Fearghus Raftery 2008 (Art and Architecture)
Dan Knowles 1988 and Paul Green 1983
(Business)
Jack Wearne 1998 (Banking)
Chris Smith 1995 (Engineering)
Phil Cooper 1994 (Entrepreneurship/SMEs)
Ahilan Rabindran 2001 (Finance)
James Emmett 1987 (Information Technology)
Jonathan Lipman 1986 (Law)
Andy Lyon 1991 (Management Consulting)
Andrew Rowe 2003 (Media)
Tom Pollard 1994 (Medicine)
Richard Craig 1991 (Military)
Christian Davies 2005 (Politics)
Jonathan Day 1997, Adrian Champion 2003
and Tom Scrase 2006 (Science)
Ben Prior 2003 (Work Readiness)
Alex Hutchinson 2001 and Tomm Adams 2002
(Opportunistic Careers)
Rob Dalby 1991 (The Portfolio Career)
Abingdon
Careers Support
The Abingdon Foundation, Park Road, Abingdon, Oxford OX14 1DE 01235 521563
•
Edited by Jane Warne –
01235 849108
•
Design –
Jack Wearne (OA 1998) in
discussion with students at the
Sixth Form Careers Evening
OAs, most at early- and mid-career
stages, were on hand to lead small group
discussions with some 65 sixth form
students who had chosen in advance
which career topics they wished to
attend. Many OAs talked with students
about their specific career, while others
shared their views on preparing for the job
market after university and on longer-term
career management strategies. After the
sessions, all moved to the Dining Hall for
a networking buffet supper during which
OAs hosted tables so that students could
continue conversations from the earlier
sessions. After dinner, Mike Stevens (OA
1968) shared observations he and his co-
chairs, Christopher Clayton (OA 1973) and
Ken Welby (OA 1984), had made sitting
in on discussions. The event was hosted
jointly by the School’s Careers Department
and the Old Abingdonian Club.
Internships
Thank you also to OAs who have generously offered internships for lower sixth students.
Placements will occur over the summer, providing students with valuable experience that
will prove useful when applying to universities and starting their careers later on.
Thanks go to the following OAs for giving their time to support the Sixth
Form Careers Evening held on Friday 23 January.
As a direct grant grammar school after
WW2, Abingdon was either free or relatively
inexpensive. But, when the direct grant
system was abolished in 1976, Abingdon
went independent; there were already three
other state comprehensive schools in town
and no appetite for a fourth. The Assisted
Places Scheme, which started in 1981,
helped a number of families until it, too, was
abolished in 1997. Since then, the full cost of
an Abingdon education has been borne by
pupil families…who can afford it.
For some families who can’t, Abingdon
provides means-tested bursaries up to
100% of fees. Bursary support is central
to our values as well as our historical roots,
and Abingdon’s governors have recently
reaffirmed the School’s commitment to
enabling boys from families who cannot
afford to pay full fees to still come here and
benefit from all that Abingdon has to offer.
Approximately 60 Abingdon families currently
benefit from bursary support each year, and
we feel most fortunate to be able to offer
such support, but we want to do more…a
lot more.
To this end, governors have set a goal of
doubling, by 2025, the number of pupils we
support with bursaries, from 60 to 120 per
year. This will require raising approximately
£10 million in donations and legacies over
the next ten years. Both expendable funds
and permanent endowment are needed.
To achieve this ambitious goal, individuals
and organisations from across the school
community – and beyond – will need to give
generously.
As an Old Abingdonian, I shall be making
a legacy provision in my will for bursaries
at Abingdon School. If you believe in the
importance of bursaries, as I do, and would
like to give to Abingdon School’s 10-in-10
Bursary Appeal, please contact Michael Triff,
Director of Philanthropy, on 01235 849129
or email
He can discuss with you a variety of ways to
donate to the Appeal and tax relief for which
you may be eligible.
Adrian Burn (OA 1963)
Chairman of Governors
Abingdon
Bursaries Appeal
Ambitious ‘10-in-10’ Goal to Double Bursary Provision
