Message from the Headmaster
Dear Parents
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the family and friends of the member of the Upper Sixth who tragically lost his life earlier this week. Although this has been a terribly distressing incident, it has also underlined the strength of the Abingdon community as students and staff have pulled together to support one another. Rev Gooding has emailed all students with details of sources of support that will be available to them over the coming holiday and these can also be accessed via Firefly. We urge students not to hesitate to get in touch if they have any concerns or require any further support.
I’m conscious that this is a particularly tough time for our Upper Sixth students who are facing their A Levels in May and June and who will need to make good use of the days ahead for revision. Universities are also issuing their offers later than ever before which is an additional source of stress for some. I hope that they will find the resources that are available to them via Firefly to support their revision helpful and that they will seek support if needed.
Although members of the School have been dealing with their profound sadness at the recent news, this week has also featured some immensely uplifting events, such as the Road Relay on Monday which brought the whole school together, with over 600 students and members of staff participating. Other highlights of the week included last night’s fabulous Spring Concert, the 3rd and 4th Year drama production and the dramatic visit of a Chinook helicopter to Upper Field, piloted by two Old Abingdonians, with members of the CCF enjoying the opportunity for a short ride as a prelude to their Easter camp.
I hope that students will enjoy the opportunity for some rest and recuperation over the Easter break. On their return on Tuesday 26 April, we are keen to reset our expectations with regard to uniform and appearance and we would be grateful for your support in this. Details of school uniform are available here. The only exception to the uniform rules are as follows:
3rd Year students should wear sports kit on Mondays, 4th Years on Tuesdays and 5th Years on Fridays. Students are required to wear the regulation Abingdon uniform and should only wear Abingdon sports kit, with a full school tracksuit. No hoodies, tops or tracksuits that are non-Abingdon are permitted. We do expect to announce to students a move to summer dress (no jackets, no ties) at some point during the coming term.
We also expect students to follow our expectations regarding hair cuts. Unless permission has been given to the contrary, hair must be cut so that it does not lie on the collar nor is excessively close-shaven. Hair must look smart and must not appear to be attention seeking.
I hope that you are able to enjoy some downtime over the coming weeks and I wish everyone in the Abingdon community a very happy Easter.
Best wishes, Mike Windsor
UPPER SCHOOL
- Revision leave for Upper Sixth begins at 1pm on Friday 20 May.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
- Revision leave for fifth years begins at 5.20pm on Tuesday 10 May.
LOWER SCHOOL
WHOLE SCHOOL
- End of term reports will be posted on the parent portal for all year groups (except for Third years) over the weekend.
- Start of next term. Term begins on Tuesday 26 April, with registration and tutor time at 8.35am. Normal Tuesday lessons, using Week A timetable, begin with period 1 at 9.00am.
- Term dates for 2023-24 can be found here.
- Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing webinar – Monday 9 May. We are holding a webinar for parents and carers on the topic of supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing on Monday 9 May from 7pm-8.15pm. This falls in mental health awareness week. There will be a talk given by an NHS consultant psychiatrist followed by a Q&A session with Mark Hindley (Deputy head pastoral) and Paul Gooding (Head of Wellbeing). Please save the date and we will be in touch nearer the time with webinar login details. Paul Gooding
- Trips. Please click here to view the latest trips matrix for Summer Term and Michaelmas Term 2022 which is also available to view on the School website at > What’s On > Trips > Residential trips 2022.
- Music – no new additions. See other upcoming Music events.
- Box Office: Made in Dagenham – Tuesday 19 – Saturday 23 April. Made in Dagenham is drawn from the real-life 1968 sewing machinists strike at the Ford factory in Dagenham, Essex. The musical focuses on the leader of the strike, Rita O’Grady, as she encourages the women of the Ford factory to walk out after they are re-classified as unskilled workers, while their male counterparts see their wages increase.
- Box Office: NT Live: Henry V – Thursday 28 April at 7:00pm. Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) plays the title role in Shakespeare’s thrilling study of nationalism, war and the psychology of power. Fresh to the throne, King Henry V launches England into a bloody war with France. When his campaign encounters resistance, this inexperienced new ruler must prove he is fit to guide a country into war.
- See other upcoming Box Office events.
- The John Rayson (OA 1942) Award – All current pupils of Abingdon School are eligible to apply for the John Rayson Award, a memorial to the late John Rayson (1924-2012), an Old Abingdonian (1942) who gave a lifetime of service to Abingdon School. The award, which carries a value of £250, will be given to a current pupil to help fund a personal project/experience that embodies the defining characteristics of John Rayson himself – adventure, courage and resilience coupled with service, loyalty and commitment. Further information is available here. Application forms must be submitted no later than Sunday 1 May 2022.
- ASPA / OA Club Travel Awards – ASPA and the OA Club have joined forces to offer travel awards to upper and lower sixth pupils undertaking some form of UK or overseas travel and activity either during the summer or in their gap year. The awards range from £50 to £500 depending on the activity and its benefits. Further details, and the conditions attached to the awards, can be found here. Application forms must be submitted no later than Sunday 1 May 2022.
- OX14 Learning Partnership Upcoming Events – new additions: maths talk Monday 25 April; PSL talk Thursday 28 April; London Universities talk Wednesday 4 May.
- News from the week
- Food menu for the first week after the Easter holidays – Week 1
- School calendar
- Weekly mailing archive
