Abbey Correspondent Sport

Sport

We are very proud of the sporting achievements of the students both in team competitions and individually.

Our core school sports are: Hockey, Netball, Swimming, Biathlon, Cross-Country, Rounders, Tennis, Diving, Athletics and Gymnastics. We have many students who represent their county and some who are in national squads in a variety of sports ranging from those listed above to Rowing, Cricket, Synchro Swimming and Aerobic Gymnastics.

Matches

There are some tournaments / competitions which take place during the school day and on Saturdays and opportunities for squads to play in tours in the UK and overseas.

Clubs

The Abbey also provides a programme of extra-curricular courses which are run by external coaches. These have proved to be popular with many of the students who are not necessarily involved in the competitive teams. Recent courses have been in Street Dance, Fencing, Basketball, Golf, Judo, Football and Lacrosse. The Gym and Dance show and House Music and Dance competition also give performance opportunities to students strong in aesthetics.

Please visit our Scholarships page for information about our Sport Scholarships.

Follow us on Twitter @theabbey_sport


Outdoor Education

Outdoor Education

Our Outdoor Education programme is truly adventurous and progressive, enabling our students to gain a wealth of experience, learning and inspiration.

Excellent education and development must go beyond the academic and our Outdoor Education programme is a perfect complement to academic education. Experiential and adventurous education is essential in helping the students to develop the many skills and attributes required alongside academic ability. Our Outdoor Education programme seeks to provide valuable learning opportunities using three key areas:

Environmental – exposure to, and learning about, different environments, be that in the woods, the hills, the rivers, the mountains, different countries or simply a different place nearby

Activity – learning new, or developing existing, activity skills and abilities, such as camping, map reading, rock climbing, kayaking, sailing, orienteering, hill walking, cooking on camp stoves etc

Personal and Social Development – experiencing living and working with others, including sharing accommodation or tents, eating and cooking together, working with others, problem-solving, decision making, leadership, taking responsibility, dealing with challenges, dealing with risk etc

Our Outdoor Education programme is progressive throughout the school from Junior through Senior and Sixth Form. It moves from local, activity-based, instructor led experiences in the Junior School through to genuinely adventurous remote and overseas opportunities in the Sixth Form. Using the above three factors we can ensure that each trip and experience builds on the previous, giving worthwhile developmental opportunities. We encourage the students to take on responsibility whenever possible in these activities rather than just follow the Instructor.

Our Outdoor Education experiences take on many different guises, from whole year shared residential experiences, such as the Lower III activity week or Upper III bushcraft trip, to optional activity trips to develop specific skills (for example skiing or rock climbing), to challenging expeditions such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions or overseas Abbey Challenges. In the past, we have visited Morocco, Nepal and Uganda. Plus, for those students who find a particular activity enjoyable (for example, climbing, sailing or canoeing) there are regular after school clubs in which they can develop their skills and work towards performance awards.

Welcome from Director of Outdoor Pursuits and Experiential Education, Richard Godfrey


Music

Why choose Music?

Co-curricular music

Participating in ensembles is a vital part of any musician’s development. Many musical skills are acquired and honed through making music with others; belonging to a choir, an orchestra or a band is also an excellent way of making friends and of learning how to work with others as part of a team.

The Abbey offers an exceptionally wide and diverse range of co-curricular activities and ensemble experiences to students of all abilities. Some groups meet at lunchtime, whilst others rehearse after school or before the start of the school day.

All groups strive for the highest possible musical standards but the ethos is very much that all members of the various groups should enjoy making music and working with other musicians.

Below is the current list of co-curricular activities that are on offer to Abbey students.

Berlioz Ensemble (invitation only)

Monday

8.15-9.00am 

MR1

Double Reed Ensemble

Monday 

8.30-9.00am

MR2

The Abbey String Orchestra

Monday

12.10-12.40pm

Hardcastle Hall

Music Theory Club

Monday

4.00-5.00pm

MR2/ICT Suite

Brass Ensemble

Tuesday

8.30-9.00am

MR1

Saxophone Ensemble

Tuesday

8.30-9.00am

MR2

Lower IV / Upper IV Choir

Tuesday

8.30-9.00am

ICT Suite

Concert Band

Tuesday

12.15-12.45pm

Hardcastle Hall

String Quartet(s) (invitation only)

Tuesday

12.00-1.00pm

MR1

Harp Ensemble

Tuesday

11.50-12.20pm

MR2

The Abbey Symphony Orchestra (invitation only)

Tuesday

4.00-5.00pm

Hardcastle Hall

Recorder Ensemble

Wednesday

8.30-9.00am

MR1

Guitar Ensemble

Wednesday

8.30-9.00am

MR2

Music Technology Club (Upper IV and above)

Wednesday

11.50-12.20pm

ICT Suite

Music Technology Club (Upper III - Lower IV)

Wednesday

12.20-12.50pm

ICT Suite

Wind Ensemble

Thursday

8.30-9.00am

MR2

Vocal Performance Club

Thursday

12.10-12.40pm

MR1

Rock Band (invitation only)

Thursday

12.00-1.00pm

MR2

Aural Preparation Classes 13/10. 20/10, 3/11, 10/11 & 176/11 (Autumn term)

Thursday

12.10-12.40pm

ICT Suite

Senior Choir (Upper IV and above)

Thursday

4.00-5.00pm

MR2

Clarinet Ensemble

Friday

8.30-9.00am

MR2

Junior Flute Ensemble

Friday

11.50-12.20pm

MR2

Senior Flute Ensemble

Friday

12.20-12.50pm

MR2

Upper III Choir

Friday

12.30-1.00pm

MR1

Please visit our Scholarships page for information about our Music Scholarships.

Follow us on Twitter @theabbey_music


Drama

Drama

We are a welcoming and inclusive department: Drama is not just for those who enjoy performing on stage, and students have recently worked as sound designers, lighting operatives, directors and assistant directors, and costume and make-up assistants on a number of productions

Productions

Students are provided a multitude of productions in which to participate. Upper III perform in their own Christmas Pantomime (directed by sixth form students) and Upper III, Lower IV and Upper IV students participate in a biennial Lower School Play, or in the biennial play-in-a-day performance.

“Theatre is a mirror. A sharp reflection of society.”

Yasmina Reza, playwright and actor

Our centerpiece production, for students from Upper IV – Upper VI, is the biennial Upper School Play. We enjoy an outstanding relationship with our local theatre, South Street Arts Centre, where we stage our Lower School Play and Upper School Play, and this professional theatre environment, supported by a professional lighting designer, results in productions of exceptional range and quality. Recent productions have included ‘We Are The Searchers,’ ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’, ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’, ‘Arabian Nights’, ‘The Canterbury Tales’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘As You Like It’, ‘Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations’, ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘101 Dalmatians’, and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’

The Drama department also collaborates closely with the Music Department on the School Musical, including ‘Sister Act’ and Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’, which both featured students from Upper IV – Upper VI, and played to packed houses over three nights.

Clubs

A weekly club is offered to Upper III and Lower IV, where students explore devising, improvisation, characterisation, storytelling and text in an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere.

Artist in Residence

The Abbey is also fortunate to have a Theatre Artist in Residence, and a Graduate Theatre Practitioner. Theatre Artist in Residence, Cassie Friend, is an actor, director and deviser, and a founding member of the acclaimed RedCape Theatre Company. Cassie works alongside Head of Drama, Rossella Peretto, and our Graduate Theatre Practitioner, to deliver our rich and diverse extra-curricular programme, with a particular focus on the Drama Scholars’ provision.

Please visit our Scholarships page for information about our Drama Scholarships.

Follow us on Twitter @theabbey_drama


Extra-Curricular Activities

Outside the Classroom

The extra-curricular timetable is very much a part of the learning experience at The Abbey, and it creates a special energy and buzz around our School.

We may refer to it as ‘extra’ but in fact, we see participation as an essential part of the journey here, and an important way of building skills for life. The Abbey has always been known for providing access to a broad variety of opportunities for enrichment, and the name given to the programme represents our ‘edge’ – the added value of an Abbey education. We believe that by having the chance to try lots of new things and explore their talents, girls can also learn about themselves and others, building important connections and unlocking potential.

Because we’re a student-led community, students play an active part is setting the extra-curricular agenda and get involved with great creativity and enthusiasm. From Taekwondo or mini Bridge Club, to Hiking or Chess Club, there is something to interest and inspire everyone.


Leadership

Leadership

The Abbey’s culture is built on a foundation that encourages leadership in many different forms, at every level within our School.

We are a heavily student-led community where students develop the ability to manage themselves and support one another throughout daily life – whether in classroom activities, on the sports field, in charity initiatives or in peer-to-peer pastoral care. This highly commended self-regulating culture helps our students to develop into caring citizens who value the importance of building positive connections with other people in all walks of life.

We provide many opportunities for students to explore and develop their own leadership styles, learning the ability to lead in a way which inspires, builds trust, brings people together, and which motivates others to share their vision and take action. We champion freedom of thought and encourage students to have the confidence to voice their views, and the wisdom to form them from a place of thoughtfulness and balance.

All year groups offer positions of responsibility at the Senior School. Every form group has an elected representative, each of whom sits on a year group forum led by one of our Sixth Form students. These forums listen to views and lead decision-making on fundraising activities, our events, help shape our extra-curricular programme or lead initiatives inspired by global topics such as the environment or women’s rights.

Peer Supporters form part of our pastoral care programme to provide a network of support that encourages openness, ensuring there is always someone to talk to at an appropriate level, and that no students’ worries go unnoticed. They apply in Year 9 and are selected after a mini interview. After training, they make themselves available at lunch times and liaise with our Sixth Form Pastoral Prefects.


GCSE Results

GCSE Results

GCSE results 2023

Year 11 students at The Abbey today celebrate extraordinary results in their GCSE exams. As grade distribution resets to 2019 levels, students have surged ahead, with over 42% of all grades at the top grade 9 and 84% of grades at 9-7 (A*-A) across the 23 GCSE courses available.


Psychology

Psychology

What influences decision-making? Why do people do what they do, and why do people react differently to one another? These are just some of the questions into which psychologists delve in this fascinating area of study.

“The goal of education is not to increase the amount of knowledge but to create the possibilities for a child to invent and discover, to create people who are capable of doing new things.”

Jean Piaget

Taught by subject specialists who have a both a wealth of experience and a deep fascination for their subject, Psychology is a highly relevant subject that takes a scientific approach to understanding the mind, whilst encouraging critical thinking and debate. 

Psychology fits equally well alongside science or arts-based subjects, as the breadth of the subject is vast: ranging from brain activity in psychopaths to social factors in mental health. The curriculum is pertinent to today’s society and students are encouraged to apply their knowledge to current affairs and world events.  Students develop a plethora of transferable skills that are excellent preparation for university and beyond. With applications as diverse as marketing, consultancy and clinical psychology, studying Psychology can be a gateway to an absorbing career.

Welcome from Head of Department – Catherine Cheeseman

Psychology at The Abbey as seen through the eyes of our students:


Physics

Physics

Physics is the study of the world around us; the world inside us; and the world beyond us. It is the most fundamental science. Physics challenges the imaginations with concepts involving the study of the largest galaxies to the smallest subatomic particles and so much more.

Physics is regarded as a ‘facilitating’ subject by universities and employers, as it requires students to be creative, solve problems, develop high levels of numeracy, work individually and in teams, and apply it to the world around them.

The Physics department at the Abbey is friendly, dynamic and forward looking and consists of four specialist teachers, with extensive and wide-ranging experience. All lessons are taught by subject specialists in one of our four Physics laboratories.

Physics is taught as a distinct subject from Upper III (Year 7). Students are encouraged to develop enquiring minds and to think for themselves by teaching the subject via a hands-on approach. 

Any student who studies Physics at GCSE and beyond will find themselves in demand in the future, as well as having a great advantage in their understanding of their own world and the wider universe.

Beyond the classroom

Enhancement and extension activities are provided for all girls of all ages – these include Engineering and STEM days, visits to CERN in Geneva, CREST awards, Physics Masterclasses at Oxford, and the highly competitive Physics Olympiad competition.

Welcome from Head of Department – Stephanie Harris

Physics at The Abbey as seen through the eyes of our students:


Physical Education

Physical Education

At The Abbey, the strong belief is that Physical Education and Sport plays a vital role in enabling everyone to achieve their full potential: both in the classroom and on the sports field. The department offers a rich and diverse curriculum, giving all performers the opportunity to succeed – and this was reflected when hosting Girls Go Gold in September 2023.

“For each individual, sport is a possible source for inner improvement.”

Pierre de Coubertin

Offered at examination level are GCSE PE and IB Sports, Exercise and Health Science (SEHS). These qualifications provide students with the opportunity to delve deeper into the fascinating workings of the human body and its multifaceted functions during exercise, physical activity and sport.

At GCSE, students investigate the core principles of anatomy, physiology and socio-cultural and well-being issues. Studying these concepts further, often for the first time, allow students to learn the fundamentals of sports science whilst gaining an appreciation for the complex workings of the human body from physical and psychological perspectives. The practical element of this course provides an interesting, personal link for students, prompting them to reflect and think deeper into their own personal experiences of sport and exercise.

The IB course covers an exciting and current range of topics; physiology, energy systems and biomechanics as examples. With links to both health and performance, students get the opportunity to participate in practical laboratory settings and probe further into their own interests through independent assessments.

The Abbey’s aspiration is that by the time students are ready to leave, they have developed a love of sport, the physical literacy skills and confidence to be able to take part in any sport they wish and a passion for life long sport participation.

Specialist scholarships in Sport are offered to pupils joining the Senior School in Upper III (Year 7) and are awarded for three years until the end of Upper IV (Year 9). Find out more on our Scholarships page.

There are many additional opportunities to participate in Sport at the Senior School. Find out more on our Extra-Curricular page.

Welcome from Heads of Department – Julie Penhaligon and Sophie Appleby

Physical Education at The Abbey as seen through the eyes of our students