www.abingdon.org.uk 17 Abingdon School in Partnership Garden to celebrate the Jubilee In the Lent term, students in the ASiP Eco group and pupils in the Eco committee of Thameside primary school came together to design a garden to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee year. This term, the challenge of bringing the garden to life began in earnest. A group of Abingdon students visited the primary school where they shovelled soil into new raised beds which, in turn, will be planted with wildflowers. What a wonderfully green fingered way to mark the Queen’s 70th year on the throne. Check-mate Throughout the Summer term, Abingdon 4th Year students have been running a chess club at Carswell Primary School. They are helping a group of Key Stage 2 pupils to perfect their game. Louis Bhatia said of the volunteering “I have found it really enjoyable and rewarding to teach younger children how to play chess. They have been very focussed and have learned really quickly.’ Primary Science Club Year 5 Carswell Primary school pupils and ASP’s Primary Science Club attended a ‘Virus Factory’ workshop earlier this term, working with researchers from Oxford University. Pupils found out about cells, extracted DNA from strawberries and discovered more about viruses and how they affect cells in living organisms. Fingerprinting Workshop In March, Abingdon Science Partnership once again hosted the award winning A Level Genetic Fingerprinting Workshop run by a team of researchers from Oxford University’s Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics and attended by Lower Sixth biologists from Abingdon and Carterton Community College. During the day, the students were introduced to the PCR technique for amplifying the genetic content of small samples. Using a PCR machine, the Sixth Formers prepared and analysed samples and used the results to identify their source. The researchers gave detailed accounts of their own research and career paths, allowing students to gain a very personalised insight into the many opportunities in the field and the real world application of techniques they learn in their studies. Academic Coaching At the beginning of the year, over 30 students from across the town took part in the OX14 Learning Partnership Academic Coaching programme. The training sessions, which were run for a total of eight weeks, introduced students to the ‘GROW’ coaching model - a simple method for setting goals and problem solving - which enabled effective coaching conversations to progress towards clear actions and outcomes. Weekly Youth Space Since February, students from all six of the OX14 Learning Partnership Schools (John Mason, Fitzharrys, Radley, Abingdon, Larkmead, and St Helen and St Katharine) have had access to a newly created youth space, thanks to a collaboration between local wellbeing charity ‘The Abingdon Bridge’ and the OX14 Learning Partnership. Providing a safe place for young people to socialise and have access to early interventions, fun activities and supportive wellbeing sessions, the initiative will offer many opportunities, and teach many skills, to a large number of young people helping to equip them with the necessary skills to overcome many of life’s challenges. One student said: “It’s such a fun space and really helps to have grown ups to talk to who aren’t your parents or teachers.”
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