5
It is important that you
remember that mobile
phones are expensive
and often prized personal
possessions. Therefore you
should take care to look
after your mobile phone. We
suggest that you keep it in
your lockable drawer or safe
when you don’t need to have
it on you. You should not
bring your mobile phone into
lessons.
Overnight Leave
We believe it is healthy for
our boarders to be allowed
to leave the house. We
do not believe in forcing
you to stay in over the
weekend and in special
circumstances (for example
if your parents are visiting
from abroad) you may be
allowed out during the
week.
However, we have to be
very careful that nothing
bad happens to you while
you are in our care. As
a result there are rules
about leaving the house.
If you want to stay out of
the house overnight then
Mr Swanwick will need
confirmation from your
parents or guardian before
you will be allowed out.
If you are not going to be
staying with your parents
or guardian Mr Swanwick
will also need confirmation
from the adult you will be
staying with (for example
if you are staying overnight
with a friend who is a
dayboy then Mr Swanwick
would also need an email
from his parents to confirm
that they are expecting
you).
Town Leave
We are required by law
to know where you are at
any time while you are in
our care. Therefore if you
wish to leave the school
site at any time you need
to get permission from
Mr Swanwick, the house
matron or from the tutor
on duty. After 7pm you
need permission to leave
the boarding house to go
anywhere.
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. You may be
worrying that you have
made the wrong decision.
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 start to feel
quite strange. They 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, isolated or
sad Mr Swanwick, 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. It
is tiring. At first, you may
feel you do not understand
what is being said because
people speak fast and
have a variety of regional
accents. You need a period
of time to adjust; this
is called ‘tuning in’ and
usually takes about six
weeks. So don’t think you
have suddenly lost all your
vocabulary when you arrive
- it happens to everyone.
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. To
give you an idea of what to
expect:
How can I cope with the challenges
of boarding in a new school?
