Widening Access

I loved my time at Abingdon and was fortunate to benefit from the excellent teaching and all-round care, the boat club and great friends. In my role as the new Chair of Governors I am fortunate to have the opportunity to give some of my time back to the institution that provided me with such a great start in life.

I take on this role at an exciting time: September 2026 sees the greatest change in the school’s history as we become co-educational. I couldn’t be prouder of the fact that the Abingdon offer will now be available to girls as well as to boys. I believe it will only make the school stronger and is entirely appropriate as we prepare both boys and girls for life in the modern world.

The school is in a strong position thanks of course to the contributions made by the staff, the governors, the parents and Old Abingdonians. But these are challenging times. In addition to the cost of living crisis placing increased pressure on families, the independent schools sector faces increased costs in the form of VAT on school fees and the changes to business rates.

Bursaries and community are at the heart of Abingdon's ethos. We are committed to ensuring that financial circumstances never act as a barrier to a child receiving an Abingdon education however we cannot do this alone. Extending the reach of our bursary programme will empower more young people to benefit from all that Abingdon offers, just as I and others have. A key part of this is, of course, the generosity of our Old Abingdonians, parents and the wider Abingdon community. 

One of the most important things that I took from Abingdon was an understanding of the opportunities that I had and how fortunate I was to have attended the school. I believe that much of Abingdon’s ethos is drawn from our diverse student body and the wide range of experiences they share. Though our excellence is evident across many fields, the inclusive nature of our school is a defining characteristic and I intend to do what I can to ensure that we continue to strengthen it.

Thank you for your continued support.

— JAMES SPORLE, CHAIR OF GOVERNORS
(OA 1994)