From the Headmaster: M. Turner, M.A. Newsletter 6 2007-8 March 2008 Dear Parents I am delighted to have this opportunity to write to you at the end of the shortest second half of the Lent term on record. The phrase ‘quart into a pint pot’ springs to mind! I thought I would give you a few words of information about the impact of the Charities Act 2006 on independent schools, which seems to have been commanding a large number of column inches in the press, and has been the question raised by many of you when I have been involved in informal discussions during recent parents’ evenings. As is widely known, Abingdon School is a charitable trust. Our history, stretching back through the Assisted Places Scheme, Direct Grant Scheme, four centuries as the town Grammar School to the original bequest of Abbot John de Blosneville in 1256, amply demonstrates that we have always aimed to provide a rigorous academic education to boys from all backgrounds within our extensive catchment area. Since the abolition of the Direct Grant system in 1976, however, we have been entirely dependent on fees and fundraising as our only significant forms of income. Recent guidelines issued by the Charities Commission suggest that the tax benefits we enjoy as a charity will no longer be automatic. They will only be available if the charity can demonstrate a public benefit. There is still a debate running as to exactly how a charity can demonstrate public benefit, but we believe Abingdon is extremely well placed to do so. For almost a decade we have means-tested our scholarships, which has allowed us to allocate more funds towards bursaries, to help subsidise places on a basis of need. In addition, we have been very keen indeed to make our facilities available to the local community – the Amey Theatre being an excellent example of this. We have also been energetic in initiating a whole host of opportunities to help support the excellent work that goes on in many of our local maintained primary schools. We are for instance keen to sponsor ‘science days’, classics days and other events which have proved to be extremely popular. This is an appropriate moment to thank the chemistry department for the excellent demonstration they provided on 12 March for children in local maintained schools. Of course we hope that our new Sports Centre facilities, once completed, will prove to be of benefit to the broader Abingdon community as a whole. In addition, we have recently advertised for the first time two 100% bursaries to extend the possibility of boys coming to Abingdon from any socio-economic background. It is also perhaps worth mentioning in passing that in some years the School raises over £50,000 in support of various charities, including our own links with schools in economically deprived areas such as Moldova. Inevitably there will be growing interest as time goes by to see exactly how the Charity Commission works with schools on the issue of public benefit. In the meantime, we have adopted a position of confidence – I hope not complacency – as to where we stand on the issue. Scholarships and ASEE exams. Over the course of the last few weeks we have conducted our entrance tests for the first year 2008 and scholarship exams for entry to the third year 2008. I am 2 delighted to report strong fields in both cases. The take-up of offers of places at first year has been rapid - we are already full. In the scholarship field, 43 strong candidates from approximately fourteen prep schools have also indicated some excellent potential for the future. You will also read in the music section about the appointments of music scholars – again, from a very strong field. Headmaster’s Appraisal. Many thanks indeed to the random 10% sample of parents who were contacted by external appraiser Graham Jones, appointed by the Governors as part of my ‘quinquennial review’. I can report that although I went into the process with a little trepidation, I have come out of it with increased confidence and a great deal of reassurance at the depth of support for the direction that the School is taking at the moment. Revision leave Fifth year Revision leave begins Saturday 10 May, 5.15 pm Lower sixth Revision leave begins Tuesday 13 May, 5.15 pm Upper sixth Revision leave begins at the start of half term If a fifth, lower sixth or upper sixth pupil has an afternoon public examination outside the dates for study leave, he may be excused lessons in the morning. Fourth year pupils doing early-take GCSEs may miss the two periods before lunch. Boys who have a morning examination are expected to attend school for the whole of the previous day, for both lessons and other half commitments. Any boy on the premises during normal teaching times must report to the room(s) designated for revision. For the sixth form this is the upper sixth study hall. Rooms for other year groups will be listed in Lower Corridor. Boys should think carefully about which lessons they would be missing by taking time to revise on the morning of a public examination. Lower sixth programme after study leave. All lower sixth return on Monday 9 June at 8.30 am, when A2 courses begin. Boys are expected to continue to attend classes in all the subjects in which they have been registered until the end of term. Discussions happen in the final weeks of term to decide on a provisional upper sixth programme for each boy. In some instances this needs to be modified in the light of the examination results received in August. Programmes are finalised at the start of the Michaelmas Term. Internal examinations Fourth year Wednesday 7 to Tuesday 13 May inclusive Third year Saturday 14 to Wednesday 18 June Second and first years Thursday 12 to Friday 13 June inclusive Access arrangements, for those entitled to them, will be in place for all internal examinations (for example by provision of extra time and use of word processors). Public examination dates and times. A full list of the dates and times of the Summer 2008 public examinations is available on the website: www.abingdon.org.uk and then select examinations timetable from the news menu. Lower sixth and university visits in the summer term 2008. The lower sixth return from examination leave on the morning of Monday 9 June. For the following ten school days they will 3 pursue A2 courses with the minimum of disruptions from other activities. University visits, which can often take place in holidays or over the half-term break, should be avoided before the end of term, but may be arranged by agreement with your son’s tutor for dates after Monday 23 June. Your son will need to complete an official form requesting the absence more than a week in advance of his proposed visit. Annual Art Exhibitions. The Art department will be holding a viewing of its annual exhibition of GCSE and Upper Sixth work on Thursday 22 May, 6 - 8.30 pm. We very much hope parents and friends of Upper Sixth and GCSE students will want to come but of course anyone else who is interested would be most welcome. As usual there should be an impressive display of work across a wide range of media: painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking and graphics. The exhibition of Upper Sixth work will be on for some time but this will be the only opportunity to see the GCSE displays. For further information please contact [email protected] Edmund Society Lectures. Forthcoming lectures are ‘Was Shakespeare a Catholic?’ from Clare Asquith (Viscountess Asquith) on Tuesday 18 March, and ‘Divinities and Infinities’ by the Revd John Puddlefoot, Deputy Head (Curriculum) and former Head of Mathematics at Eton College, on Tuesday 22 April. All are welcome to attend – at 5.15 pm in the Charles Maude Room. Law and Ethics Society. The first meeting of this new society took place on 4 March. Its aim is to provide a forum for the Upper School boys interested either in studying law at university, the British legal system or having a career in the law. They will have a chance to listen and talk to lawyers and legal academics from Oxford University on a monthly basis. World Challenge training weekend. Thirty-nine fifth and sixth year boys travelled to Buxton in the Peak District for a training weekend in preparation for the expedition to the Indian Himalaya in July. Despite the cold and windy weather, everyone enjoyed the weekend and learnt many useful skills, including practice river crossings and how to deal with other emergency situations. All the boys performed well. Many thanks to Mr Barker, Mr Brenchley and Mr Cotton for accompanying the boys. Sixth Form Study Trip to Paris, 16-20 February. Over the half term holiday, fifteen lower and upper sixth boys travelled with Mrs Slatford and Mr Loughe to Paris from the recently opened St Pancras International terminal. They enjoyed a packed itinerary, taking in several places of interest that tied in with the course content of AS and A2 French, whilst managing to visit some of the many popular tourist hot spots of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. A similar trip will be run in two years' time. History trip. The History Department ran a very successful trip to Dublin over the first weekend of half-term. Eleven sixth form students together with Mr Phelan and Mr McGill visited various sights over the three days.