17 November 2020
ASiP Coordinator update – Welcome Jess Burns
As Abingdon School in Partnership continues to grow, we as a school are incredibly fortunate to be supported by the Mercers’ Company, and funding from them has allowed us to recruit a new Partnership Coordinator. It is with great pleasure that we are able to welcome our new Partnership Coordinator Jessica Burns into the ASiP team. Her role will be to build on our collaboration with our local partner schools using her range of experience in the private and state sector to extend the scope of opportunities for students and staff across the town, which she is very passionate about. Also a governor in a local school, Jessica has had the opportunity to be involved in supporting schools with making key decisions, a skill she looks forward to applying in her new role. We in the ASiP team are really looking forward to the future with Jessica on board and all the experience she can provide moving forward as we look to formalise our partnership program with our fantastic group of schools from across the town.
ASiP review of Michaelmas Term
While Covid-19 restrictions have meant that, alas some of our many partnership activities have had to be put on hold, Abingdon School in Partnership has worked hard to evolve and adapt to ensure we maintain and indeed build on many of the invaluable programs we have in place with schools from across the town and local area.
Abingdon Science Partnership has expanded GCSE Astronomy online with an extra class on Thursdays for 25 pupils from two partner schools.
SCAMPA (Schools Clean Air Monitoring Project in Abingdon) has been of central importance for ASP over the last half term, with 13 schools involved, substantial funding from the Royal Society of Chemistry, international collaboration with the University of Chile and local backing from the ATOM Festival and local political leaders. As well as allowing younger pupils to contribute data to a real research project, SCAMPA is giving sixth formers at Abingdon, Radley College and Larkmead opportunities to support them with expertise in GIS, coding and science subject knowledge.
ASP’s new Royal Society Partnership Grant project has also begun with researchers at Oxford University’s Department of Physics currently developing desktop interferometer experiments and sixth formers at Abingdon writing and recording remote training materials to be used by all schools taking part in the project later in this academic year.
The Peer Support Leads program was launched at the start of the term with almost 40 students from Larkmead, John Mason, Fitzharrys, Abingdon School and St Helen’s taking part in their first Peer Support Lead Training event via Zoom. Now more than ever mental health needs as much support as it can get in our schools, especially with another lockdown taking place these PSLs provide a huge helping hand in tackling this important issue.
This half term has seen the development of the first Arts Forum, where we aim to shine a light on the value of the Arts during this period of real challenge in the sector. On Thursday 12 November students from Larkmead School interviewed celebrated director, writer and actor Simon Evans. They will be discussing topics related to working in the Arts.
