Abingdon Boarders' Handbook

How will my achievements be recognised? Commendations If you are in the Middle School you get awards called  commendations for good work. Once you have gained a  certain number then you may get an award from your  Housemaster.  Housemaster’s or Head of Department’s Praise If you do something really good, either in your academic work,  Other Half or social activities, you may be given a  Housemaster’s or Head of Department’s Praise. This is  awarded to you by your Housemaster at House assembly and  is something to be very proud of.  Head’s Praise For outstanding contributions to the school you can be given  a Head’s Praise. This means that the Headmaster will see you  personally in his office to say well done. This is a very  prestigious award.  Special Prizes Every year at a prize-giving ceremony at the end of the  summer term special prizes are given to boys who have  contributed a great deal to the school. There are prizes for  academic work, sports, services, societies, leadership and  many other things. These prizes only go to boys who have  been exceptional in their contribution. If you get one of these  you have done very well indeed.  What happens if I get into trouble? General principles We expect you to behave with maturity and responsibility  while you are at Abingdon. You should make sure you are  respectful and polite to everyone and always give your best  effort to everything you do. However, sometimes you might  make a mistake. If you do then we expect you to learn from it  and avoid making similar mistakes in future. Depending on  how serious the mistake is and whether you have done  something similar before there are a number of things that  could happen.  Discussion with your Tutor or Housemaster If your Tutor or Housemaster speaks to you about something  we expect you to change your behaviour accordingly. This is  not a major sanction but tells you that if you don’t alter your  attitude then you will be facing more serious trouble.  Housemaster’s Summons If you behave poorly or cause trouble in class or in other areas  of the school you will be given something called a  Housemaster’s Summons. This means you have to find your  Housemaster and he will talk to you and determine what  action you should take to make amends for your mistake.  Prep Detention If you fail to complete your prep to an acceptable standard or  if you fail to complete your prep on time you will be given a  prep detention. This means that you need to go to the  Masters’ Common Room (the teachers’ social room) where  you will be met by a prefect who will supervise you while you  do silent work.   Friday Detention You will be given a Friday Detention for serious errors. They  can be given for bad behaviour or for a serious failure to  complete work. If you get a Friday Detention it means you  have made a very significant mistake and you will have to  change your attitude very quickly. If you are given a Friday  Detention your parents will be told about it.  Head’s Detention This is only given for very serious misbehaviour. It takes place  on a Saturday morning between 9am and 11am. You will need  to be in school uniform. The Deputy Head Pastoral supervises  Head’s Detentions. Your parents will be informed. If you get  one of these then you are putting your position at the school  in danger.  Temporary Exclusion For extremely serious misbehaviour or mistakes you will be  given a temporary exclusion. This means you will not be  allowed to come to school for up to three days. If you are a  boarder you will be required to stay with either your parents or  your guardian during the time of your exclusion.  Permanent Exclusion If you repeatedly misbehave and fail to learn from your  mistakes you will be excluded permanently from school. This  is very rare.  15