Head’s Letters

Friday 5 November 2021

Dear Parents

It has been great to welcome everyone back to school after the half term break. The boys seem well rested and have settled back quickly into the school routines.

A real highlight of my week was watching some of our Year 7 & 8 boys reciting Shakespearean sonnets which they had chosen themselves for the competition. I will look forward to hearing a few of them again in the finals in a fortnight’s time.

In the music room it has been lovely to hear the boys starting to rehearse for the Carol Concert at the end of term and I have also been greatly encouraged to see so many boys sign up for the concert platform this afternoon. Many will be performing for the first time to an audience and I wish them all the very best of luck.

On Thursday, Stefan gave a hugely informative and fascinating assembly about the role that Commonwealth soldiers played in World War II. We heard about three amazing individuals from Ghana, Jamaica and France, whose bravery and fortitude encapsulated the vital role that so many commonwealth soldiers played in that conflict. It has also been lovely to find out about the experiences of some of our boys’ relatives in the conflict through the Remembrance Day display in the hall. We are looking forward to next Thursday which will be our opportunity to remember those who have fought and given up their lives in conflicts around the globe in our Remembrance service.

Oratory Prep were the opponents in our Wednesday rugby fixtures this week and some strong performances were in evidence across the age groups. Our Under 12As played some lovely rugby in a convincing win whilst most other matches were very close affairs with good results across the board. On Thursday, all of our Year 3 & 4 boys were involved in the Abingdon Prep tag rugby festival. Despite the rather chilly conditions, the boys worked hard, played good rugby, showed great camaraderie and enjoyed the chance to play a series of matches against 4 other schools.

Our Year 5s have been out at The Black Country Museum today learning about life in Victorian times, in schools with chalk and blackboards and the cane, alongside shops and factories. I know that they will have learned a great deal by experiencing these things first hand.

As COP26 continues to make the headlines, it is perhaps a good time to reflect on what we might be able to do to help our planet and slow down the seemingly progressive march to higher temperatures, further species extinctions and the continued issue of plastic pollution. I know that our eco club has some ideas and will be talking to the school about them next week. Turning the thermostat down a degree and wearing jumpers, re-using containers rather than buying single use plastics, providing bug hotels or a natural place for creatures to shelter through the winter can all play their part. I am certainly following the pledges with interest as the countries of the world look to take some significant action to address this pressing issue.

I hope that you all have an enjoyable weekend and please do purchase your tickets for our fireworks evening next Friday 12 November if you have not already done so via Classlist. With a range of food stalls present alongside the glow sticks and light sabres, it promises to be a terrific evening.

Following on from the email we sent at the start of half term, please could I ask that if you have not yet done so, you take the time to complete our important feedback survey. We have again shared an email with you today containing the link and any relevant information. Your feedback is hugely valuable to us as we look to produce our next five year plan for the school. Thank you in anticipation.

With best wishes

Craig Williams
Headmaster

Friday 15 October 2021

Dear Parents

It has been a week of vaccinations at school with many of our Year 7 & 8 boys receiving Covid and flu vaccinations, as well as flu jabs for the staff today. The NHS nurses ran it brilliantly and hopefully will have helped keep some of the winter flu away. Years Reception to 6 will all be offered a flu vaccination after half term so please do sign the consent form online.

It was great to have the concert platform back last week and lovely to hear so many terrific performances on a variety of instruments. Two amazing Year 6 pianists wowed the audience with their stunning recitals whilst the younger boys showed real courage to get up in front of an audience for the very first time and played beautifully. They can all be very proud of themselves and I hope they will want to perform again in the concert platforms after half term.

Reception were wonderful ambassadors for the school on their trip to Cogges Farm on Monday. They had an amazing time learning about ‘The Little Red Hen’ and were beautifully mannered at all times, impressing everyone they had contact with.

This week’s rugby matches took place against The Manor, Oratory Prep and at the Cokethorpe tournament. All the boys involved worked really hard and our Under 12s ran out winners of the tournament winning all of their games. Our U10s and U11s produced some high scoring games against The Manor with some impressive individual tries whilst our U8s and U9s continue to improve their skills and are enjoying playing in lots of matches for the first time.

Thursday saw Cross Country taking centre stage with our Years 3-7 competing in different events. The boys performed strongly at the busy Manor Cross Country event with strong individual and team performances whilst our Year 7s competed in the English Schools (Oxfordshire) championships and performed extremely well against high calibre opponents, most of whom were a year older. They finished an impressive 3rd in the team event.

Our Pre-Prep pumpkin festival took place this afternoon and it was great to see so many parents looking round the incredible carved pumpkins. The boys have worked so hard on carving them out. We are looking forward to the performance element of this taking place after half term.

It has been a very productive first half of term and I certainly feel that the children, staff and parents have earned their half term break. Thank you to all of you too for your support during the term. It really has been greatly appreciated by all of us. I hope you all have a good holiday and we will look forward to welcoming everyone back on 1st November.

With best wishes

Craig Williams
Headmaster

Friday 8 October 2021

Dear Parents

I hope you have all had a good week. We continue to keep a watchful eye on the number of Covid-19 cases in school and continue to work hard on ensuring measures are in place and adhered to, in order to help reduce the spread of the virus within our school community. Your continued support with this is greatly appreciated.

The children have been busy in school again this week. At the start of the week our Year 8s visited the Natural History Museum in Oxford. This was a combined Science and Art trip and I hear the hissing cockroaches were a real hit! It is an amazing space and I know the boys enjoyed listening to the talks and producing art from the amazing creatures and the stunning architecture that they saw in front of them.

Our Year 7s took part in workshops delivered by the mental health coordinator at Abingdon School earlier in the week. The workshops were designed to help the boys to think about how they deal with anxiety and worry and looked at strategies that could support them, and their friends, when they do have worries or concerns. It is a really important aspect of our PSHCE programme.

I was particularly impressed with our Year 4s this week and their Iron Man Menus. The fillet of zinc with mercury dipping sauce jumped out at me off the menu alongside a side order of iron filings. It was great to read so many creative ideas based around the book.

Our Pre-Prep boys have been starting to get ready for their pumpkin festival next week and I am looking forward to seeing some of their creations in the coming days. Whenever I start to see pumpkins around I know that Autumn is well and truly upon us.

This afternoon our first concert platform of the term is taking place and it is great to see so many boys signed up to take part. We have boys performing for the first time to an audience and a few more experienced musicians as well. They are always lovely events and great to have back on our calendar. Do encourage your boys to sign up for the upcoming ones after half term.

Good luck to our Year 3s who are involved in their first Saturday rugby festival tomorrow. I am looking forward to popping along to see how they are getting on. Saturday also sees our first Year 7 & 8 Art Workshop – Animal Canvas in the style of German expressionist Franz Marc – which I know has once again proved popular. I look forward to seeing what they are able to create during the day.

I hope you have a lovely weekend and enjoy an autumnal walk. I have enjoyed chatting to some of the boys this week about ‘playing conkers’ from when I was a child. Perhaps a chance this weekend to start a new family tradition of conker battles on a string?

With best wishes

Craig Williams
Headmaster

Friday 1 October 2021

Dear Parents

I wanted to start my letter this week by thanking all the boys for their efforts at Open Morning last Saturday. It was a fantastic turnout and our Year 7 guides did a terrific job touring parents around school, showcasing what the boys were doing in their lessons.

On Monday, Year 2 went on their geography field trip to The Earth Trust at Wittenham Clumps. They drew field sketches of the area and studied the flow of the river, whilst also walking up the steep ‘Round Hill’ and learning about the processes of the water cycle. They were all very tired on their return after so much walking but had a great first trip of the term.

Whilst walking round classrooms this week, I saw some fantastic creative writing taking place with our Year 2 boys as they described in detail sitting under an apple tree and the sights and sounds surrounding them. Year 4 were working on their comprehension skills and improving their use of descriptive vocabulary as they wrote whilst in Year 8 CDT, the boys had made working acrylic clocks of all different sizes, shapes and designs after cutting out their designs on the fret saw and finishing them off on the electric sanders.

On the rugby pitch this week our Year 3 and 4 boys played in their first ever matches and acquitted themselves admirably. Tuesday saw the Year 4s take on St Hugh’s in three very closely contested games, with two draws and one loss, whilst on Thursday the Under 8s also made their debut against Christ Church with a win and a loss, but they all learned a great deal about match play and the importance of teamwork and getting involved. On Wednesday our seniors took to the field with three Under 12 teams and an U13 C team taking on Abingdon School in a combination of contact and touch games. Close matches were the order of the day and the boys really enjoyed meeting many of their future comrades when they eventually move across to the senior school.

Thursday’s Zoom assembly showed some fabulous musical talent from both staff and boys, with the cello, oboe, double bass, flute, piano and piccolo all being played. Two of our multi-talented Visiting Music Teachers (VMTs) then went into some classrooms during the day to demonstrate a piece or two (they were incredible!) with a segment of James Bond too as a precursor to the new release. We really do have some talented musicians within both the boys and the staff. I am often in awe at the way these young boys play their instruments with such skill and musicality. I know I wrote to all parents on Wednesday regarding an increase in Covid cases at school this week but if I could again ask for you all to continue to be vigilant for symptoms that your sons may be displaying and undertake the requisite tests where necessary. We continue to be vigilant in School to try to restrict the spread of the virus.

I hope you all have a good weekend ahead.

With best wishes

Craig Williams
Headmaster

Friday 24 September 2021

Dear Parents

Another week comes to an end and the boys have continued to be incredibly busy at school. They have impressed in the classroom with their strong work ethic and desire to answer questions. Enquiring minds are a vital part of developing knowledge and understanding and I would always encourage children to ask that extra question that they really want to find out about.

On the rugby pitch, our boys in Year 5-8 took on Beachborough with an even split of wins and losses but clear improvement shown from the week before. They have definitely been working hard in training. Our mixed Year 7 and 8 cross country team performed superbly on Tuesday in the Abingdon School relays, winning the event with a terrific team effort.

I have had a very interesting few days at the IAPS Heads Conference this week. It has been great to hear other fellow Head Teachers talk about their schools and how they are emerging from the difficulties of the past 18 months and the optimism we all have for the coming year.

Tomorrow is our Open Morning and I am very much looking forward to welcoming prospective parents into school for the first time since February 2019. Our Year 7s will be touring them around and they will undoubtedly be impressed with all the boys as they go about their normal lessons. Thank you for bringing them into school for this important event. I hope you all have a good weekend and I look forward to seeing you next week.

With best wishes

Craig Williams
Headmaster

Friday 17 September 2021

Dear Parents

I have been delighted with the incredibly impressive work ethic that the boys have been showing in all their lessons this week as I have popped into classrooms. It has been great to see them so focused on their work when writing and so keen to volunteer answers as well. Year 5 were discussing monotheism versus polytheism in their RE lesson whilst Year 8 were looking at concordant and discordant coastlines. One highlight of my week though was the delicious apple and blackberry crumble which our Reception class had very kindly made for me. We definitely have some budding chefs in that group and in Year 1 they have been producing some fantastic writing too this week with budding authors aplenty.

Our first trip of the year took place yesterday and today with Year 4 trekking along the Ridgeway undertaking some geography and science along the way. They stayed overnight at the youth hostel and from what I hear, had a fantastic time on their first ever school residential trip.

For the first time since December 2019, the boys in Years 5-8 returned to rugby matches against opposing schools. Our Under 13As played some fantastic rugby at the Dragon tournament winning 4 of their 6 matches whilst the U10s, U11s, U12s and U13Bs all took on Pinewood. Our boys played with great heart against strong opponents and scored some fantastic tries. The U13Bs performed extremely well and can be proud of their victory with such a strong team performance whilst the U12Bs scored a last minute equalising try in a terrific contest between two evenly matched teams.

This week has seen a return to full steam for our Other Half programme and it has been great to see so many boys enjoying their clubs and learning new skills.

I am sure that many of you will have been watching the news around children’s Covid-19 vaccinations this week. We are currently awaiting further guidance from Public Health Oxford as to when they will be offering these at Abingdon Prep for those boys who are 12 or 13. We will of course be in touch with parents of those boys once we have more detail.

I hope you all have a good weekend.

Best wishes

Craig

Friday 10 September 2021

Dear Parents

It has been a fantastic start to the Autumn term. We have welcomed our new children to the Abingdon Prep community and it has been great getting to know them alongside hearing stories of what our returning children have been getting up to over the summer. The hot weather was a very pleasant surprise but it seems like the autumnal weather may now be well and truly in the ascendancy.

One of the real highlights of my week was coming together as a school for the first time in 18 months for our singing practice on a Wednesday morning. It was great to hear the boys singing in unison and enjoying the sense of community that this brings. I know that both Sean and I ended up with goosebumps hearing the boys singing with such gusto.

My message in assembly this week was for the boys to make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead of them this term. Work hard, get involved and be kind were the tenets of the assembly and it has been lovely to see the boys trying to follow them as they start their journeys in school this year.

The boys have been busy in the classroom, getting straight down to learning whether in Year 8 or Reception. I enjoyed finding out more about Buddhism, the topic for Year 8 RE lessons this week and seeing our Year 7 boys taking on the bleep test in their PE lessons. Rugby has started in earnest this week with many boys impressing with their handling and evasive running. Other Half clubs have also started with a bang this week with cricket nets, fencing, table tennis, archery, cooking (amazing scones), touch typing, chess and warhammer to name but a few. It is a key part of school life that we are very proud of and value highly.

I hope to see many of you later tonight at our social drinks event and look forward to coming together as a community for the first time in so many months.

I hope you all have a good weekend ahead.

With best wishes

Craig Williams
Headmaster

Friday 3 September 2021

I hope you have all had a really enjoyable final week of the holiday. We have welcomed all of our teachers and support staff back into school today for the first of two days training. It has been great to catch up with everyone and hear about their holidays.

Our form teachers are looking forward to speaking with you this evening on zoom and sharing lots of information about school so that you and your sons can be straight into the routines of school life next week. Please refer to the email sent last week from me with all zoom details included within it.

Earlier in the week, it was lovely to welcome so many boys to our pre-season rugby training sessions on Wednesday and Thursday morning. It was a record turnout and the boys all seemed in great spirits. Two very enjoyable sessions took place and the weather held fair.

Please may I take this opportunity to again encourage you to read the weekly mailing as there is important information included. This week specifically, there is detailed information about drop off and pick up information as well as the start of other half activities. I would also ask that you take the opportunity to read through our new Covid 19 risk assessment which is now live on our website here as this will hopefully reassure you that we have, and continue to, make appropriate adjustments in line with government guidance to try to keep our community as safe as possible. I will be speaking with all the boys in assembly about the measures at the start of term, as will form teachers, to ensure they are aware of the steps they will need to take in school.

If your son is off school isolating due to Covid-19 and is well enough, they will be able to access remote learning via our zoom and google classroom platforms once you have notified your son’s form teacher and they have had the opportunity to notify other staff. However, in line with foundation practice, if your son is off school with another illness, then we would want them to be recovering and they will not be able to join lessons via our remote learning platforms. If you have any questions about this, then please do get in touch with me.

We are really looking forward to welcoming all the boys back to school on Tuesday morning and cannot wait to get started. I hope to catch up with many of you in the car park during the week or if not, at our drinks event on Friday 10 September at 6.45pm.

In the meantime, have a lovely weekend.

With best wishes

Craig Williams
Headmaster

Friday 2 July 2021

Dear Parents

It has been a really lovely week at school with so many different activities taking place across all the year groups.

Saturday and Monday saw our Sports Days take place for Years 3-8 at Tilsley Park and Pre-Prep on Cox’s Field. It was so good to be able to run these events with spectators allowed (albeit restricted) and I was so proud of the way the boys all did their very best, no matter what race or event they were taking part in. It was great to have an atmosphere with spectators cheering the boys along. There were some amazing performances and a number of school records were broken. The boys will find out the winning house and who the ‘Victor Ludorums’ are in the final assembly of term.

As I have previously mentioned, sadly we will not be able to run our summer concert next week but we will be sending through to all parents a recording of the boys performing on Thursday after school. I hope that you will really enjoy seeing how hard the boys have been working on their performances and would like to thank Sean and his music department for putting all this into place.

The final matches of the term for the U12s and U13s took place against St Hugh’s on Wednesday. There was a great finish to the U12C team game with a final over loss by just two runs, but some brilliant performances by the boys in that team. Our U8s and U9s all played against Magdalen on Tuesday and there was some lovely cricket, with the U8Bs winning their first game of the season by just one run. Good luck to the U10s and U11s who have their final matches of the term tomorrow against Cothill.

Reception and Year 1 are away at Cotswold Wildlife Park today. This is an amazing trip and if you have never been I can thoroughly recommend it to you for a summer visit.

Year 6 spent Tuesday night sleeping in the sports hall after the late cancellation of their Bushcraft trip due to a Covid outbreak at the centre. It was a fantastic afternoon and evening with the boys taking part in lots of activities and coming together for a pizza in front of the England game on the big screen. There was no need for me to follow the game from my office as the roar when the goals went in told me everything I needed to know! Our Year 5s are currently having a two-day activity programme with an overnight camp. This has been great fun and the boys certainly showed their teamwork skills throughout their activities, even if their tent-building did leave a little to be desired!

As we move into the final week of term, please could I ask that we all continue to reinforce to the boys the importance of washing hands, sanitising and social distancing so that we can try to keep the whole community as safe as possible, especially given the current significant rise in case numbers in the area.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Best wishes

Craig

Friday 25 June 2021

Dear Parents

I am very much looking forward to Sports Day tomorrow with our Years 3-8 and wish them all the best in their events. It is always a highlight of the calendar and whilst we are having to adapt the event and put restrictions in place, it is great that we are able to still go ahead with it, albeit with limited spectator numbers at Tilsley Park. I look forward to seeing some of you there tomorrow.

Sadly, Covid-19 is still having a significant effect on life in school. Our Year 6 Bushcraft residential, a highlight of the year, has had to be cancelled next week due to an outbreak at the centre. I know the boys will be disappointed but we are concocting a new plan for some fun activities on Tuesday for them instead.

Year 8 had a fantastic time away last week with their watersports residential. So many new skills were learnt and memories created as they start to near the end of their Abingdon Prep journeys. It has been lovely to hear so many of them chatting about the trip and what they really loved trying out in Poole Harbour.

On the cricket pitch there were some terrific performances by the boys against Bruern Abbey for the Year 5, 6, 7 and 8s, leading to four wins with two boys scoring very impressive quick-fire 50s, whilst our U8s and U9s played against Chandlings and also performed very well. Our U8s showed a marked improvement from their previous matches without quite managing to get across the line, whilst our U9s performed strongly again finishing with three wins and one loss.

Year 8s started the week with a careers talk and were able to discuss a range of different career options. They will not yet know what it is they want to be, but a germ of an idea now may just grow into a successful career later on in life for them.

The Pre-Prep jungle performance took place this afternoon outside and was a great success, with many of the boys performing to a small audience for the very first time. This will be the first of many performances over the coming years for them and it was a lovely way to share with parents what they have been working on this term.

Our Street Dance workshops today were absolutely brilliant fun and the boys may just have been surprised about how much hard work street dance can be. The routines the coach was putting together were great fun and I know the boys really enjoyed the experience.

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend and I look forward to seeing some of you tomorrow.

Best wishes

Craig