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Abingdon School A GSG School

Abingdon School

What says..

Inquisitive pupils and teachers who enjoy stoking their curiosity: a magic combo. ‘His brain has really grown,’ said one mum, bamboozled by the good things ‘he’s unearthing that aren’t part of the curriculum’. Nothing ‘extra’ about extra-curricular here. Instead, it’s the Other Half. Every day after lessons, involving anything from mahjong to mooting. Parents welcomed ‘opportunities not to be tough’. Entomology club breed moths (hooray for the large saturniid, busy weaving its cocoon); German baking club’s annual highlight is the Weihnachtsplätzchen-backwettbewerb (Christmas cookie competition). Mind-blowing diversity: Lego Mindstorms; ‘books and biscuits’; ‘100 best documentaries’. CCF popular; hundreds (or so it felt) running around in camo…

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What the school says...

Abingdon combines over 750 years of history and tradition with a modern outlook. The school prides itself on academic excellence coupled with a wide range of extracurricular (‘the other half’) success. The school has a tremendous academic reputation with 99 per cent of pupils continuing to further education, with the majority going on to leading universities and around 20 per cent each year to Oxbridge. The ‘other half’ opportunities are wide-ranging, encouraging multi-talented individuals to fulfil their potential in many activities. The school has achieved national and international success in music, drama and sport, notably cricket, hockey, rowing and rugby. ...Read more

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Other features

All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.

Sports

Unusual sports

Rowing

Fencing

Shooting

Sailing

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since 2016, Michael Windsor, MA. Read German with French at Durham; MA in modern German studies (Birkbeck). Chorister at Bristol Cathedral School. Thought about professional music ‘quite seriously’ though ‘economic realities’ dismissed the idea. Instead, a top-notch teaching career: three years at the British School in Bologna; oversaw introduction of IB at KCS, Wimbledon; deputy at RGS, Guildford for five years; head at Reading Blue Coat School for eight.

All that time spent singing and hanging out in Europe has left Mr Windsor very cultured indeed, but he’s not smug in the slightest: au contraire, he’s easy, approachable, unassuming. A keen jazz musician, often joining pupils on his double bass or bass guitar. Had just performed Haydn’s The Creation with the Joint Choral Society (St Helen and St Katharine and Headington...

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Please note: Independent schools frequently offer IGCSEs or other qualifications alongside or as an alternative to GCSE. The DfE does not record performance data for these exams so independent school GCSE data is frequently misleading; parents should check the results with the schools.

Who came from where

Who goes where

Special Education Needs

Learning Support is provided by a full-time Head of Learning Support and two full time teachers. We take a graduated response, to match each pupil’s level of need. At each stage, pupils are encouraged to take an active role in managing their learning and to set themselves high standards. Parents, tutor and housemaster are involved in decision-making and are kept fully informed of the recommendations, actions and interventions at all stages. The aim of our English as an Additional Language (EAL) Department is to support and extend the language development of bilingual and multilingual students. Students are supported to ensure they are proficient in written and spoken English, thus equipping them with the necessary advanced literary skills to ensure they are able to fully access our curriculum. For students entering the sixth form without a required English Language qualification for university entrance, preparation for the IELTS examination will be provided. Our specialist EAL (English as an additional language) teachers liaise with subject teachers to ensure tailored support is provided – this is available at an additional cost.

Condition Provision for in school
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder
HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes
PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma
Y
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP)
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
Y
VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment

Who came from where

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