportunity to reflect a little on the many and diverse programmes we offer to support the pastoral care and development of the boys. David Wickes, Deputy Head Pastoral, oversees the important work of the team of housemasters, tutors and health centre colleagues.
The “Talking to Crocodiles” self-awareness programme for the Third Year helps the boys come to an understanding of their own behaviour and that of others. Taught in tutor groups, each boy creates his “footprint” on-line which helps analyse his particular tendencies, e.g. energizer, thinker. They enjoy talking to their friends about their characteristics which helps them identify why they get on with some people more than others amongst other facets of self-awareness.
The new timetable has enabled us to run separate PHSE lessons in the Third and Fourth year, where previously they were taught as part of the tutor period. This has gone down well with the boys, as they are now taught in small groups by teachers with a specific interest in the subject and lessons are not rushed in after assemblies as they had been. The longer lessons mean that there is greater opportunity for discussion so the boys have the chance to raise and talk about issues which are of real interest and concern to them. Feedback from both boys and staff has been overwhelmingly positive and thanks are extended to Mr Southwell-Sander, Head of PSHE, and Miss Spurling-Holt, who have done a great deal of research and formulated schemes of work.
Boys in the Fifth Year who are Lower School assistants, under the guidance of Mr Jenkins, are making a useful contribution running activities and occasional workshops providing sensible advice to these younger boys. They go to see the boys at break and have received training in peer mentoring from Dr Elsner, the School Counsellor.
In similar vein, House Prefects are assigned to groups lower down the school to help the tutor and the boys. They organize quizzes, talk to the boys about their own experiences and help with presentations and work.
At the end of September a particularly enjoyable First Year Team Building Day took place on a Saturday. The boys worked on skills that will stand them in good stead during their school days, under the supervision of tutors Mrs McRae and Mr Wickes. The emphasis was on fun: they played a blindfold game to develop trust and communication, but the messages were clear. Parents attended a reception at the end of the day.
The “Be the Best you Can Be!” Olympic-inspired programme for Lower School got off to a great start with an inspirational presentation from Olympic swimmer Adam Whitehead. When the boys were asked questions about their degree of ambition and self-motivation, all hands shot up and their enthusiasm was great to see. The boys will take part in this year long programme which covers goal setting, visualization and overcoming obstacles.
The boys are benefitting from the extended tutor period, a spin-off from the new timetable, and on the whole the programme is well delivered.
It hasn’t escaped my attention that although, of course, boys may find themselves in detention, we don’t have the “sin bins” or the equivalent which might be a feature elsewhere. The boys are, mostly, extremely well behaved and have a sense of self-discipline which means, in fact, that numbers aren’t huge in detention.
Since I last wrote, the boys have clocked up many achievements across the board. Here are some examples and apologies are extended for any omissions.
William Nott (U6) won 2nd prize in this year’s Institute of Economic Affairs National Student Essay competition. William Sheffield (Second Year) was commended for his poem “Bells in the Belfry” in the national John Betjeman Poetry Competition.
The Art department designated the day of the activity weekend as Big Sculpture Day and invited Fifth Year artists to join in making large sculptures out of scrap materials. Organised and led by new Art teacher Ms Kate Byrne, the 12 boys who volunteered really rose to the challenge and produced two large and exciting pieces, which now sit strikingly at the head of the school drive. The bird sculpture was based fairly closely on an eagle, while the big fish was a rather freer interpretation of different species! The sculptures have attracted much comment.
Abingdon music-making got off to an auspicious start with the first of the academic year’s scholars’ concerts which featured eight gifted pianists, all of whom played without sheet music. Other impressive performances included violin, oboe and clarinet. It was a glorious evening.
In rugby the First Years have made a great start to their rugby careers at Abingdon, with convincing victories over Cokethorpe and Warwick. Several of the boys were new to rugby in September, but they've taken to it well, gelling quickly as a team and entertaining their spectators with a feast of running rugby and excellent support play. They've run in 12 tries so far and are yet to concede a point. So far, the 1st XV are doing well with wins against MCS and Cokethorpe, a glorious victory against Radley, a draw against Warwick and a loss to Eton.
Thomas Dingwall (Second Year) has for the second year running won an Oxfordshire Cricket Board 'Player of the Year' award – this time in the U12 category. At the beginning of October, our fencers competed in the National Fencing Championships held at Sheffield and finished amongst the best 16 boys in the country. Herman Chan had a particularly strong performance, winning a silver medal in the épée.
Trips so far this term include Sixth Form visits to the Cheltenham Literature Festival and Dr. Faustus at the Globe. and A level and GCSE students enjoyed the Classical galleries at the British Museum. The Modern Languages department has been very active, celebrating the European Day of Languages and German Unity day and the CCF enjoyed a field day at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford. I welcomed all the staff involved in the Bielefeld German exchange to Lacies Court and the 18 students are, as I write, enjoying their week at Abingdon.
A highlight of the term had to be the Foundation photo. On the first of the clear fine days the whole school, that’s 1114 boys and 145 colleagues, gathered for a spectacular photograph. Gilman and Soame, who took the photo, had a stand at the recent HMC conference and I was very pleased to see Abingdon in the most prominent place and looking really good. It really is a privilege to see everyone en masse and also to see what a large and distinguished school Abingdon is.
The OA Club continues to be active and a professional dinner, this time in Law, took place providing a great opportunity for budding lawyers to mix with OAs at different stages of their law careers.
You may be aware of the most recent UNICEF report which, after interviewing hundreds of children in Britain, Spain and Sweden, found that children all want the same things, namely, spending time with family and friends, being outdoors and taking part in activities and sport. This is the case regardless of the age of the children. Negative findings highlighted, once again, the damage caused by excessive consumption, children spending too much time in their “media bedsits” and parents plying their children with toys, clothes etc. to make up for lack of spending time together.
Parents complained that they were simply too tired after work to play or talk to their children and it’s well known that Britons work the longest hours in the EU. It seems that British children spend less time outside than those in Sweden and Spain, where activities and sport are regarded as positive alternatives to being inside for long periods of time.
All this paints a very gloomy picture indeed. Coupled with the findings, British parents in particular feel constantly criticised for their shortcomings. I do think that we are fortunate that amongst our parents at Abingdon we would find positive responses to these challenges being acted out in the homes of the boys every day. That’s not to say though that parenthood isn’t the most difficult and demanding job any one of us will ever have and, just occasionally, parents are entitled to reflect on just how well the job is being done.
That is reflected each day in the boys who are, bar the occasional blip, growing up responding positively to the support and interest of the adults around them.
I wish you all a good half term break.
Felicity Lusk