For an independent school Abingdon is not a place with a great deal of “public school” jargon. However unique to Abingdon is its use of the term the “Other Half” to mean the extra-curricular side of school life. It encapsulates the notion that what a pupil does in the classroom is only half of the reason they’re at the school and only half of what is going to be important to them as they mature.

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chamber ensemble groups

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major drama productions a year

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sports available to try

Abingdon’s “Other Half” is impressive by any standards with its range of over 150 activities. Sport is, no doubt, of importance to many pupils but there is a vast range of other pursuits. For some, it is the excitement and comradeship of the CCF and DofE, for others it’s the cerebral challenges of chess or the thrill of playing in an orchestra. In terms of the creative arts, opportunities outside of the classroom are legion and the creative urges of nascent writers and journalists are well served by the myriad of writing opportunities. There’s an amazing range of musical and choral ensembles and a host of varied Art and DT activities. We invite you to take your time and explore the Other Half pages to get a taste of all that goes on here.

You may also like to read a blog, written by the Director of the Other Half, which looks at the role of extra-curricular activities in equipping pupils for the 21st century workplace. Read the blog.

One really distinctive feature of life at Abingdon is that a student does not have to dedicate himself to one thing: he can have a variety of identities.

CHOOSE AN ACTIVITY

Details of Other Half activities are also available in the Other Half Activities booklet (also available as a PDF).

See video snippets of the Other Half Activities.