The House – A Place to Be
We recognise that moving to senior school or sixth form is exciting but can also be a daunting prospect for many young people so we have a very successful house system that gives them a place to belong within the school.
The House is both a physical entity as well as a group of pupils from a range of years. The houserooms are bespoke spaces where students can go for downtime with their friends, relax at break, over lunchtime or after school, and provide somewhere where they can socialise or play pool, table tennis or work. We have designed the houserooms to be bright, modern and spacious where students want to spend time, and as importantly to provide opportunities for peer mentoring.
The House system
Those who join us in the First Year, at age 11, join the Lower School under the care of the Head of Lower School. Our contemporary looking Lower School house room has areas for games, socialising and quiet relaxation.
Those joining us in the Third Year, at age 13, and when joining the Sixth Form, join one of nine houses: three houses cater for a mixture of boarders and day pupils and there is a further six day pupil houses. Each house is run by a Head of House who works closely with a team of tutors to safeguard and promote the welfare of the students within the house.
The Heads of House stand “in loco parentis” to the pupils in their house, while they are on school premises – and they will try to help them outside the school as well, with the co-operation of parents.
The Heads of House are assisted by teams of tutors, who look after tutor groups within the houses.
Tutors
At the beginning of the year, the tutor will check that timetables are in order, and, where necessary, will advise on courses and options. Besides overseeing a student’s wellbeing, the tutor will also monitor their academic progress, and will write a general academic summary when school reports are issued.
All tutors see their tutees for a brief period every day. Tutor time for each pupil amounts to at least one hour a week, in which tutor groups discuss topics such as choices, progress, current affairs and personal and social education. We regard this time as a crucial part of the educational experience at Abingdon.
Houses
Austin House
Head of House: Mr James Golding
Educated at Kent College, Canterbury, James then represented Kent County Cricket Club for 6 years whilst gaining a degree in Sports Science and Geography. After working for two years at Bristol Grammar School, James completed his PGCE at the University of Bath, before working at Abbeyfield School for 7 years as a PE teacher and housemaster. James moved to Abingdon in 2014 as Director of Cricket and became Head of Austin in 2015.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849056
- Email: [email protected]
- Austin House Duty Mobile: +44 (0)7557 667078
Tutors
- 6: Miss Katy Lee, Miss Rena Papadopoulos, Dr Mark Simpson and Dr Michael Frampton
- 5: Mr Callum Richardson
- 4: Mr Andrew Appleton and Mr Chris Boyle
- 3: Mr Tom Allen and Dr Sonka Reimers
Border's
Head of House: Mr David Border
David was educated at Reading Blue Coat School before moving on to UWE to study Pharmaceuticals. Having been offered a scholarship place at Sandhurst, David decided instead to pursue a career in teaching so completed his PGCE at Christ Church, Oxford. He has taught Chemistry at Abingdon since 2012 and took over the position of Head of House in September 2016. Beyond the classroom David has been heavily involved in rowing since a young age and still competes as a veteran. He also enjoys American football, cooking, cycling, and travelling.
Contact
- Telephone +44 (0)1235 849030
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: Dr James Ambrose, Dr Laura Haar, Mrs Kate Ley and Mrs Amy Donnelly
- 5: Miss Alice King and Mr Matthew Willoughby
- 4: Mrs Alex Sadler and Mrs Issy Michell
- 3: Miss Alice Perry and Mr Mark Hanslip
Crescent House
Head of House: Mr Matthew Kendry
Matt studied Engineering at Cambridge before working for Unilever as a project manager for several years. After a career move into teaching he joined Abingdon as Head of Crescent in 2014, and became Head of Boarding in 2016. He teaches Mathematics and coaches rowing, as well as running the Codebreaking Club. Matt also enjoys cycling and pub quizzes.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849046
- Email: [email protected]
- Crescent House Duty Mobile: +44 (0)7557 443150
Tutors
- 6: Miss Alexandra Cardinal von Widdern, Mr Nicholas Knowland, Mr Ben Whitworth and Dr Peter Willis
- 5: Mr Alex Axon and Mr Lawrence Barber
- 4: Mr Henry Barnes and Mr Nick Ball
- 3: Mrs Sarah-Jane Ghosh and Mr Kevin Magee
Donnelly's
Head of House: Mr Tom Donnelly
Educated at Kennet School, Tom graduated from Loughborough University in 2011 with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science. Keen to pursue a teaching career Tom joined Abingdon’s Sports Department after graduation. Tom has previously run the Swimming Club and the Football Club. An avid traveller, Tom’s favourite trips have included the Golden Triangle in Iceland, the Margaret River Valley in Western Australia and Table Mountain, South Africa. Following six years as a tutor, Tom became a Head of House in 2019. As well as enjoying good coffee and photography, Tom is an enthusiastic cricketer, coaching teams both in and out of school.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849080
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: Mr Matthew Coolin, Mrs Hayley Geary-Andrews, Mr Mathew Dempsey and Mr Robin Popplewell
- 5: Mr Mike Webb and Mrs Maud Cottrell
- 4: Mr Daniel Mason
- 3: Mrs Sarah Beynon and Ms Christina Gallivan
Franklin's
Head of House: Mr David Franklin
David read Classics at Oxford in the gaps between squash, table tennis and fencing. He pursued his research there for two years, and went on to teach at the Dragon and Harrow before discovering Abingdon. He has been in charge of squash here since then, and was Head of General Studies until taking over the house. His translations of Antigone and Bacchae are bestsellers for Cambridge UP.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849019
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: Mr David Panter, Mr Paul Williamson, Mr Adam Hepworth and Mrs Chloe Kenzie
- 5: Mr Dan Hughes and Mrs Victoria Pradas
- 4: Mrs Maris Elmore and Mr Will Bower
- 3: Mr Ben Sadler and Mrs Mary-Rose Phillips-Grey
O'Doherty's
Head of House: Mrs Emily O’Doherty
After completing a Foundation Course at Winchester College of Art, Emily studied Fine Art at Bretton Hall, University of Leeds. Deciding to have a break from her artistic endeavours she worked as a PA in a law firm and as a nanny in the USA. She returned to the UK as an Artist in Residence at King Edward’s School. This consolidated her desire to teach and she completed her PGCE at Cambridge University. Emily’s first position was at St Bartholomew’s School Newbury where she taught Art for 6 years. Emily joined Abingdon in 2008. She was Head of Art for 4 years before becoming a Head of House in September 2016. Emily’s Other Half activities have included cross-country and hockey but she currently focuses on art clubs. Outside of school she likes to travel, visit galleries and museums and keep fit.
Contact
- Telephone +44 (0)1235 849050
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: Miss Emma Williamson, Mr Oliver Lomax, Mrs Behnoosh Sabah and Mr Tony Gray
- 5: Mr Andrew Broadbent and Mr Tom Eames-Jones
- 4: Mr Julian Easterbrook and Mrs Lucinda Powell
- 3: Mr David James and Mr Rob Southwell-Sander
Pygott's
Head of House: Mr Richard Pygott
Richard studied Geography at Cambridge University and graduated in 2006. Despite the rest of his family being teachers, he left university to work for four years in international marketing as a graduate at Kingspan. A career in teaching was inevitable, however, and after a PGCE and Masters at Oxford, he worked at Hereford Cathedral School before spending four years at Magdalen College School, latterly as a Head of Year.
Richard’s passions are learning Welsh (with difficulty), singing 18th century catches, map collecting and chasing after his two young children, Edward and Hermione.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849020
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: Mr David McGill, Mr Timothy Goodman, Miss Samantha Kershaw and Miss Natalie Spurling-Holt
- 5: Dr Jason Preece and Mrs Victoria Middleton
- 4: Dr Chris Burnand and Mr Henry Morgan
- 3: Mrs Sophie Payne and Mrs Esther Peternek
School House
Head of House: Mr Mike Litchfield
Mike, an Old Abingdonian, studied Chemistry at Manchester University. After graduating he travelled around South East Asia before returning to the UK to work as both a Sub-Contract Manager and Project Manager on a large international defence program. Teaching came calling in 2007 and he began his career teaching Chemistry at Abingdon where he is currently Head of School House. Mike really enjoyed sport at Abingdon and currently helps with cross-country, referees rugby occasionally, and coaches the J15C crew.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849036
- Email: [email protected]
- School House Duty Mobile: +44 (0)7557 441058
Tutors
- 6: Mr Dean Evans, Mr Oscar Hird, Mr Nick O’Doherty and Mrs Lizzie Guinney
- 5: Mr Dan Foster and Mr Richard Stafford
- 4: Mr Ben Phillips and Mrs Melissa Benge-Abbott
- 3: Mr Mark Johnson
Stockdale's
Head of House: Mr Will Stockdale
After studying Geography at Oxford, Will worked at Deloitte as a Management Consultant, with his final project as part of Team GB for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. He started teaching at Westminster School in London, becoming Head of Year and later Head of Geography. He arrived back at Abingdon, this time as a teacher, with a young family and covered Head of Geography before becoming a Head of House. He coaches third year rowing and supports Geography clubs across the school. Will enjoys road cycling, travel and is a film fanatic.
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)1235 849040
- Email: [email protected]
Tutors
- 6: Mr Chris Hack, Mrs Dani Heywood-Lonsdale, Mr Nathan Brittain and Mr Ian Middleton
- 5: Mr John Brooks and Mrs Clare Ollerton
- 4: Mr Martin Poon and Mrs Vicky Palli Evans
- 3: Mr Richard Fisher and Mrs Lara Sharman
