Head’s Letters

Friday 8 June 2018

Dear Parents

For thirty of our Year 8s, this week has been the week they have been working towards throughout their school careers to date. They have been sitting their Common Entrance exams to their chosen senior school. They were all in good spirits at the start of the week and did not seem to flag. I have no doubt that their hard work will be rewarded with excellent results next week. I commend them all on their positive approach to these exams and know that they will enjoy the final four weeks of their time here at Abingdon Prep.

On Wednesday, 8R gave their Crest Science presentations to their parents. I was fortunate to be able to watch most of them and I cannot describe how impressive the boys were. The investigations were fascinating and the topic matter ranged from sound wave patterns to toothpaste quality to cricket bat design to power station electromagnetic coils! The designs of the experiments were extremely inventive and showed the adaptability needed to produce scientific data which they could analyse and then draw their conclusions. I shall be changing my choice of toothpaste having seen one presentation and learnt all about the use of microbeads in certain brands. The boys really demonstrated their understanding and knowledge of scientific experimentation.

Cricket matches resumed this week with our U11s and U10s playing Moulsford Prep School. Every boy in these year groups competed and it was wonderful to see so many boys out on the cricket pitch testing themselves against strong opposition, with the U10Cs one run victory perhaps being the highlight. On Thursday our U8s and U9s played Christ Church Cathedral School. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the U8s in their two wins with some impressive catching and bowling. Our U9s were also victorious and can be delighted by the progress that they have made so far this season.

Thursday also saw Year 5 visit Portsmouth Dockyard to spend the day on HMS Victory. The boys had an unforgettable time viewing Nelson’s ship at close quarters and experiencing the conditions on board first hand. If you have never visited, I can thoroughly recommend a trip in the summer, to see not only HMS Victory but also the Mary Rose Museum and HMS Warrior. Our boys were lucky enough also to see the newest addition to the Royal Navy’s fleet, the aircraft carrier The HMS Prince of Wales, in port whilst they were there. The size of it was something to behold by all accounts.

At half term two of our Year 5 boys joined forces with two girls from The Manor Prep School and played in the U11 IAPS tennis finals at Millfield Prep. Our boys acquitted themselves extremely well, especially as they were playing a year young. I know they are looking forward to returning next year again.

Today has been Home Clothes day for Griffin House after they won the house points competition last half term. The boys certainly made the most of the warmer weather today with shorts almost mandatory. A well-earned treat.

Tomorrow, eight of our boys will be representing Abingdon Prep in the relays and individual races at the IAPS swimming finals at the London Aquatics Centre. Qualifying for the finals is a very impressive achievement and I wish all the boys the best of luck.

My wife Hannah and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all so much for your kind wishes and messages of support following the birth of our son, Quinn, in the week before half term. Hannah and Quinn are both doing very well and I hope that we will be able to bring him in to School next week to say his first hello to the Abingdon Prep community. A lack of sleep is rapidly becoming normality so I apologise if the bags under my eyes seem to be getting larger when I greet you in the mornings!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Best wishes

Craig

Friday 18 May 2018

Dear Parents

I would like to start my letter this week by expressing my admiration for all our boys who gave up their free time on Sunday last week to do a sponsored swim in the pool at Abingdon School. Every one of them swam to help raise money for our School charities, covering a staggering forty miles between them! For some, six lengths were a huge effort and achievement, whilst other more regular swimmers managed forty lengths. The quantity of lengths, however, is irrelevant, as it was the sense of camaraderie and the importance of fundraising for charity which shone through, and I extend my sincere thanks to all the boys.

Exam season has begun with Common Entrance French Orals and Maths listening tests this week for our Year 8 boys. Next week sees the start of the Year 3 – 6 exams and I know the boys are working hard in the run-up to these. A calm sense of purpose is needed, as well as a determination simply to do the best that one can. Some revision would also be of great benefit at this stage.

The start of the week saw an enormous variety of cakes coming through our doors, with the Pre-Prep and Phoenix House cake sales. Some of our boys and parents had clearly spent hours producing some delicious bakes, and again I thank them for all their efforts with this. The money generated will again be going to our School charities.

Class pairings took place yesterday, with a theme of the Royal Wedding. There were some expertly designed castles, colourful flags, bunting and numerous dragons appearing, all in royal colours, with our older boys supporting and assisting the younger ones. Listening to some of their thoughts about what might happen at the wedding was certainly very entertaining, and we all wish the happy couple the very best for their wonderful day tomorrow. Having been at Eton College yesterday for a meeting, I was not surprised to find a great many road closures in the area, in anticipation of the big day at Windsor.

The weather was kind to us again on the cricket field this week. Our U8s and U9s all participated in their first cricket matches of the season, and the U8s enjoyed their first ever school cricket match. I have heard that the boys thoroughly enjoyed their debut, and as an avid cricketer myself, hope that this is just the beginning of their journey with bat or ball in hand. Before our baby arrives, I have agreed to play a ‘doubleheader’ this weekend, with a game on both Saturday and Sunday. This may not happen again for a while!

Our senior teams all managed to secure good victories over Crosfields this week with our U11s and U10s sharing the spoils with results. I wish the 1st XI the best of luck on Monday, when they will be journeying to Gloucestershire to play Beaudesert Park School for the third round of the IAPS Cup.

I was delighted to see so many of you this morning for coffee and a catch up, and I was very impressed with the restraint shown by so many when it came to the pains au chocolat. Sadly, I was not quite so abstemious with the leftovers.

I know many of you will be attending the whole school concert platform this afternoon and I look forward to seeing you. These are always most enjoyable events with the boys showcasing their talent, and most importantly, their love of music.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and that you enjoy the continuing pleasant Spring sunshine.

Best wishes

Craig

Friday 11 May 2018

Dear Parent

What a difference a few days of warm sunshine make. Abingdon Prep feels so welcoming with the wisteria blooming, and the smell of freshly cut grass pervading the School. The boys have certainly enjoyed their break times with the warm weather and shirt sleeve order, not to mention a four day week!

The cricket season is finally underway too. Our 1st XI have started strongly with a final over win against St Hugh’s in the national knock out cup, and a convincing win over Cricklade Manor. The warm weather training camp in the holidays clearly has been paying dividends. U11 teams shared the spoils with Cothill on Wednesday with impressive bowling performances but work required with bat in hand, whilst the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th teams all performed well against Cothill and Caldicott, despite not quite being able to register a win.

On Thursday evening I visited the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford to see the wonderful artwork produced by children in Oxfordshire Schools, on the theme of ‘Journeys’. Abingdon Prep boys had numerous pieces exhibited and they should be immensely proud of their work. Hundreds of people were touring the galleries and all appeared to be extremely impressed by the standard of art on show. Artweeks at Abingdon Prep is almost upon us and I would encourage you to drop in for tours at the given times if you possibly can, to see work produced by our boys.

Year 5 have been away this week on their PGL residential in Liddington. I called to see them yesterday, and saw some very brave abseiling, aeroball and kayaking, all undertaken in glorious sunshine. The boys were relishing the challenges, and it was heartwarming to see them shouting encouragement to their peers at the top of the abseiling towers. Bringing people closer together is something that can never be undervalued.

Some of our Year 7 and 8s competed earlier in the week at Tilsley Park for an Abingdon School Athletics event. There were strong performances in the sprints and the relays which bodes well for Sports Day later this term.

3L gave a delightful personal message about May Day and traditional activities like Maypole and Morris dancing, in their whole school assembly this week. So many of the boys had spent Bank Holiday Monday outside in the beautiful weather playing games and visiting friends and relatives. A few boys had even seen some Morris dancing!

The Life Education Bus is visiting Abingdon Prep today, and again early next week, with year groups taking turns to have sessions learning about a variety of life skills and choices that we make which affect our bodies both positively and negatively. This sends a really important message to our boys about the importance of making good choices.

I hope you all have a good weekend and may I take this opportunity to remind you about next Friday morning’s Coffee and Catch Up with me. It would be lovely to see some of you in the Drama Studio between 8.15-9.15am for a hot drink, pastry and a chat.

Best wishes

Craig

Friday 4 May 2018

Dear Parents

Another week has flown by here at Abingdon Prep. On Tuesday, Year 6 visited Oxford Central Mosque to support some of their learning in RE this term. The boys were stunned by the beauty inside the Mosque and were able to see for themselves what they had previously only seen in textbooks or photographs. Firsthand experience is an exciting way to learn.

Wednesday brought the rain again, but it did not dampen spirits at our Open Morning. It was a warm and friendly event with some more prospective families able to see for themselves what Abingdon Prep has to offer. Our Year 7 tour guides acquitted themselves admirably again, and were excellent ambassadors for Abingdon Prep, receiving compliments from many a guest.

As is so often the case, the weather was not ‘playing ball’ for the first cricket matches of the season, which sadly had to be cancelled. However, if forecasts are to be believed, drier weather is on its way over the next few weeks, so I look forward to seeing our boys play in their first matches very soon. I know they are desperate to get out onto our beautifully prepared squares. My game was also sadly rained off last week, so I, too, am looking forward to starting the season this weekend.

Yesterday evening, the Year 5 parents and I were treated to an outstanding Year 5 Soiree with music, public speaking and drama taking centre stage. It was a delightful event, with informal picnics being taken in the Hall whilst our boys performed poetry, sketches and a medley of songs from the musical, ‘Oliver’. The standard was superb, and I commend all the Year 5 boys for their excellent production.

I would like to finish my letter this week with congratulations. Last Saturday we sent four Year 7 boys to compete in the IAPS U13 Table Tennis Championships at Edge Grove. All four boys were a great credit to school playing some exciting matches but Todd managed to defeat all who came before him to become National Champion (a year young!). A fantastic achievement indeed, and one of which Todd and the School should be extremely proud.

I hope you all have a great Bank Holiday weekend and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather that is predicted.

Best wishes

Craig

Friday 27 April 2018

Dear Parent

Welcome back to the Summer Term. I hope you all managed to have an enjoyable Easter holiday, whether you stayed at home like me or you managed to go further afield for some sunshine or snow in the mountains. The boys certainly seem to have returned with renewed energy, ready to throw themselves into the activities of the busy term ahead. A couple of lovely warm days have certainly been most welcome this week, despite writing this with rain currently cascading down the windowpane.

In the final week of the holiday, nineteen of our Year 7 and 8 boys attended a pre-season cricket camp in Murcia, Spain. Four beautifully warm and sunny days provided perfect conditions for our boys to train hard and improve their cricketing skills vastly in a short space of time. The wonderful swimming pool and resort may also have helped to make their trip such a successful one. It was very pleasing to hear that our boys were excellent ambassadors for Abingdon Prep whilst they were away, and I am looking forward to watching plenty of cricket in the coming months.

At school we also ran a pre-season training session for the Year 5 and 6s, and a smaller group of Year 7 and 8s who were not in Murcia. It was lovely to see their enthusiasm for a game very close to my heart! Sadly both of my own pre-season cricket matches have been rained off so far this month but I am hoping finally to play tomorrow in Berkshire. 50 overs keeping wickets may lead to some aching muscles for me on Monday!

I have been very impressed with the extremely imaginative designs and creations that so many of the boys have produced for the CDT recycled bottle challenge over the holidays. If you haven’t yet seen some of them on display in the foyer, do take the opportunity to come and look. There have been some extraordinary designs and ideas from all year groups, including ships, garden planters, flamethrowers, planes and robots!

Term has started at a pace, with our Year 7s already off on their three day residential trip to Whitehaven this week, where they have been undertaking adventure activities and team building exercises. I am looking forward to hearing their stories on their return and seeing the photos of them in action. Residential trips are an enjoyable way to reinforce and develop team building and leadership skills, and to create memories that will stay with the boys forever. I see them as an invaluable part of education. I certainly still remember my trips as a child, as I am sure many of you will too.

Other Half has started this week and I am delighted to see so many boys seizing the opportunity to try new activities or hone their skills in others. All we now need is some consistently warm weather and sunshine for the term ahead. We can but hope!

Best wishes

Craig

Thursday 29 March 2018

Dear Parent

We have reached the last day of the Spring Term and I am greatly looking forward to delivering the Easter service to the boys later this morning. It has been an eventful term with everything from a snow day to a visit from the Easter Bunny.

On Saturday last week I was lucky enough to attend the Pre-Prep and Year 3 Easter Eggstravaganza. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as did the boys, especially with so much chocolate around. There were craft stalls, treasure maps, chick racing (the wind-up variety, of course), an Easter egg hunt and the ever popular chocolate tombola. The Easter Bunny was hopping around doing high-fives with the boys and there was a wonderful sense of fun and camaraderie. The hardest part of the morning was trying to judge the magnificent Easter bonnets and Easter gardens. The boys had produced so many superb designs and I know that everyone who saw them was impressed. Many of them were back on show for the Easter Parade in Pre- Prep and the egg painting and rolling down the mound later in the week. With the lighter evenings and the warmer (I think) weather, this is a lovely time of year.

On Tuesday a guest presenter came to run three separate Architecture Workshops for Year 2, Year 4 and Year 6. The boys had to plan, design and create bridges, Viking longboats or octagonal bird houses. The finished products were very impressive and the boys had great enjoyment experiencing something completely different. CDT is thriving at Abingdon Prep.

During the holidays, nineteen of our Year 7 and 8 boys will be flying off for five days to Spain for a warm weather pre-season cricket camp. I’m sure they will have a wonderful time and benefit enormously from the cricket training. They are very much looking forward to the Summer Term and all of the exciting events ahead, as am I. I would encourage you all to look at the calendar online and see what your son may be involved in.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the boys for their efforts this term. It has been a very busy and very successful one in so many different areas of school life. I hope that you all have something nice planned for the break, and I wish all of the Abingdon Prep community a very Happy Easter. Please do access our website (in latest news) to see a slide show of events from the term which I shared with the boys in our Easter service today.

Best wishes

Craig

Final Thunk – if I borrow every single book from a library, is it at that point any less of a library than when it was full of books?

Friday 23 March 2018

Dear Parents

It has been a very different week standing at the school entrance welcoming you all in the mornings. I have not needed to don a coat or a scarf, and have enjoyed the warm spring sunshine beating down. I hope that this will continue to be the case for the final week of term.

The week got underway with our Year 1s visiting the Steam Museum in Swindon. They all returned so excited by the trains they had seen alongside all the other huge steam-based machinery. As the photos testify on the monitor in the school entrance, they certainly had a wonderful day and learnt so much.

We found out this week that in May, twenty one of our pupils will be exhibiting their art work at the Ashmolean Museum having been successful in the Young Art Oxford Competition. George, in Year 5, has been chosen for the coveted Ruskin School of Art Award which is a noteworthy achievement. Art continues to be a source of great pride at Abingdon Prep.

After six of our boys participated in the Abingdon School Business Challenge on Tuesday, in which the brief was to design a new type of ice lolly, all of our boys in Years 5 and 6 took part yesterday in the Abingdon Prep Business Challenge. In groups they were given the challenge of designing an Easter Egg, complete with packaging. They had to draw up a plan to take it to market to compete with other brands, and then present their idea to the panel of judges who had joined us from Abingdon School and the Oxfordshire Young Enterprise Group. Dragon’s Den beware, as we may have some young entrepreneurs coming your way!

Our Bake Off Finals have been taking place this week with Anne’s technical challenge acting as the decider. Many cupcakes have been baked (and tasted again) and the boys involved have shown some genuine skills and love for baking. My thanks go to all who were involved in this initiative, and I know we have raised an impressive sum for charity, as well as enjoying some delicious cakes along the way.

In another busy week of sport, our U13 and U12 hockey squads played three matches against New College School at St Edward's School in Oxford. All the games were very close affairs but resulted in three close losses. The boys should be very proud of how much they have improved this term in what is their first experience of hockey.

On the football pitch the final matches of term saw our U12A and B and U13A and B teams take on Abingdon School. Our U12As finished the season in real style with a 6-4 win, coming back from 0-3 down, whilst the 12Bs lost an exciting match 4-5. Our U13As were competitive again but lost and there was a similar fate for our U13Bs. It was very rewarding to have so many of our senior boys representing school in fixtures, whether on the hockey pitch or the football pitch. It is lovely that the boys, no matter what year group they are in, have these opportunities to experience matches and of course, match tea, socialising with their opponents afterwards.

The British Schools Biathlon Championships on Sunday were weather affected but an impressive performance from our U12 team meant that they have finished 4th in the country, with Quinn finishing 4th individually. Congratulations to all the boys who qualified for the finals which is an excellent achievement in itself.

It is our Easter Eggstravaganza tomorrow morning for boys in Reception to Year 3. There is palpable excitement amongst them as they look forward to discovering the eggs which the Easter Bunny will hopefully have left around school. Our thanks go to the JPA for organising this and persuading the Easter Bunny to give up time from his busy schedule to come to see us at Abingdon Prep.

Next week I will let you know the results of this afternoon’s Inter-House Cross-Country. The conditions are slightly more conducive to running this time, after the Siberian blast caused us to postpone the event a couple of weeks ago. It will be wonderful to see all of the boys across the school taking part.

I hope you all have a good weekend and are looking forward to a final busy week of term in the spring sunshine – especially as the clocks will have gone forward over the weekend and we will have that extra hour of evening light.

Best wishes

Craig

Thunk for the week – is daylight saving a good or a bad thing?

Friday 16 March 2018

Dear Parents

Where to start this week? There are so many exciting pieces of news to share…

One of the many highlights of the week was the APS Bake Off. I was particularly honoured to have been asked to judge some of the entries, and every one of the many cakes and bakes I tasted was delicious. It is a creative way to raise money for our school charities and it is fair to say that we have some very talented bakers at school. I look forward to seeing the finalists in baking action next week.

Tuesday saw the senior production of ‘Smike’ take place in the Amey Theatre at Abingdon School. It was a wonderful evening with some delightful singing, acting and dancing. The audience certainly seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Debbie and Jennifer for all their hard work in producing such an impressive spectacle.

There was a raft of football matches this week. Our U9s played twice against St Hugh’s and Chandlings, and of the six matches, we won two, lost two and drew two. Our U9As win on Thursday meant they have remained unbeaten all season and they should be very proud of their efforts. Our U8s played Chandlings and had some very exciting games in which the As and Cs drew, and the Bs and Ds lost. This completed another impressive season in which all the boys have played many games of football and have improved immeasurably. Our U10As and U11As both completed their seasons with excellent wins giving them 100% records – a very admirable feat, whilst the other U10 and U11 teams also had strong final results. On Thursday, our senior boys took to Cox’s Fields to play Cokethorpe. The 13As lost a close match 2-4 whilst the Bs won their first game of the season 3-1 with a strong performance. The U12s continued their excellent season with a 4-2 victory, whilst the Bs also impressed with a 5-2 win.

Our U12 and U13 hockey teams took to the astro again on Wednesday to play against Cothill. The 13s went down in a high scoring match 2-6 whilst our U12s lost a thrilling match 4-5. Every week, as the boys gain more experience of hockey, their understanding of match play is improving visibly.

Our football matches tomorrow are a new venture for Abingdon Prep. We will be competing against Bedford Modern School as a Foundation together with the U12 and U13 teams from Abingdon School. I wish the boys luck and look forward to supporting them from the touch line.

A busy sporting weekend continues on Sunday with the British Schools Biathlon finals at Crystal Palace. We have ten boys competing, all of whom have qualified from the regional heats earlier in the year. This is always a gruelling event and huge credit goes to our boys for qualifying. I look forward to hearing how they have fared.

Year 2 travelled to Warwick Castle this week and had a wonderful time exploring the medieval castle and learning first-hand about life hundreds of years ago. The castle certainly helped bring their History topic to life and I have been hearing from the boys how much they enjoyed the trip. Year 5 are also visiting the Pitt Rivers Museum today and I look forward to hearing the highlights of their outing.

4T’s assembly on Thursday was extremely well presented and the class shared an important message with the rest of the school about appreciating all the wonderful things that we have in our lives and considering how people in other parts of the world are not so fortunate. It is so powerful when the boys share these messages with their peers. I also had the privilege of seeing Reception’s class assembly today. The boys were so proud to tell their parents about their beanstalks, and their playlet of the Gingerbread Man was well received by the audience of parents and Pre-Prep boys. They have certainly been busy in the classroom this term.

This week we also received the results of the final group of Abingdon scholarship assessments. We are exceptionally proud of all our boys who sat scholarships in their chosen sphere this year. They all devoted enormous effort to the process and can be justifiably proud of themselves. I am delighted to report that this year our boys have gained five academic scholarships – four to Abingdon and one to Magdalen College School. We have also been awarded one Art, one Music and one Drama scholarship, all to Abingdon School. I would like to take this opportunity to thank openly all the staff who have helped to prepare the boys so well for their scholarships.

I sincerely hope the snow does not return this weekend as it is high time that Spring makes an appearance!

With best wishes

Craig

Thunk for the week – can you be accused of cheating if you do not know the rules?

Friday 9 March 2018

Dear Parents

I would like to start by thanking everyone for their patience and understanding with regard to the snow day last week. I appreciate the difficulties faced when a school is closed for the day. However, the boys seemed delighted with the decision and I hope they all enjoyed the opportunity to use their sledges.

Rehearsals for our production of ‘Smike’ have been ratcheted up this week, with the technical rehearsal on Saturday and the main performance on Tuesday evening at the Amey Theatre. There are still some tickets available, so I would encourage all parents with children in Years 3 and above, to come along for what promises to be a very entertaining evening. Having listened to a number of the songs already, we are certainly in for a treat.

On my learning walk this week I was treated to a Year 3 Science lesson on the topic of teeth. I am reliably informed that during their next lesson they will be experimenting with disclosure tablets, so there may need to be some focused teeth brushing going on before that. Year 7 were putting together some drama sketches and I was particularly impressed with the saxophone accompaniment creating the scene of danger in the tomb! Cross curricular links were certainly coming to the fore in this lesson.

4AP produced an informative and very well delivered school assembly yesterday, in which we all learned about the life and diet of some Bolivian people, and it gave our boys food for thought with regard to their own food choices. 4AP’s mixture of singing, acting and public speaking entertained us all.

Our Year 8 academic scholarship group sat their exams this week and it was very interesting to welcome them back into school and hear how they felt the week had gone. They can be very proud of their efforts leading up to this very stretching set of exams, as can all of our boys who have been involved in scholarship assessments this term. As a school, we are certainly proud of them all.

Hockey fixtures took centre stage for Years 6 to 8 this week. There were impressive victories for our U13s against St Hugh’s and U11As against the Dragon. Every other match was a closely fought contest, with the Dragon just coming out on top. I hope the boys have enjoyed their first foray into Hockey and will look forward to more fixtures next year.

On the football pitch, our U8s and U9s enjoyed fixtures against Moulsford. Our U9As continued their unbeaten run, whilst our U8As lost their first game of the season in a very high quality match. The U9Bs won one and lost one, and the U9Cs won two very good games. Our U8B, C, and D teams were all involved in multiple matches as Moulsford had brought eight teams to take on our four. The boys certainly seem to be enjoying their game and improving each and every time they take the field.

Our long anticipated Scalextrics Evening, so kindly organised by the JPA, is taking place this evening and I have been hearing that there has been many a practice session taking place at home, and that is just the parents! Trophies are all in place and I know that the boys are excited about the event. Track conditions are forecast to be favourable with some fast times expected.

I am delighted to have been asked to judge some of the entries for the APS Bake off next week, so I hope that the boys will take the opportunity at the weekend to get creative in the tent, sorry, I mean kitchen, and put their baking skills to the test, all in aid of our school charities of course.

As this letter attests, term continues to be busy and purposeful, and the boys are grabbing opportunities that come their way. Long may that continue.

Best wishes

Craig

Thunk for the week – can a cake ever be considered a work of art and not simply something to eat?

Friday 2 March 2018

Dear Parents

I write this letter with the school eerily quiet as the snow has returned with a vengeance and we have unfortunately closed the school today. An unusual end to a busy week and hopefully, with the official start of meteorological spring yesterday, this was the final blast of winter and the daffodils can start opening up again in the next few weeks.

I wanted to take this opportunity to inform you of some staff changes for September and also next term. Mrs Natasha Watson will be joining us as Head of English in September. Natasha is currently teaching English at The Beacon and we look forward to her joining us here and becoming fully involved in a wide range of activities, including Drama, for which she clearly has a passion. However, for the Summer Term, Mrs Karina Philip will be our acting Head of English. Karina has a wealth of English teaching experience and is also a published author of children’s books and English textbooks, and has a real interest in music too. Rebecca Schwarz has been appointed as Head of Science for September. She currently teaches Science at Headington Senior School, and has a wide range of interests including hockey and other sports. We very much look forward to welcoming them all into the Abingdon Prep community.

A number of our Year 8 boys have been sitting in the past few weeks, and this coming week, their scholarship exams and assessments. Their desire to work hard and give their very best has been clear for all to see and I would like to congratulate all of them on their efforts. They can be very proud of themselves.

Sadly, all of our football matches and inter-house cross-country this week had to be cancelled due to the frozen pitches and snow cover, but we have rescheduled the date for 23 March to run the cross-country and parents will, of course, be more than welcome to attend.

Last Monday, our Year 6s performed a cantata, St Frideswide, with words and music written by our own, very talented Debbie Rose at Christ Church Cathedral. The first part of the afternoon took the form of a talk by Ruth Buckley, a St Frideswide expert, so the audience arrived well informed to hear the boys sing. Our boys sang beautifully with pure tone and clear diction, and the story of the saint’s life gradually unfolded through the nine songs, dramatic action and linking narration. It was a wonderful experience for the boys to perform in such an impressive venue.

We now have four weeks of term remaining, so I hope the boys enjoyed their snow day and will return refreshed after their three day weekend. I look forward to hearing all about their sledging and snowballing exploits.

With best wishes

Craig

Thunk – can we really know that every snowflake is different if we do not analyse all of them?