14 September 2026 The Greenpower race season began this term and our teams delivered an impressive performance on 24 May at Goodwood and on the 31 May at Castle Combe, along with our partnership school, Fitzharrys. Across fiercely contested races in the morning and afternoon, in very hot conditions, the teams remained competitive and showed consistent strength throughout the day. Both teams coped admirably with the challenging weather, demonstrating real resilience and teamwork. Congratulations to all involved for their dedication and hard work. Points of view Racing Ahead of hosting their own Model United Nations (MUN) Conference towards the end of term, Abingdon students dominated at the Marlborough College MUN in June. Competing against 35 other schools of roughly 450 delegates, the team secured a staggering nine individual awards including the highly coveted ‘Best Delegation’ for their representation of China. A brilliant result. Over 80 Sixth Formers across the OX14 Learning Partnership (including 17 from Abingdon) have been appointed as Peer Support Leads (PSLs) for the next academic year. To help prepare them for their mentoring roles, they need to undertake some training, the first session of which they completed this term. The training focussed on safeguarding, active listening, and creative loitering to ensure they can safely support their younger peers whilst developing leadership skills. New Peer Support Leads in Partnership Abingdon School Serving as the first student ambassador for Abingdon School in Partnership (ASiP) has been a privilege. My role was to raise awareness, collect testimonies, and represent our community - a journey that witnessed growth not just in others, but also in myself. A major highlight was co-leading OX14 Learning Partnership student voice meetings alongside my peer, Isa. Collaborating with local schools, we worked to enhance cross-school communication, social media engagement, and event signposting. Across the year, I documented a dynamic range of initiatives including a podcast, academic coaching, primary science club and our ChallengED event. While my job was to report on how these events helped others, the process helped me as well, transforming my own confidence. Entering a room of strangers used to feel like a "social endurance event” but through this role and Peer Support Lead training, I learned that confidence is a skill and I developed the ability to navigate social barriers and found how much it can help with building rapport. Managing articles sharpened my organisation skills and taught me that preparation and clear communications are the foundation of any successful project; while watching others reinforced that effective leadership isn’t just about what you know, but how you share that knowledge and how well you listen to those around you. Reflecting on nearly 4,000 hours of student partnership experiences, I feel immense pride. By documenting the success of others, I ultimately found my own voice. Partnership ambassador Jacob looks back on a transformative year
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