AbingdonNews January 2023 | No. 62 Our Lower School musicians took to the Amey Theatre in November for last term’s lunchtime concert. The Lower School Band and Junior Strings got things off to a lively start, before a series of talented soloists took to the stage. Musical Talent
2 January 2023 After two years’ hiatus, it was back… Yes, October 2022 saw the return of House Singing, much to the delight of everyone, except perhaps the Housemasters who had a mere handful of rehearsals to turn discord into harmony before Houses performed their chosen songs on the Amey Theatre stage. We were treated with a high-calibre edition of what in non-pandemic years is a mainstay in the House programme. It is a wonderful way to build a sense of team spirit in each House and it offers an extraordinary leadership challenge to those students who step forward to conduct or accompany their House. It’s always entertaining to hear which songs are believed to be suitable for the House Singing treatment and this year we were treated to some high-energy and surprisingly harmonious renditions. The House is a key unit within the School, not just for the purposes of popular events like inter-house sports competitions or the Road Relay but, most importantly, as they provide smaller pastoral units, broken up further into tutor groups, that ensure our students get the individual attention that they need and deserve. The House rooms ensure that students of different ages can socialise and work together, providing a platform for friendships across the year group divide. Our younger students can benefit from seeing their older counterparts go through the experiences that await them while our 6th Form Peer Support Leads actively share guidance and ideas on a wide range of topics with their younger peers. So, although it’s some time off, I look forward to seeing all our Houses in perfect harmony next time House Singing comes round… Abingdon News Message from the Headmaster Long live the King At 11am on 15 September, Abingdon’s 6th Form CCF students stood to attention, lowering the colours for a moment of remembrance for Her late Majesty; and as a symbol of allegiance to His Majesty, the King. The Abingdon School community came together to watch and hear the School bell toll 70 times - one toll for each year Elizabeth II reigned - and to sing the National Anthem.
www.abingdon.org.uk 3 Abingdon News The new films on display at the 19th annual Film Unit screening took the number of films produced by members of the AFU since its inception, to over 200. As always, the students’ films covered a remarkable range of subjects. The audience spent time with an American Air Force drone pilot, a distinguished Italian photographer, an Oxfordshire artist, a wildlife volunteer and members of a community group responsible for a unique cycle training facility for young people. They were transported to the Isle of Mull; discovered what some boarders really get up to while their families are on the other side of the world!; heard what it’s like to work with a distinguished orchestral conductor, learned why film photography is making an unexpected comeback amongst young people and even taken to a trio of fictional destinations designed to amuse, unsettle, inform, or in one case, positively spook us (it was Halloween week, after all!). Afterwards, the filmmakers were congratulated by Mr Taylor on their tremendous achievements, and awarded The Spirit of Grigsby Award and The Young Filmmaker of the Year Award to Alex Heffernan and Theo Shorrocks respectively. 19th Annual Film Unit Screening On 14 October, the CCF cadets left for Adventure Training in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. What an experience it was! From tyrolean crossing and abseiling, which proved light work compared to the more arduous, yet fun, caving and canyoning, the Cadets learned some fairly impressive and important skills in a spectacular setting amidst canyons and waterfalls. They even managed a hike up Ingleborough (one of the Three Peaks). There was time for some light recreation too, with a trip to Blackpool Pleasure Beach; bowling; crazy golf, curling and a visit to the cinema. Adventure training
4 January 2023 Our new 1st Year pupils came into school on the morning of Saturday 24 September to take part in a range of activities to help them continue to get to know their new classmates, while also working on their communication and listening skills. They solved challenging tangrams, operated a massive parachute, and attempted some games whilst wearing blindfolds. The final task saw them competing to create the tallest freestanding structure able to carry a marshmallow. Parents then attended a buffet lunch to give them the chance to start getting to know each other too! Abingdon News A prestigious post Many congratulations to Sam Turner - not only was he awarded Best Cadet on the Air Cadet Leadership Course which took place at RAF Cranwell over the summer, but he has also been awarded Lord Lieutenants Cadet for Oxfordshire. This very prestigious post is awarded for the academic year and will involve Sam supporting the Lord Lieutenant in her Royal duties. Budding bakers Each Saturday morning, a group of boarders learn a range of baking and culinary skills at cookery club. During the Michaelmas term, the students have made pizzas, brownies, cookies and scones and everyone has lots of great ideas for future recipes that they would like to perfect. Granada tierra soniada por mi On 17 October, 39 Spanish students from the 4th and 5th Year set off with staff for a 5 day trip to Granada, Spain. The students enjoyed daily lessons, conducted entirely in Spanish, and embraced the opportunity to speak and do a great many activities. Highlights included: designing an imaginary country to help pupils practise the future tense; a visit to the Alhambra Palace which provided some amazing views, the opportunity see some intricate artwork and architecture, and to learn about the different aspects of Spanish and Islamic history; a cookery lesson; visits to a tapas restaurant; and the chance to try some flamenco dancing! Team building Culinary talents Following the European Day of Languages in October, 3rd Year Crescent House boarders set to work making a traditional currywurst. Invented in 1949 by Herta Heuwer, this smoky, spicy and slightly sweet ketchup is an amalgamation of Worcester sauce, ketchup and curry and is absolutely perfect served over hot bratwurst sausages.
Keen observers of new trends at Abingdon School might well tell you - perhaps with a puzzled air - that the Computer Science Department appears to have gone completely mad! It is suddenly crazy about Robotics. There are Robotics sessions after school this term every day from Monday to Friday; Boarders flock to do more Robotics on Saturday mornings; 6th Formers are running a Robotics competition and are themselves preparing to participate at a high level in the national competition ‘Student Robotics’. Such is the wave of enthusiasm that students from other local schools have been drawn in, all learning together through valuable inter-school collaboration. A 3D printer runs steadily in Computer Science and enthusiastic Engineers from industry are involved as Mentors. So have Mr Lomax and I lost the plot? Are we misguided? Or perhaps even suffering from overwork..? Well, let’s step back for a moment: both Mr Lomax and I came to Abingdon with a background in Industry, already regarding Robotics as a fascinating and evolving technology. Added to this, I brought valuable experience from teaching at University level. When challenged, I do agree that Robots have, in the past, promised too much and so have often been relegated to the realms of science fiction. However, whether we are aware of it or not, Robots are now part of life for all of us. They are key essentials across industries from surgery to manufacturing, from building cars to warehousing. One would be forgiven for wondering whether this isn’t rather far removed from children at school playing with Robots. For a long while, I discounted Robots as merely a sink into which schools could pour money; or an expensive toy which runs through a few paces before student interest wanes, but then last year, I had an ‘Eureka’ moment when I experienced first hand what happens when Abingdon students start completely from scratch with a pile of wires and, initially, vague ideas, and then design and build their own Robot to carry out a precise and challenging task. This, I realised, was a completely different thing. Spurred on by my own enthusiasm, and by the support and encouragement of other staff, Abingdon students will be taking part in Student Robotics 2023 run at the University of Southampton and also building and running RoboCon Oxfordshire - a competition for students from other schools across Oxfordshire. You see, when students design, build, program and test their own Robot, and then repeat this cycle, solving the problems that have emerged and designing improvements, they are taking part in Engineering. Every industry from medical instruments to vehicle braking systems follows exactly this same process. Engineering is multidisciplinary - it involves teamwork skills and project management, as well as combining technical expertise from Design and Technology, Electronics and Computer Science. Mr Lomax and I have watched Abingdon students exploring and relishing these links. This excites us hugely, and, as we are seeing week by week, it also excites the students. It is an experience that is already changing their career choices. Our current programme is unashamedly ambitious. Last year, in our first entry into competition at the national level, and competing against schools with many years experience, we were amongst the highest scorers. And we have already started to design and build newer and better Robots for the challenges of competition this year. The opportunities are limitless. Whilst we may not achieve all our goals at once, one idea continually sparks another and the enthusiasm generated has been infectious and stimulating. One thing I think we can be sure of is that we are already giving students a real taste for Engineering and, with it, some understanding of the possibilities it can offer beyond the school gates. www.abingdon.org.uk 5 Abingdon News So why Robotics? by Dr Peter Willis
6 January 2023 What a show In the first Work Exhibition of the year, Lower School pupils each chose a piece of work they were particularly proud of to show to their classmates. Work from a wide range of subjects was on display and it was clear from what was shown that a lot of very good work has been produced over the first few weeks of the academic year. In October, Upper 6th Germanists visited the Rose Theatre in Kingston to see the first London production in 25 years of Bertolt Brecht’s epic masterpiece ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle’. Our students were gripped by the adventure which was brimming with original songs and full of mischievous humour. Right on cue Feeling poetic On National Poetry Day, 2nd Year French students created some lovely translations of Robert Desnos’ poem ‘Le Crapaud’. They even managed to incorporate some of the rhymes by being inventive with the word order and vocabulary. Academic award holders in the 2nd Year met St Helen and St Katharine students in early November for a Joint Lower School Thinking Supper. They discussed issues related to the current COP27 conference in groups and then, after having dinner together, presented their findings. Joined up thinking Abingdon News Practice makes perfect Ten teams completed their Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award practice expedition over the weekend. Conditions were ideal for a walking expedition and all teams successfully navigated through the dune systems and over the open moorland of the Gower Peninsula. Teams will now prepare for the assessed expedition to the Brecon Beacons next year.
Abingdon News www.abingdon.org.uk 7 Translation workshop In October, 6th Form pupils studying French took part in an informative and engaging translation workshop with Dr Jennifer Higgins, a professional translator of fiction and literary non-fiction. Her work includes ‘The Photographer of Auschwitz’, translated from Italian, and ‘Faces on the Tip of my Tongue’ by Emmanuelle Pagano, translated from French. The pupils worked in groups to translate a range of short texts from French into English, starting with the cartoon ‘Astérix’ and moving on to excerpts from Camus’ ‘L’Étranger’ and Pagano’s ‘L’Absence d’oiseaux d’eau’. The pupils certainly enjoyed using their language skills and creativity, and there was lively discussion around the challenges of translation. Getting into the Festive Swing Christmas got into full swing towards the end of term with visits from the 3rd Year Community Music Group and the Abingdon Academicals to Albert Lodge and, from the latter, to the Abingdon Community hospital too! The groups and their festive performances were well received and very much appreciated. Art that moves one Last term, the Art Department set a photography competition to depict the theme of ‘Movement’ and a selection of the entries will be enlarged and displayed across School. Leon Harris Max Sheriff Russell Cespedes Head of Art, Mr Williamson, said “the students really excelled themselves producing very professional and imaginative ideas, so much so, that one can almost hear the sound of movement within the images. Very many congratulations to all those who took part”.
8 January 2023 Abingdon News Agape, our partner charity in Moldova, has continued to make good use of the funds Abingdon pupils raised in 2021 through our sponsored walk. At the start of the new academic year, Agape offered school supplies to children from 25 families in the villages of Zîmbreni and Văsieni to ensure that they have all the equipment they need for their studies and has also donated 5 multifunctional printers to 3 schools in Ialoveni. The Headteacher of Petre Stefanuca School in Ialoveni has sent this message to the Abingdon community: “Thank you for all the support offered. We know that we can count on this help from you and this increases the confidence that we will succeed, and that we will face the challenges in this period of great crisis.” The ongoing conflict in Ukraine and very big increases in fuel costs mean that the winter months are going to be particularly challenging in Moldova this year, but Agape is committed to making a difference to as many poor families as possible. Food donations have been made to a primary school in Ialoveni to help them provide lunch for their students; whilst food, hygiene products and other consumables have been delivered to the “Victory” Centre in Chisinau, which offers social-educational services for children from Moldova and refugees from Ukraine. Lending a helping hand Marking Black History Month Four of our Lower School students worked together to research and create a colourful display to mark Black History Month. Each student chose a young black person who has brought about change in response to racism. They created colourful and informative biographies which are on display. Kwame Abayateye lent us some beautiful kente items from Ghana which have made our display additionally vibrant. The Classics annual dinner took place on 30 September with current Abingdon Classicists, 20 OA Classicists and 3 former members of the Classics department, coming together to hear a lecture by Dr Andrew Sillett of St Hilda’s, Oxford, and to enjoy supper together afterwards. Dr Sillett’s talk on how Cicero used humour to undermine Julius Caesar’s dictatorship was particularly well-received for his engaging descriptions of some of the more intellectual Classical authors like Quintillian and Macrobius, and for his great reveal of the funniest joke of the late Roman Republican period (by Cicero, who we learned was, in fact, a hilarious wit!). The ancient use of humour against a tyrant was brought into modern times, as Dr Sillett gave examples of comedy used currently in Russia and how this was posing a dilemma for Putin. Rarely has there been so much laughter during a lecture on the ancient world! The dinner afterwards provided OAs with the opportunity to catch-up - both with each other and with staff, and to offer their pearls of wisdom to current 6th Formers. It was also a chance to see 4 current or former Heads of Classics together (Munna Mitra, Jenny Fishpool, Chris Burnand and Hugh Price). Cicero and humour
www.abingdon.org.uk 9 Over half-term, Classics pupils visited Cadiz (the oldest city in Western Europe) and Seville, to look at Roman remains. Students were able to see examples of different buildings which might come under the bracket of ‘what the Romans did for us’, particularly at Merida, which boasts a theatre, an amphitheatre, a hippodrome and a majestic aqueduct. As is the custom on our Classics trips, the older pupils gave prepared presentations to the rest of the group. This year, the topics were on the important aspects of the Roman presence in Spain, such as Romanisation, the Imperial Cult and military coloniae; we were even entertained in the theatre at Medellin to a modern reworking of Plautus’ comedy: Mostellaria (The Haunted House), with topical references from the editorial team of Pupil Voice. The trip ended with the usual fiendishly difficult team quiz and, on the final drive back to Madrid, a stop-off at the picturesque temple at Bohonal. Abingdon News Roman ruins in Spain Putting the fun into Physics At the beginning of half-term, Middle School Physics pupils enjoyed a trip to Munich. Activities included a walking tour of the city; a visit to the European Southern Observatory; a choice of workshops in Maths, Astrophysics or Quantum Optics at the Technical University of Munich; a visit to the Munich Public Observatory; a robotics workshop at the Deutsche Museum; a visit to the BMW museum and, finally, the opportunity to savour the panoramic views across the city from the viewing platform of the Olympic Tower. It was a truly amazing trip. Prize winning poet - Mary Jean Chan As part of our National Poetry Day celebrations, our Literary Society, together with that of St Helen and St Katharine, were treated to a reading of Flèche, a Costa Poetry prize winning debut collection by acclaimed poet Mary Jean Chan. After the reading, the poet held a Q&A session, covering topics such as Hong Kong heritage, writing process and advice for budding poets. On 2 October, 25 of our boarders headed for the Portsmouth Historic Dockyards, where they saw Nelson’s flagship - the HMS Victory, before viewing the wreck of Henry VIII’s Mary Rose. A trip to Gunwharf Quay completed a memorable day for all those involved. V for Victory
10 January 2023 Abingdon News During their Geography lesson in the first week of October, members of 1M completed sketch maps of Big School. A key geographical skill being developed ahead of the coastal topic later in the year. A Level physicists enjoyed a lecture at lunchtime given by Luke Scantlebury-Smead from Oxford University. Luke was talking about the LHCb detector at CERN and his time working on it in Switzerland which is related to the particle physics aspect of the A Level course. Just under 30 students enjoyed a sunny day at Hinksey Heights Golf Club, overlooking Oxford, for what has become an annual event of Foot Golf. Several of the students scored birdies or eagles on the challenging course, but the highlight was Mr Richardson scoring another hole-in-one. Best score was from School House’s Kammal Nwajiaku. Three Upper 6th pupils enjoyed a visit to the House of Lords for the annual All-Party Parliamentary Engineering Group lunch and discussion in November. Talks were on the theme of engineering for the food industry including from engineers at Bournville. The pupils learned about the science of tempering chocolate and the quest to create a chocolate-piping robotic hand. A fair way to go Physics lunchtime lecture Big plans House of Lords Science meets linguistics Having spent time learning about Chemistry, Physics and Biology in their German lessons, 1st Year pupils went to the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Goethe Institute in November to further explore links between the two subjects. Over the course of the day, the pupils found out more about a huge range of topics, from dinosaurs to space travel; to the differences between London and Berlin.
www.abingdon.org.uk 11 Young Enterprise teams at Christmas Fair It was a good start to the festive season for ‘Abingdon Repurpose’ and ‘OX Enterprise’ - two of this year’s Young Enterprise teams. Attending the annual St Helen and St Katharine Christmas Fair in November, both teams received very positive feedback for their products (upcycled coffee coaters; Christmas decorations, passive amplifiers and door stops), display stands, sales pitches and enjoyed selling success. Abingdon News In November, sailing club students and staff travelled to Gloucestershire for a workshop on boat repair. The workshop covered mending fibreglass boats including how to remove damaged material, sand repairs and polish up so the vessels look as good as new. Repair shop Talking their way into the next round The Debating Society fielded a team in the first round of the English Speaking Union Schools’ Mace competition in November. Peter Harris, Matthew Lawrence and Henry Roseff proposed the motion: This House believes that there should be a ban on digital manipulation in advertising, including social media. Their opponents were a swing team from Fearnhill and Stockwood Park Academy. The first round was online and the Abingdon team passed through to the next round. Back in the community After a two year hiatus, due to Covid restrictions, Abingdon students have been delighted to once again visit local care homes. Each week, our students visit Old Station House, Fountain Court, Bridge House, Renaissance, Millstream Court and Cygnet Court to chat to residents, play games, run quizzes and serve refreshments. Jack-o’-Lanterns Originating from the Irish folklore tale about ‘Stingy Jack’, our School House boarders got into the Halloween spirit and enjoyed pumpkin carving in the first week back after half-term. Their spooky Jack-o’- Lantern designs really helped to ward off any evil spirits!
12 January 2023 Abingdon News The overarching question in the 2022 Middle School production ‘Eleven’ is whether or not the hapless B XI cricket team will learn how to play as a team and win their first victory of the season. Subliminally, however, this is a play which addresses the life questions, issues and anxieties of a group of teenagers, making it shrewdly relevant to young people (and their parents) today. The brainchild of writer Edward Rowett, who is perhaps best known for the award-winning Radio 4 sitcom ‘Reluctant Persuaders’, ‘Eleven’ is the third play Rowett has written for Abingdon. An OA himself, Rowett was a contemporary of, and remains firm friends with, Abingdon’s current Director of Drama, Ben Phillips who commissioned and Directed ‘Eleven’ last December. “It may sound obvious, but being a single gender school means we are fairly limited in the production options available to us. As a department, we really like to mix things up to provide a variety of the traditional and the contemporary; the serious and the more frivolous. However, finding something different each year which will also continue to stretch and challenge our students’ acting skills is not always easy” explains Phillips, “so being able to give Ed a brief and have him write pertinent and contemporary material, really enables us to work within the confines of our requirements - including number of characters, age appropriate material and so on. It is extremely valuable.” Rowett has previously written two other plays for Abingdon. B12: a school story – drew inspiration from Abingdon School archivist Sarah Wearne’s ‘A History of Abingdon School in 63 Objects’. Set in room B12 – one of the oldest rooms in the School – the play was an episodic piece, in which each of the five scenes explored a different period in the School’s recent history, culminating in a farewell encounter between a master and a recent pupil, now in uniform and about to leave for the front. The other was a spoof murder-mystery which challenged the cast to take on the difficult art of making comedy look easy as they surmounted every conceivable theatrical disaster with the time-honoured virtues of grit, pluck and improvisation. “The idea for ‘Eleven’ was borne out of going to see Jez Butterworth’s ‘Jerusalem’ explains Phillips. Ostensibly, it is a play about a council wanting to evict someone from a caravan but Butterworth gives prominence to all the characters who the audience quickly realise are experiencing their own individual crises, exploring sensitive but applicable themes. In essence, that’s what I wanted our production to achieve - something that was relevant, helpful and which was going to stretch the abilities of our young thespians. ‘Eleven’ is particularly challenging as it takes place in real time - this is quite an ask of any actor and our Middle School students rose admirably to the task and did some very brave acting.” Director of Drama, Ben Phillips, discusses the recent Middle School production ‘Eleven’ The 1st Years spent the morning learning about ‘the 4 Rs’, ‘the grow model’ and discussed ways in which they could develop skills for learning and remembering in the classroom. They were then joined in the afternoon by the 2nd Years for a talk and demonstration from Mike Mullen, former BMX halfpipe World Champion. Mike reflected on how much one can learn from failing and set the pupils a task in which they thought about the values demonstrated by their personal role models. Some of the pupils were given the chance to test their balance in a BMX stunt and all were suitably impressed when Mike jumped his BMX over no fewer than 4 Lower School tutors! Be More Griffen This year’s ‘Be More Griffen’ programme was officially launched in Lower School in September.
www.abingdon.org.uk 13 Abingdon News Work experience Over the summer holidays, 6th Form student, Rowan Yin, spent a week undertaking work experience at leading insurance broker and risk advisor, Marsh. Arranged between OA, Matt Terry who heads up Financial and Professional Lines (FINPRO) nationally at Marsh and Abingdon’s Head of Career Guidance, Michael Triff, the week proved an insightful experience for Rowan who is hoping to pursue a career in financial services. Rowan discusses how valuable work experience can be and the benefits it has to offer. Rowan, could you briefly describe what your work experience at Marsh entailed? It was a fantastic week - I was able to engage with, and shadow, various teams at Marsh ranging from marketing and acquisitions to specialist brokers. This gave me an insight into what their roles entailed on a daily basis as well as to ask more practical questions about their jobs and the insurance industry. Did you feel it gave you an accurate picture of working in a commercial environment? Definitely - whilst my day was perhaps more varied than a typical day within a commercial environment, I think it provided a wellrounded view of the day-to-day and the more interesting aspects of work life. What did you enjoy most and why? I really enjoyed the opportunity to engage with, question and shadow a wide variety of people who have worked in, and experienced, the insurance industry. What did you enjoy least and why? The experience coming to an end! I thoroughly enjoyed my week at Marsh, especially the opportunity to interact with so many different teams and individuals. Was there anything which surprised you? I had a basic idea of what working in an office environment would be like, but one of the elements which particularly resonated with me was how significant personal connections and relationships are - this was really highlighted in the meetings I was able to attend. What was the most valuable thing you brought back from your time at Marsh? It made me aware of all the possible routes into the industry. Insurance is a significant offering in the British financial services sector and brokering is significant within that too. Yet having said this, the industry as a whole remains relatively unknown in spite of the excellent opportunities available. Undertaking a work experience placement at Marsh, which provides so many services from industry-focused brokerage, consulting, and claims advocacy services to leveraging data, technology, and analytics to help reduce their clients’ total cost of risk, really opened my eyes to the sheer number of different paths available to follow. Having completed your work experience, is it something you would recommend to your peer group? I would recommend any form of work experience to my peers, because it offers a practical insight into a career area and what working life is like, as well as a real understanding of the paths available for entry into employment. It helps to reveal what subjects to study at A Level and beyond and what skills are needed to get a job and then excel in it. My placement can be referenced in my personal statement for university. And, of course, meeting people and starting to form a network of contacts is hugely valuable, too. For advice about looking for work experience and getting the most out of placements, students at Abingdon should contact Michael Triff.
14 January 2023 Abingdon Music Going Solo We’ve certainly not been short of wonderful music making this term, particularly from our solo musicians. This term featured two solo platforms which exhibited music across the age range of the school. The relaxed atmosphere at these concerts is vital in supporting our musicians, helping to develop the confidence they need to perform in front of an audience. In particular, it was lovely to hear from a number of Lower School and new 3rd Year students, as well as from more accomplished musicians in the 6th Form. We also saw masterclasses for piano and violin. Anthony Williams, Head of Instrumental Music at Radley College, offered some incredibly insightful comments to our pianists, encouraging them to really think about the various different elements they can bring out in their playing. Sebastian Mueller, who holds several violin teaching positions at university Music departments across the UK, focussed on embodying the character of the various pieces as well as offering more practical advice on bowing and articulation. The Senior Instrumental Competition, adjudicated by Professor George Caird, granted performance opportunities to some of our advanced players, often at the culmination of their school careers. Professor Caird has held numerous senior positions at conservatoires around the country so he certainly knows a thing or two about performance. The standard of playing was uniformly high, making picking a top three incredibly challenging. Nevertheless, 3rd place in this competition was awarded to Oliver Glover, 2nd place to Ryan Ng whose sheer technical control over the violin was impressive and 1st place to Walter Liu, who gave an astonishingly mature performance of a tricky Chopin etude. Professor Caird also gave special mention to Louis de Chazal for his incredibly mature bassoon playing.
www.abingdon.org.uk 15 Abingdon Music House singing After a two year hiatus, our House singing competition returned to the Amey Theatre in October, bringing everyone together to enjoy an afternoon of music-making. We were treated to an eclectic range of songs. As ever, Abba provided solid choices for a couple of Houses while ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ - an apt choice for our setting - got the audience moving. Pygott’s navigated the twists and turns of the Meatloaf epic ‘I will do anything for love’ amongst a batch of rousing stadium anthems. New Housemaster, Mr Stockdale, almost steered his charges to victory with a confident and stylish rendition of ‘I Want It That Way’ but he was knocked off top spot by Donnelly’s neatly arranged and musical performance of ‘Counting Stars’ by One Republic. We are grateful to our adjudicator, Ian Donald, former Head of Music at Hampton School, and the staff in the Music Department who worked closely with Mr Dawswell to ensure this event went so smoothly and, of course, the pupils themselves. On 7 October, we hosted the first Twinning Association Concert which is designed to broadcast the musical talents of schools and musical organisations in and around the town of Abingdon, to our Twin Towns. The evening didn’t disappoint with band performances from the Abingdon Concert Band, the big band of St Helen and St Katharine and the Abingdon Town Band, featuring Mr Simmons (Head of Physics); as well as stunning performances from Abingdon, Larkmead School, Radley and the Abingdon Operatic Society. Twinning concert Choir sings at Mercers’ Hall Service On a cold December morning, the Chapel Choir made their annual trip to Mercers’ Hall in London to sing in a Service preceding General Court. Abingdon School has long been affiliated with the Livery Company and, this year, our choir performed ‘Lord for Thy Tender Mercies’ Sake’ by John Hilton, as well as Ralph Vaughan Williams’ ‘O Taste and See’, with the treble solo beautifully sung by Luca Baleanu (1st Year). The students were back just in time for the 2nd of our annual Christmas Concerts at School! Carols on handbells The bellringing club took a break from their usual ringing of the tower bells of St Helen’s Church at their practice this week to try their hand at ringing some Christmas carols on handbells. Jingle Bells and Good King Wenceslas were among the tunes that were successfully attempted and everyone left the tower feeling suitably festive.
16 January 2023 Abingdon School Sport Girls victorious in St Kate’s Day lacrosse Undeterred by the dreadful November weather, Upper 6th students from Abingdon and St Helen and St Katharine took to the pitch with much enthusiasm and determination in the annual St Kate’s Day lacrosse match. Nevertheless, the opposition remain unbeaten with a 5-1 victory. Well done to all involved! The perfect hosts It has been a fantastic start to the new academic year for our swimming squad. In September, we hosted the English Schools Swimming Association (ESSA) qualification event, in which a number of Oxfordshire secondary schools compete in 4x50 Medley and Freestyle relay races. Then, on 19 November, the swimming squad had one of the most successful results in school history, with the U18s breaking school records in both the 4x50 Freestyle and Medley relays, reaching the ESSA national final in the latter, where they achieved an astounding 8th place! The U16s had an equally impressive result, breaking a record in the 4x50 Freestyle relay, coming 6th overall in the nation. This was followed by the Warwick Gala on 24 November, in which the U18s managed to smash the 10 year old 4x50 Freestyle short course relay record by over 2 seconds, achieved some personal bests and won overall in their age group. Not wishing to disappoint, the U16s managed to break a number of school records and narrowly missed out in a victory in their age group patterns. En garde! Many congratulations to 5th Year student, Fin Bennet who has been invited to join the GBR athlete development programme and who was also selected to represent the GBR team in Fencing at competitions in Grenoble and Copenhagen late last year. It’s all going swimmingly Sail away At the end of the summer term, a group of 16 students and 4 members of staff took part in the sailing club’s summer yachting trip on the South Coast. The boats were chartered from Gosport and the majority of the sailing took place around the Solent area, visiting Lymington, Cowes and Southampton.
www.abingdon.org.uk 17 Abingdon School Sport The half-term break clearly had a wonderfully restorative effect on our badminton players as they were in fine fettle on Saturday 5 November for matches against St Edwards School. The U18s won their fixture 15-1 and the U16s, with debut performances for some players, took their fixture 16-0. A huge congratulations to all players for their stellar performances. After a three year absence due to Covid, it was fantastic to kick off half-term with Middle School rugby tours. The U15s took part in the Langley School national festival (14-16 October), where they had a cracking couple of days in Norfolk playing against some of the top schools in the UK and won the Plate competition. The U14s went on a mini-tour to Bath (18-20 October) which saw a mixture of rugby and recreation. On day 1, they played King Edward’s, with the Bs winning 62-0 and the A team narrowly defeated 17-12. This was followed by ten pin bowling. On day 2, students enjoyed activities including archery and paddleboarding in a team building day and evening trip to the cinema. Day 3 brought about some sightseeing before matches in the afternoon against Beechen Cliff School, with the Bs winning 26-14; and the A team losing 38-0. Squashing the opposition Abingdon Squash has had an extremely successful start to the year. The squad has been training hard with Ben Rosec and, with the strength in depth better than it has ever been before, the results are really speaking for themselves! With big wins against St Edward’s and Stowe, and a narrow loss to Eton, we have had convincing victories over RGS High Wycombe (5-0) and Radley (4-1). Our KS4 team began their National Schools campaign in November with overwhelming victories over John Hampden School and Berkhamsted, and now confidently go through to Stage 2 of the Championships. The badminton squad, having shaken off the dust of the summer, got off to a great start to the season with a 6-2 win over Wellington. The players were highly competitive, showing great energy and application. On 24 September, both the 1st VIII and 2nd VIII badminton squads were out on the courts. The 1st VIIIs were depleted in number, with the majority attending the Oxford closed tournament - this provided a great opportunity for 2nd team players to step up. Their commitment was impressive and they lost narrowly by 9-7. The 2nd VIIIs, with some new players making their debut for the squad, kept it down to the wire but lost 9-7. Well done to all players. Badminton success Rugby tours resume
18 January 2023 Abingdon Sport It has been a fantastic start to the season for our U18 basketball team who continue to be unbeaten. Firstly, with a clear win of over 30 points against opposition Radley; followed with a notable away win of 48-33 against Stowe in November. Selection News Congratulations to Quinn Miell-Ingram who has been selected for the England Athletics Youth Talent Programme. The two year programme will see Quinn study and train alongside some of the best up and coming English talent, as well as some world class athletes and coaches. Quinn was also selected to represent the South East of England at the prestigious London mini marathon ahead of the main event which took place on Sunday 2 October. It was fantastic to be able to support the Longworth 10km in September and for the senior athletes to stretch their legs ahead of the school cross country season. Warm and dry conditions made the running hard underfoot but a relentless headwind along the Thames path made for some tough conditions. Despite this, there were some brilliant performances from everyone, especially those stepping up to the 10km distance for the first time. Will d’Arcy crossed the line in 1st position in a time of 33 minutes 49 seconds, just 27 seconds off the course record that was set by Rowan Miell-Ingram (OA) last year. Quinn Miell-Ingram also got on the podium, finishing 3rd in a time of 34 minutes and 38 seconds. Abingdon Relays ‘Dribbling’ their way to victory Longworth 10km On 20 September, Abingdon welcomed St Albans, MCS, The Dragon School and Abingdon Prep School to Cox’s Fields for the annual junior relay competition. The teams of five tested themselves over the 1.8km course to try and record the lowest cumulative time. There were some fantastic performances with the lead changing hands multiple times during each race. The Abingdon junior and intermediate teams finished in 3rd and 1st place respectively, with the fastest lap time going to Ralph Allen (5 minutes 50 seconds). Well done to everyone that took part, especially those making their Abingdon debut!
www.abingdon.org.uk 19 Abingdon Sport Just before the start of the Michaelmas term, our 2021/22 U15 cricketers were crowned the National T20 champions. The team won in the last 16 against King Edwards Southampton on the last day of the summer term, and subsequently beat Millfield School in the quarter final stages, before an incredible finals day on 4 September. A magnificent semi-final display against current 40 over champions, The Forest School, resulted in a match up against Cheadle Hulme School in the final. Restricting their opponents to 126 in 20 overs, Abingdon won the contest for the loss of just two wickets to win the competition - a very special achievement for all of the players involved throughout the campaign. T20 Champions Anyone for Canoe Polo On 18 September, we hosted the first canoe polo tournament of the academic year. Six teams battled it out in a round robin format with one of the Abingdon teams narrowly beating Malvern College to the top spot. Later in the term, our skills were honed further in a joint training session with Bath University Canoe Club. The team spent the first 2 hours refining skills with the groups looking at dribbling, attack and defence, shooting and goal keeping. They then went on to play a minitournament with mixed teams. It was a very enjoyable afternoon with everyone improving their technique. A good shot Congratulations to 5th Year Will Canter for securing a silver medal in the recent Junior British Shooting Shotgun Series Final. This is a particularly fantastic achievement, given this is only Will’s 2nd full season in the sport and considering he is competing in the U21 category!
20 January 2023 Abingdon School in Partnership Over 40 children from Partnership Primary Schools participated in an exciting Dragon’s Den marketing challenge on 22 November. The students were asked to design a healthy fruit drink that could be sold at the World Cup in Qatar. With the assistance of 6th Form Business students, the teams created a selection of colourful and innovative products. They considered not only the health benefits of their drinks but also the impact on the environment. Their posters, teamwork and presentation were judged by a panel of teachers and the Headmaster. The presentations were very impressive and the pupils responded excellently to the panel’s questions. A fresh team of Science Ambassadors has been training hard this term to develop and deliver an exciting series of Primary School Science Club sessions. After trying out ideas on classes from Abingdon Prep School, they are now presenting weekly sessions to a record number of 26 pupils from 4 schools, including Radley Primary and St Swithun’s Primary, Kennington. The 1st session was a great ice breaker with teams working together to make a safe descent system for an egg dropped from the 1st floor balcony of Faringdon Lodge. Every single egg survived which everyone agreed was an ‘egg-cellent’ outcome. In October, Abingdon Science Partnership hosted a Faraday Challenge Day for six schools in the OX14 Learning Partnership with teams competing for a trophy on the day as well as a ranking in the national competition league tables. The Faraday Challenge is run by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) and sponsored each year by a large engineering organisation. The 2022-23 Challenge is linked to the UK Research Institutions’ Future Flight Challenge and the OX14 event was supported by GKN Automotive’s Innovation Centre in Abingdon. GKN generously paid for the entry fee and sent 2 of their engineering undergraduate placement students to help run the event. During the day, the teams of six Year 8 pupils from each school set about designing a prototype of their solution to the engineering problem they were asked to solve, without any help from teaching staff. The exact problem cannot be revealed as other schools are yet to compete in the Challenge, but each of the teams showed determination and imagination in solving it. At the end of the afternoon, each team had to make a formal presentation on their idea to the rest of the teams and face a grilling from the national Challenge Leader from IET who ran the event. All six local teams from Abingdon School, Abingdon Prep, SHSK, John Mason, Larkmead and Fitzharrys, did really well, presenting ingenious ideas with working model prototypes, but the worthy winners on the day were the team from Fitzharrys. Our thanks to everyone involved - the pupils and staff thoroughly enjoyed the event and are very keen to see this become an annual fixture in the OX14 calendar. Faraday Challenge Day New Science Ambassadors Dragon’s Den
www.abingdon.org.uk 21 Abingdon School in Partnership November heralded the first joint MUN debate of the term with St Helen and St Katharine. The topic for the debate was the invigorating question of ‘commercialisation of space’. Gordon, the delegate for Japan, presented a resolution which called for the restriction and regulation of satellite launching, and thence the commotion commenced. The USA attempted, once again, to wield its fist over diplomacy, against which Bhutan immediately brought up the pressing topic of alien rights, attacking the USA for its ‘outrageous exploitation of martians etc.’, North Korea similarly spoke against the USA who had spread the ‘obnoxious’ rumour that the DPRK had ‘attempted to land a satellite on the sun’. Russia submitted an amendment that called for the launching of all satellites to be controlled by Moscow, which angered the Irish delegate who pointed out that it was rather the duty of the Pope to make decisions of such spiritual importance. In the end, however, Russia was repelled and for the 1st time in a very long time(!) the resolution was passed. by Thomas Chorley On 3 November, 66 students and their teachers came together for the inaugural Business Language challenge, hosted by Abingdon School. The day was run by experts and industry volunteers from Business Language Champions who aim to ‘promote modern foreign languages and cultural cohesion by demonstrating to young students the importance of language skills in the workplace.’ After an inspiring keynote speech from a sales and marketing expert with broad language skills, students worked in mixed teams on a series of challenges in their target languages. Using either French, German or Spanish, they set to work to promote and sell a popular confectionary item. After initial icebreaker activities, they set to work on designing a trade stall, producing an advert and flyer as well as creating their version of the product, before testing their language skills with a real life phone call to a large supplier. The afternoon saw students working together, sharing their ideas and drawing on their individual and group strengths, then finalising their designs and presenting their ideas to the industry experts. Initial feedback from staff and students showed that they enjoyed the opportunity to work with, and meet, new people as well as getting to be creative. They valued the support of the volunteer linguists with one student describing the day as ‘wunderbar!’ Model United Nations In September, 50 Primary School pupils spent an exciting morning learning about historical crime scenes, philosophy, rocks and life as a Roman soldier (with one of our 6th Formers dressed in full Roman regalia proving to be particularly popular). They had great fun participating in a range of activities, which complemented their school curriculum. When in Rome Open to schools in Oxfordshire and run by Abingdon’s own Peter Willis, Oliver Lomax and student assistants, 12 November saw 8 teams of over 40 students come into School for the inaugural event of Robocon. This free robotics competition aims to link DT, Physics, Electronics and Computer Science in a fun and exciting event. With the support of the team at Abingdon, students in Years 9, 10 and 11 will work together in teams over the next few months, to design, build, program and test a robot. In March, they will then compete with their Robots in a series of challenges and we are very much looking forward to the result. Robocon Business language challenge
22 January 2023 Abingdon Prep In September, Year 1 took part in a series of team building challenges including operating land skis and crossing a ‘lava pool’ with planks, crates and tyres at a fun day exploring at Hill End! One of the highlights was learning how to use a flint and steel to make sparks to light their own mini fires. It was certainly worth the effort as they then toasted marshmallows to make delicious, sticky smores and by singing some wonderfully funny campfire songs. Team building and perseverance Opening of new facilities It was an exciting start to the new academic year with the official opening of the Prep’s state-of-the-art music school, dedicated DT workshop, 2nd Science lab and new classrooms by Chair of Governors and OA, Professor Michael Stevens. The construction of this exciting new building has enabled rooms within the existing school to be repurposed and renovated - including the creation of a new, double height library situated in the very heart of the school and a bespoke Pre-Prep hub. Headmaster, Craig, says: “We are passionate about ensuring our students and staff have fit for purpose facilities which will help them to succeed academically and support them pastorally in our ever changing world.” Let the punishment fit the crime The Year 4 pupils found out about Crime and Punishment last term, exploring how it has changed through the ages. The topic culminated in a visit to Oxford Castle, where the students looked at how punishments had changed through time and where they were able to handle artefacts. They also had a guided tour of the castle and prison. The class was intrigued by the story of Mary Blandy, who was accused of poisoning her father in the 18th Century. The children put Mary on trial, taking on the various roles of the courtroom. After heated debate, the children found Mary NOT guilty of her crimes. Fun trip out In the Autumn, Reception visited Cogges Farm. The children made their own pots, planted corn seed, threshed the corn, ground it into flour and then made bread in the old Victorian kitchen. They went on a hunt for eggs and took part in the story of ‘The Little Red Hen’, learning about how important collaboration and helping others can be! After a picnic lunch, they explored the farm meeting a variety of animals, before having some time in the exciting adventure playground. Everyone felt very sleepy on the way home! Woodworking together This term in DT, Year 3 having been looking at pneumatics and, using the fantastic facilities in the new dedicated DT workshop, have designed and made their very own moving monsters! They have also used woodworking tools to create pen pots. Well done Year 3 - what a creative lot you are!
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