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What
are
the
benefits
of
boarding?
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 over an hour for
some pupils, 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. Anyone 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, wherever 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 140 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
1000 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 the House, which includes a kitchen,
games
room,
TV
room,
and
computer
room.
How
can
I
cope
with
the
challenges
of
boarding
in
a
new
school?
Adjusting
to
a
new
life
Everyone who moves into a new boarding school, from one
country to another or even from one part of the UK to Abingdon,
will need time to adjust to their new life. Before you leave home it
is normal to have very mixed feelings. One minute you might be
excited about the opportunities of a new life, the next minute you
might feel apprehensive or nervous. One thing you can be sure
of, every boy who is preparing to come to Abingdon to study is
having the same feelings; they are normal. On arrival in the new
country, there is usually a period where you feel very excited and
thrilled by all the new people you meet and things you see. Some
people then may feel sad and homesick, isolated or that they
don’t fit in. This is normal and is called culture shock. It takes
time to make new friends and to get used to the food, music,
sport etc. After about six weeks, you should be starting to feel
more at home. If you feel worried your Housemaster, your Tutor,
the matron and the prefects are there to help you. There is also a
school counsellor who you can contact if you would like to speak
to someone confidentially. Calling home is good but it is not
helpful if you spend so much time on the phone that you do not
make
new
friends
here.
Language
shock
It may be that, like many of our boarders, English is not your first
language. Although your English is good and you have done well
to get selected to come to Abingdon, you will find it a bit of a
shock when you are suddenly in an environment where everyone
speaks English 24 hours a day. You may feel you do not
understand what is being said because people speak fast and
have a variety of accents. You need a period of time to adjust;
this is called ‘tuning in’ and usually takes about six weeks. Don’t
think
you
have
suddenly
lost
all
your
vocabulary
when
you
arrive.
Academic
shock
You are clever; you have passed all the tests to get selected to
come to Abingdon so we know you are ready for a challenge.
What you may find is that the way classes are taught is very
different
to
your
last
school
or
home
country.
At Abingdon, teachers enjoy interaction in class. They judge their
students’ understanding and involvement by the questions they
ask and answer. It is considered good to be curious and even
critical. Having an opinion and being able to give reasons to
support your thoughts is very important. This may seem odd to
you at first. The teacher will not always tell you the right answer,
you will be expected to decide what you think is right and then
explain why. Sometimes students work in groups. This is not
easy, especially when not everyone comes from the same
country. Many people have had different experiences of school
in the past, making group work even more of a challenge. The
purpose of group work is to learn to work in a team and to
collaborate. This is a skill you will need in your working life in the
future. Being in a group allows you to practice skills like leading,
negotiating,
encouraging,
motivating,
organising and
co-operating. Sometimes there are conflicts in groups; learning
to deal with these is also part of becoming a socially adept adult.
You may not be used to reading or writing extended passages.
Your teachers know this and will guide you to the skills you need.
The EFL and SEN departments are also there to help you learn to
write in an academic style. Teachers at Abingdon know that you
are making probably the biggest change in your life by coming
here to board. It is important not to be silent if you are finding
things difficult; tell your Tutor or Housemaster. They can arrange
extra
support
for
you.
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