Private school Abingdon School

Building the Future - boarding

Abingdon School – one of the best British schools for boys, was founded in 1256. The school is set in 14 hectares of beautiful grounds in the center of Abingdon, south of Oxford. The school combines more than 750 years of history and tradition with modern perspectives. Students show impressive results in exams and are admitted to Oxbridge and other top universities.

Close links with the neighboring girls' school St Helen and St Katharine school add a co-educational feel, especially in the Senior School where some subjects are taught together. Boys and girls make joint theatrical performances, and common musical and entertainment events are held for them.

There are about 1,000 boys in the school.

Director (for 2026)

Michael Windsor, education - Bristol Cathedral School; Durham University, degree in German and French; Institute of Education in London, postgraduate certificate with the right to conduct teaching activities; University of London, Master's degree in Modern German.

Famous school graduates

• All members of the British rock band Radiohead studied at Abingdon school
• Brian Kibble, physicist, inventor of the Kibble balance
• Mark Bretcher, biologist
• Sir John Hills, professor and academic
• Sir Eric Anderson, teacher
• Tom Hollander, actor (films: “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”, “Boyfriend from the Future”, TV series “Desperate Romantics”)
• Toby Jones, actor (films: “The Painted Veil”, “Wonderland”, TV series “Doctor Who”)
• Toby Marlow, writer and composer
• Tim Dawson, screenwriter
• Rob Walker, sports commentator and broadcaster
• Michael Holding, film director
• Thomas Dolby, musician and producer
• Sir Vivian Ramsay, former Supreme Court judge
• Matthew Harding, businessman and vice-president of Chelsea Football Club
• Tim Parker, Chairman of the National Trust for Historic Interest
• James Ellison, designer, engineer and technical director of Mercedes
• Philip Johnson, lead architect of the London Stadium for the 2012 London Olympics
• Sir Nicholas Kay, diplomat
• Baron Edward Cassle, journalist and politician
• Roger Blackmore, politician, Lord Mayor of Leicester
• Sir David Tanner, coach of the British Olympic rowing team
• Phil Baker, athlete, world rowing championship medalist
• Matthew Rossiter, world and European rowing champion
• Chris Newman, athlete (hockey)
• Charlie Quarterman, professional cyclist
• Theo Brophy-Clews, athlete (rugby)
• Alex Fisher, football player

Key factors

• Teacher to student ratio: 1:9.
• Each boy has his own individual schedule of lessons and additional classes, which are controlled by a tutor.
• A large program of additional extracurricular activities, including expeditions and trips around the world.
• Abingdon school is renowned for its academic excellence, music, sports and the arts.

Equipment

The Amey School Theater is located in the heart of the arts centre, with a 446-seat auditorium. The theater is equipped with professional light and sound. New lighting and audiovisual equipment has recently been installed: an upgraded projector, a large projection screen, surround sound and satellite communications so that the theater can be used as a cinema for showing, for example, national theater productions.

In the scientific center The Yang there are 21 educational laboratories, design and preparation rooms. At the center of the building stands an inspiring sculpture designed and built by sculptor Matthew Lane Sanderson. During the construction of the Center, great attention was paid to environmental issues, for which a “very good” BREEAM (Building Environmental Assessment Method) rating was received.

The school's sports center has luxurious facilities. The gym accommodates a variety of sports, including badminton, volleyball, basketball, and indoor hockey. There is space for four cricket lanes. There are two squash courts, two fitness rooms, a climbing wall and a martial arts and fencing studio with five competition courses. The school has a 25-meter indoor swimming pool with 8 lanes, the latest rowing machines, and a physiotherapy room. There are four tennis courts with durable, wear-resistantsurface, allowing it to be used all year round. They can be used for a variety of sports besides tennis, including football, basketball and hockey. Abingdon has some of the best sports facilities in the region for rugby, athletics, hockey and football with all-weather pitches including new 3G coverage.

Program

GCSE

Two-year program to obtain a certificate of general secondary education. 6 or 7 subjects are required to study, 3 or 4 subjects are studied electively.
What is the difference between IGCSE and GCSE programs?

A-level

Two-year program to prepare for entering the university. Students choose 3 or 4 subjects for in-depth study.
More about the A-level program

Accommodation and accommodation

Accommodation in a residence on the school grounds. The boarding houses offer a unique lifestyle to 140 boys. Here the children learn to be more independent than they could be at home. For example, they take care of their clothes and belongings, decide when to send clothes to the laundry, learn to eat regularly, and understand personal hygiene. Self-discipline and organizational skills acquired at the boarding school prepare boys well for university studies and future independent life.

Children live in rooms of 3-4 people, and high school students live in rooms of 1-2 people. Every house has WI-FI. The houses have common rooms with table tennis, table football, billiards, computers and TV. Boys communicate here, they can cook together, have a snack, or just sit and talk.

The food at school is very good, with a large selection of dishes.

Sport

The school's philosophy is to support those who strive to compete at the highest level. The school also provides opportunities for students who simply want to enjoy their favorite sport and physical activity.

Abingdon School has a large selection of sports, more than 30 options. Sports are a compulsory part of the curriculum.

Sports at school:

• Athletics
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Rowing
• Canoeing
• Cricket
• Croquet
• Running
• Football
• Golf
• Hockey
• Introduction to Weightlifting
• Judo
• Karate
• Pilates
• Shooting
• Rugby
• Sailing
• Swimming
• Table tennis
• Tennis
• Volleyball
• Water polo
• Yoga
  And much more

Additional activities

Boys take an active part in numerous trips and activities organized especially for them in the evenings and on weekends. The program usually includes paintball, trips to London, Oxford and Safari Park, as well as visits to theme parks, bowling, cinemas and much more. There are also events on campus: sports, barbecues, film screenings.

The school provides the opportunity to gain experience in the rapidly changing financial and business world. There is an “Investment and Trading Club” here, which introduces children to the world of finance and gives an idea of ​​how markets work. The guys learn to trade and build financial models. There is a club “Young Entrepreneurs”, where the guys create their own company and manage it. They sell shares to raise capital and elect directors to manage the day-to-day running of the business. This is a club for highly motivated boys who want to become entrepreneurs.

In addition to a variety of themed trips, the school offers opportunities to explore the globe: hiking, rock climbing, sailing. Children can take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Prize program.

The guys often go on trips and expeditions. They are intended for anyone interested in hiking and getting to know new cultures: expeditions have been to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Madagascar, and throughout Europe. Children ride on dog sledsand go cross-country skiing in the Arctic. On a recent trip to Madagascar, the boys spent one week in the jungle working with research scientists, studying jungle species and recording environmental data. The second week was devoted to studying the ecology of coral reefs.

Theater and cinema are very popular at school. Abingdon School – one of the few schools that has its own film studio. She has produced over 175 short films, many of which have won awards.

The Amey school theater hosts school productions, concerts, lectures and films throughout the year. The theater is the center of local cultural life. The school has a technical and design team (whose members are students). She helps talented young actors create first-class productions. Abingdon collaborates with neighboring girls' school St Helen and St Katharine school on most of its graduation theater productions. In addition to theater productions, there are many related clubs and activities that you can take part in: watching and discussing documentaries, digital photography, fine art smartphone photography, script writing, podcast recording and much more.

The school offers creative students a huge number of art classes: architecture club, master classes in drawing, painting and printing techniques, creating visual effects in cinema, ceramics and sculpture, design and technology, 3D design , illustration, poster creation and much more.

Music classes are very popular. Almost half of boys learn to play a musical instrument. The guys have many opportunities for performances: from reporting concerts to performing at a big Christmas performance. The school has a large number of groups and clubs where you can study music: a community of blues musicians, a chamber orchestra, a church choir, workshops for composers, jazz groups, string groups, a school orchestra, a symphony brass band, recording and music technology, a contemporary music club and much more.

Cost, 2026-2027

£19,375 per semester.
There are 3 semesters in the academic year.

Included in price

• Training
• Accommodation and meals

Additional charge

• Registration fee - £360
• Air travel
• Transfers to/from/airport
• Visa
• Paradise Company Services
• Guardianship (requirement of British law)

Our services and fees

Impressions of visiting the school

Natalia Shtrain
Founder of the company "Paradise"

Abingdon is a school for smart boys. The admissions committee receives 100 applications per week! The level of results is close to Charterhouse and Harrow. At the same time, they don’t want nerds! Let them, they say, go to Sevenoaks. And give us boys who can either kick a ball, or play the trombone, or make a robot. At least something other than poking your finger at a book!

On the reception door there are large letters:
BE...
BRAVE
SMART
CARING
INSPIRED
THINKING
BE YOURSELF

Lucy from the admissions office is an expat from Canada. She claims that in her country there are no such schools as in England. Well, ok, there are a handful, but the studies there are not that difficult. What kids in England have been doing for the last two years is university level. Therefore, in the UK, many faculties study for 3 years, while in Canada - 4. And children from English schools can simply relax there in their first year.

Toby, my tour guide, is an English senior. Cambridge didn’t accept his application, but Durham is waiting for the boy: prestigious and not so stressful! With a glowing face, he tells and shows with pride. Fortunately, there is something: fresh resources! Laboratories, courts, an athletic track, a full-fledged swimming pool, a building for work and recreation for high school students, soundproof rooms for playing music, a phenomenal art studio, a technology workshop...

What can be improved at school? Scratching the back of his head. A larger canteen so you don’t have to rush to eat, because the whole school can’t fit in at one time. The food, he says, is very tasty. “I love it!” Toby is beaming! Glows.

If your child loves going to his school and is proud of it, and feels like Toby that he is lucky, then everything is just great! If not, adjustments are needed. After all, the most important thing in the era of high technology is the love of learning new things. But how can you cultivate this love if you don’t like going to school?

P.S. You can come to British boarding schools, the best schools in the world, for the sake of language and broadening your horizons for 1 semester or even 1 month. To move among the English from good families and the foreign elite. Learn the discussion-practical type of study. It's worth it!