6
At Abingdon, teachers enjoy interaction
in class. They judge their students’
understanding and involvement by
the questions they ask and answer. It
is considered good to be curious and
even critical. Having an opinion and
being able to give reasons to support
your thoughts is very important. This
may seem odd to you at first. The
teacher will not always tell you the right
answer, you will be expected to decide
what you think is right and then explain
why.
Sometimes students work in groups.
This is not easy, especially when
not everyone comes from the same
country. Many people have had
different experiences of school in
the past, making group work even
more of a challenge. The purpose of
group work is to learn to work in a
team and to collaborate. This is a skill
you will need in your working life in
the future. Being in a group allows
you to practice skills like leading,
negotiating, encouraging, motivating,
organizing and co-operating.
Sometimes there are conflicts in groups;
learning to deal with these is also part
of becoming a socially adept adult.
You may not be used to reading or
writing extended passages. Your
teachers know this and will guide
you to the skills you need. The EFL
and SEN departments are also
there to help you learn to write in an
academic style.
Teachers at Abingdon know that you
are making probably the biggest
change in your life by coming here to
board. It is important not to be silent
if you are finding things difficult; tell
your tutor or housemaster. They can
arrange extra support for you.
Austin House
Austin House aims to provide you
with the opportunity, support and
encouragement necessary for you to
achieve academic success, develop
self-confidence and independence and
become a concerned and responsible
member of society. The house is a
community that will help you through
the challenges you will face in your
time at Abingdon School and that
will celebrate you successes and
achievements. Crucially it is a place
where you will form friendships and
learn social skills that will last you for
the rest of your life.
Austin House combines boarders and
day pupils aged 14-18 years old. The
house, therefore, offers opportunities
for day pupils and boarders to get
to know one another, for pupils to
convert to boarding in the sixth form
and for pupils to experience a range
of cultures. You should make sure you
make the most of this. Day boys in the
house in in its life and are expected to
follow its rules. They are also expected
to recognise that the house is the
boarders’ home, and to treat it with
appropriate respect.
You will benefit from recreational
facilities in the games room, the
workspace provided by the house
library and the relaxing environment
of the house garden. Boarders have
study bedrooms, shared with one
or two other students, many of
which have en suite facilities. There
is also a TV room and kitchen for the
boarders.
Mr Golding, your housemaster,
heads up a highly experienced and
enthusiastic team of tutors, and is
supported by the house Matron, Carol
Webb. Between them the house staff
look after your academic and pastoral
life at Abingdon. If you have any
problems the house staff will always be
willing to help.
My room
We believe that community spirit
and friendship are at the heart of
boarding at Abingdon. It is important
that you are prepared to share
during your time here and that you
are enthusiastic about making new
friends from all over the world. All of
the boarding rooms are shared, with
2, 3 or 4 boys in a room together.
Younger boys share the larger rooms.
Within your room you will have your
own bed, storage spaces for clothes
and books, a code locked safe, a
lockable draw and cupboard, a lock
for your laptop, and a desk. Some of
the rooms have en-suite facilities and
there are toilets, showers and sinks
near all other rooms. You will also
have a pin board that we encourage
you to use to put up posters and to
personalise your room (you are not
allowed to fix posters to the wall).
Hot food must not be eaten in your
room; you can use the house kitchen
for eating any food that you cook.
Any snack food that you have must
be stored in your locker or tuck box
(which the school provides).
Other facilities
Within Austin House there are plenty
of washing and toilet facilities. There
are also cooking facilities in the house
kitchen, places to relax and watch
SkyTV or play recreational games such
as table tennis or snooker. Golding
House has a garden where you can
relax or walk. There are sports fields
near by where you can play football,
volleyball or other sports.
In addition as a boarder you will
have access to the other facilities in
the school. In the evenings and at
weekends facilities are opened for
your use at certain times including
the school library, the music practice
rooms, the swimming pool, the
fitness suite, the climbing wall and
the sports hall.
Abingdon School
To find out all about Abingdon School
and what happens here please look
at the home page. You may find the
boarding news section interesting or
the virtual tour. However, the more
time you spend looking through our
website the better prepared you
will be for your time here (www.
abingdon.org.uk)
The School is right near the centre of
Abingdon town, it takes about three
minutes to walk to the main square.
Abingdon is a small town with a few
basic shops and restaurants.
Where will I be living?
