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September 2017
I remember talking early in my teaching
career to a much more experienced
colleague, who said that one of the real
joys of teaching was being part of a
community, connected not just to pupils,
colleagues and parents but also to the
wider neighbourhood. I have certainly
relished the opportunity to join the
Abingdon community during my first year
in post and I am grateful to everyone who
has made me and my family so welcome
here.
It has been fascinating to get to know
the School, to understand its ethos
and to see the pupils taking advantage
of the opportunities here. We are
committed to the personal development
of our pupils in the broadest sense,
and that combines a determined focus
on helping the boys achieve the best
possible academic outcomes while
benefiting from the extraordinary variety
of the Other Half. This is all underpinned
by the powerful sense of community
which was demonstrated to me by the
companionship and camaraderie that
characterised the events marking the
departure of our upper sixth leavers.
Impressed as I am by what I have seen at
Abingdon, I believe we can be better still.
I very much appreciated the fact that so
many parents took the time to complete
the questionnaire earlier this year, as this
has given me some invaluable material
to reflect upon as we plan for the future. I
look forward to sharing more information
about the next steps for the School in the
autumn and I hope that everyone in the
Abingdon community had a very happy
and restful break over the summer.
Michael Windsor,
Headmaster
From the Headmaster
Abingdon
News
Abingdon School Rugby Club welcomed
special guest Manu Tuilagi (Leicester
Tigers, England, British Lions) to a black
tie fundraising dinner to support the senior
rugby school tour to Japan this summer.
Pictured: Tuilagi and the night’s compere
Jonty Hearnden (
Cash in the Attic
and
Bargain Hunt
).
British Lion guests
Tour Dinner
Abingdon students past and present received their
Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award at Buckingham
Palace from Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
Lower sixth pupils were joined by a
group from Carterton Community
College for a calculus workshop run by
Oxford University’s Isaac Physics team,
led by Dr Jenny Barnes, Isaac Physics
Fellow and lecturer in the University’s
Physics Department. The students
were led through a series of increasingly
challenging questions, applying their
developing calculus skills to problems
often encountered in Physics. They
were assisted by undergraduate and
postgraduate mentors from Oxford,
allowing them to really push the limits
of their knowledge and abilities. The
workshop ended with a very useful session
on university admissions with first hand
advice from five Oxford physics students
and an experienced admissions tutor.
Getting to grips with
Calculus