Boarding Prospectus

7.00-8.30pm – Prep/Homework After prep there is an activity put on by the tutor - particularly for the younger boarders, sometimes cooking, sometimes a quiz or table tennis tournament, while in the spring and summer there are also activities outside. Squads happens at 9.15pm, which involves teams of boarders doing a quick tidy-up. The younger boys head to bed from 9.45pm, while one of the privileges of being in the Sixth Form is we can stay up until 11.00pm. Weekends – Weekends are a time of freedom for boarders. There is plenty of free-time, and also many exciting trips and activities organised by boarding tutors. As a footballer, I would normally have a match on Saturday morning. If there is no match, I usually go to the sports centre to play badminton, or do some running in the gym. I love the fact that nearly all the facilities in the sports centre from the swimming pool to the squash courts are open to us pretty much all the time. Going out to town is another relaxing way to spend your weekend. Abingdon town is less than a 5-minute-walk, while Oxford is a half-an-hour bus ride. Whenever I miss Thai food, my friends and I go out to eat Thai food buffet which is just a 10 minute walk from the school. In just Abingdon and Oxford alone, I think you can find pretty much all types of cuisine, from Chinese to Mexican. There are various weekend trips. For the younger ones, the trips are more frequent, but as a whole house, we normally have one trip a term. I remember when I was in Third Year, the trips helped me bond with my friends, especially when we were trying to survive together in a paintball game! The trips also widened my perspective as I get to visit many English cities and towns that I have never been to before. My favourite trip is ‘London Monopoly’. Teams are dropped off in London and have to find their way around taking as many pictures with the required street signs as possible. For example, Mayfair was worth the most points. My legs were hurting at the end of the day after getting on and off all kinds of transportation, but it was worth it as we won the prize of a free meal to Pizza Express! Dedicated houserooms - spaces to relax ISI INSPECTION Relationships between staff and boarders, and amongst boarders themselves, are warm and friendly. 13