4
Friendship
You will find that living in close proximity with other pupils
creates the conditions in which strong bonds of friendship
develop. Your room and housemates will quickly become
some of your best friends. Our current boarders feel that
one of the best things about boarding is making friends
for life.
Time
The school day at Abingdon starts at 8.35am and ends at
5.00pm. During that time most pupils are very busy with
their academic lessons and “other-half’ (extra-curricular)
commitments. When you add a bus journey of, for some
pupils, over an hour, to the beginning and end of the day,
time becomes a highly valuable commodity. As a boarder
you will live in school so have a much more relaxed pace
of life. It also makes it much easier for you to attend the
many evening lectures, classes, rehearsals and sports
training sessions that take place. This is especially
beneficial if you are someone who is serious about art,
drama, music, rugby, cricket and rowing or about getting
the best possible grades.
Independence
Over the course of your time as a boarder you will learn to
organise yourself and become far more independent. You
will be responsible for managing your own time, work and
commitments. As a result you will develop self-reliance
and learn to motivate yourself, valuable attributes once
you move on to university and the world of work after
school.
Abingdon School
We believe Abingdon provides its pupils with a fantastic
education. Any one who meets an Abingdon pupil is quick
to recognise this. Please browse our website, visit us
for an open day or arrange a tour if you don’t believe us.
The only problem is that not everyone lives close enough
to Abingdon to join us as a dayboy. Boarding allows you,
where ever you live in the world or the UK, to benefit
from an Abingdon education either as a full boarder,
staying in school seven days a week, or as weekly
boarder, who can arrive on Monday morning and leave
on Friday evening staying just 4 nights in your boarding
house. As a weekly boarder, however, you are always
welcome to stay until Saturday afternoon and return on
Sunday if you prefer.
Facilities
As one of the 150 boarders at Abingdon you will also benefit
from being part of a much larger school. In the evening
and over the weekend you have access to fantastic facilities
designed for 900 pupils! The swimming pool, sports hall,
fitness suite, music school, library, tennis courts, squash
courts, climbing wall and dance studio, are all available for
your use. In addition you have access to the facilities of Austin
House, which includes a kitchen, games room, TV room, and
Library with an ICT suite.
What are the benefits of boarding?
The Internet
In Austin House library you
will have access to desktop
Mac computers on which
you can access the Internet.
There is also wireless access
to the Internet throughout
the house. However, you will
not be allowed to set up your
own private Internet access.
We recognise that the
Internet is a wonderful
resource as a means of
communication and a source
of information. We encourage
you to make responsible and
safe use of it. You will have
regular education about how
to get the best out of the
Internet and how to avoid the
potential dangers. You will
also need to read and agree
to our acceptable use policy
before you are allowed on
the school network and we
expect you to be sensible
and sensitive towards others
when you are using the
Internet.
Email
You will be keen to stay
in touch with your family
and friends outside school
and the school will provide
you with your own gmail
account. Your teachers will
also communicate with you
through this account so it
is really important that you
check it regularly and use
it for your schoolwork. Of
course you will also be able
to access and use your own
personal accounts as well.
Skype
You will be able to use Skype
while Austin House. You can
use the school computers in
your house or the wireless
network to Skype family and
friends.
Telephones
Austin House has a pay
phone that you will be able
to use. Mr Golding will give
you the number so that your
parents can call you on it.
Most boarders also have
their own mobile phone. We
believe it is a very important
communication device so
that you can stay in touch
with your friends and family.
You will also find it useful for
contacting the member of
staff who is on duty in your
house. Golding House has a
mobile number, which you
can find towards the end of
this handbook. You will be
given the number to store in
your phone on your first day
in Austin House. In addition,
you will need to give your
number to Mr Golding so
that he has a record and a
means of contacting you in
an emergency.
It is important that you
remember that mobile
phones are expensive
and often prized personal
possessions. Therefore you
How will I be able to contact home?
