10 January 2025 News Abingdon Two coaches of Abingdon rugby players and their parents travelled to Twickenham on 23 November to watch England versus Japan. Everyone enjoyed the dominant display from England who won 59-14. Many thanks to the Touchliners for organising the trip. Swing low, sweet chariot At the end of November, twelve Sixth Formers took part in a language debating competition at Cheltenham College. The students put their rhetorical skills to the test, tackling topics including gender equality and whether pineapple on pizza should be strictly forbidden! All teams impressed the adjudicators and it was inspiring to see them engage at such a high level whilst also having a lot of fun. One group suffered a one point defeat in the French semi-final, while one of the Spanish teams went on to win. On 16 November, twelve students from Fourth Year to Upper Sixth competed in the Oxford regional heat of the UK Space Design Competition. Alongside a team of students from other schools, their challenge was to design a space settlement and manufacturing plant on Mars in 2074. Students worked in groups according to their skills and experience, everything from structural engineering and computer-aided design, to medicine and human resources, to business and finance. The challenge was incredibly tough, and the pupils worked tirelessly to prepare for their presentation at the end of the day. Their proposal was strong, although they did not win, and we look forward to returning again next year. A different language UK Space Design In November, three Lower Sixth students attended the All-Party Parliamentary Engineering Group debate on ‘driverless vehicles’ at the House of Lords. Chaired by Professor The Lord Mair, they heard from the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department for Transport and the founder of Oxa Autonomous Vehicles. Topics including safety and accessibility, public perception and ethics were discussed. Parliamentary debate
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