Message from the Headmaster
Dear Parents
On Monday afternoon the entire school gathered in front of Big School for the start of the 52nd annual Road Relay. This event sees teams of four runners taking it in turns to take on a course of just under 3 kms around Albert Park and the School grounds before passing on the baton to the next runner.
There are some phenomenal runners in the School at the moment and the Relay was a chance to see them at their best. Pygott’s U6 A team set a new overall team record while Ralph Allen set a new record for the 4th Year. It was also wonderful to see such a high level of participation with over 700 students involved, with those not taking part offering vocal support. There were several teams of staff members involved as well, with for instance the Biology department emerging on top in their ongoing rivalry with the Physics department. The organisation of the Relay is a significant logistical feat and my thanks go to Mr Broadbent for masterminding the event with the support of his colleagues in the Sports department. The Housemasters also did a great job in encouraging students to take part.
The U15A XV had a memorable day out at the StoneX Stadium, home of Saracens RFC, in the final of the National Schools’ Plate competition. They put in a gutsy performance but lost out to an impressive team from King’s, Worcester. The squad can be proud of their fine run to the final and we look forward to harnessing their potential in the future.
This is a big week for our oarsmen with the Schools’ Head taking place on the Tideway in London on Friday 17 March. I know they will get fantastic support from the Friends of the Boat Club and Old Abingdonians on the riverbank and I wish them all the very best for this event.
Best wishes, Mike Windsor
UPPER SCHOOL
- Understanding student loans for university webinar, Thursday 27 April 7-8pm (Zoom) presented by Head of Careers, Mr Michael Triff. For UK students and parents who are thinking about student loans as part of university study in the UK. This session will be useful for U6th who are about to make their student loan applications and for L6th who are currently researching university and want to know more about how student loans work. Register here.
- For parents of Lower Sixth Students – Update on Oxbridge and Medicine entrance tests
- Oxford University have released the dates of their 2023 entrance tests. Like Cambridge, they have decided to run their tests on dates that coincide with our October half term. All of the Oxford and Cambridge entrance tests, plus the BMAT for Medicine will now take place on Wednesday 18, Thursday 19 and Friday 20 October 2023. If your child is considering applying for Oxford, Cambridge or Medicine please check online whether the course they are considering requires them to sit an entrance test and, if so, please keep the date free to sit the test in school.
LOWER SCHOOL
WHOLE SCHOOL
- Music:
- School Choirs Evening – Thursday 23 March in the School Chapel at 6pm. All are welcome to join us for this annual celebration of the school’s choirs – Chapel Choir, Gospel Choir and our close harmony ensemble, the Abingdon Academicals. The event will last under an hour and there will be no interval.
- Music Calendar for next term – and Christine Bovill, “Piaf to Pop!”. Please see this link to the music calendar for next term. I would particularly like to draw attention to the Evening of French Chanson singer, Christine Bovill on Friday 5 May at 7pm in the Amey Theatre. If you love French Chanson – and even if you don’t, please don’t miss this exciting event! You should be able to book tickets soon from the Amey Theatre Box Office.
- To parents and guardians of all Abingdon Tennis players – Easter Pre-season tennis training.
- From the OA Club Office:
- Reminder – Informal professional networking evening for parents and OAs. Abingdon School parents working in the finance, investment, law, technology and consultancy sectors are warmly invited to join Old Abingdonians at a networking reception. Join us on Tuesday 25 April 2023 from 6.00 pm to 8.30 pm at the City University Club, 42 Crutched Friars, London, EC3N 2AP (the nearest stations are Tower Hill and Tower Gateway). Booking is available here.
- OX14 Learning Partnership Upcoming Events
- LGBTQIA+ OX14 Partnership Social. Students in 4th year and above are warmly invited to attend Abingdon School’s first LGBTQIA+ OX14 Partnership Social on Thursday 27 April. The event will run from 4-6pm in Abingdon School Drama Studio and will give students from the community and their allies from across the OX14 partnership network the opportunity to socialise with each other and guest alumni in a safe space. The event will be supervised by staff from the partnership schools. Refreshments will be provided.
- News from the week
- Food menu for the following week – Week 1
- School calendar
- Weekly mailing archive
- Box Office:
- ASE:
- Last remaining spaces for the upcoming National Pool Lifeguard Qualification: Monday 10 April – Saturday 15 April 2023. Aimed at participants aged 16+ years. The National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) is an internationally recognised qualification and will cover vital life saving skills, CPR, first aid and pool rescue techniques. Upon successfully completing the assessment, there is the possibility of working in the Abingdon School Sports Centre on certain shifts. For more information and to book, please click here.
- Enter our Facebook Giveaway. Win 4 FREE tickets for you and your family to our live screening of the Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation of the best-selling novel, Life of Pi. Screening live in the Amey Theatre on Thursday 30 March, 7pm. All you have to do is…’Like’ our Facebook page. Share this post on your own Facebook page. Invite 5 friends to ‘Like’ our Facebook page by tagging them in this post. The winner will be announced on our page on Friday 24 March, with information on how to claim your free tickets. Head over to our Facebook page to find out more!
- Young Enterprise – Ox Enterprise
- Ox Enterprise (a 4th Year team which won the South Central Award for Innovation at a recent Young Enterprise Dragons Den) is selling Abingdon sport inspired canvas tote bags. These will be made of high-quality canvas and their suppliers also produce bags for the British Museum, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Sandringham and the Lowry to name but a few. The bags are available to buy as a one-off purchase for £10 each. For the project to go ahead they need a minimum order of 50 by Friday 24 March, details can be found here or on their website: www.oxenterprise.bigcartel.com, and ordering details are in the product description. Any questions, please feel free to email us at [email protected]. Thank you.
