Abingdon School

Park Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 1DE

Youngish Mark Turner, an ex-Army captain, is doing a super job at this all-rounders’ paradise. He is a great believer in maintaining Abingdon’s boys-only policy, especially as the school shares various lessons and activities with St Helen’s and St Katharine’s. There is only one more year to go until the £8 million sports complex opens. Two hardy pupils recently rowed themselves across the Channel in four hours to raise money for charity. The majority of boarders are weekly, returning to school on Monday mornings. Those who stay at weekends can easily hop into Oxford, although there is plenty going on at school. While Abingdon remains ‘essentially academic in character’, the ‘other half’ is a term used to cover anything non-academic. Campanology, for example, is popular. Modern languages are particularly well taught; ambitious linguists can opt to take Russian.