Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Education won’t cost the earth with a bursary for Our Lady’s Abingdon Lower School
Research has shown that between the ages of seven and eight, children develop the attitudes, abilities and relationships that help them to succeed in education.
We are offering bursaries for Year 3 children until they complete Year 6 – a real opportunity for an independent education in the primary years.
To help you and your child decide if OLA is the right place for them to learn and grow, we are offering children in Year 2-3 a Taster Day Wednesday 11 May 2022: For a fun taste of Years 3 or 4 children in Years 2 and 3 experience a day at our school; join in on actual classes, meet our teachers and make new friends.
What makes Our Lady’s Abingdon different?
We are a small school, big enough to offer a wide range of subjects and activities, but at the same time small enough to mean that every child is known, valued and cared for from the moment they join us to when they finish their school education.
The size of the school also means pupils have every chance of being given regular opportunities to represent OLA in a wide range of activities. The co-curricular experience we offer is not just an ‘add on’, but an essential part of day to day school life. All pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of confidence-developing activities, including sport, drama, art, music, academic competitions and more. There is a large number of clubs, both at lunchtime and after school, and many academic and extra-curricular trips. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is very popular, drama and art particularly strong and our musical productions legendary.
Our class sizes are deliberately kept small, reflecting our excellent pupil/teacher ratio. This applies to all year groups, ensuring that children receive individual attention throughout their time at the school.
Our teachers ignite pupils with fun and innovative learning, ensuring that they are fully engaged in the academic life of the school. The excellent results they achieve flow naturally from this. We are not an exclusively selective school, yet many of our pupils exceed expectations across the board. Particularly important here is the ‘Value Added’ OLA gives. ‘Value Added’ assesses what pupils achieve against baseline expectations. The Department for Education ranked OLA in the top 5% of the country for Value Added, an exceptional achievement.
What OLA is most famous for is our outstanding system of highly praised pastoral care, which is at the centre of everything we do. At our last full Inspection, our pastoral provision was rated as ‘excellent’, the highest grade that can be awarded.
As a Catholic school with a strong Christian ethos, we welcome pupils of all faiths and none, creating a real sense of an extended family made up of teaching staff, pupils and parents. We see each child as a unique person, with gifts and talents to be nurtured, developing in our pupils such key qualities as integrity, compassion, co-operation and courage. Please visit www.ola.org.uk/admissions/bursaries/