EDUCATION FACILITIES
✒
What price
good facilities?
Are good facilities top of your ‘must have’ list?
Adam Ruck asks the question to parents and
schools, while Sally Jones asks three up-and-
coming Olympians how their school helped
them achieve their sporting potential
hen it comes to to parents to look beyond that and Head can talk the talk,” she says. “The Top left: aerial view
W
of Abingdon School
choosing a senior remember that a successful outcome point is, if there was a crisis, are these
in Oxford. Above: the
school for their depends on people – the friends she people that you could talk to?”
eight-lane swimming
pool in Abingdon’s
children, parents face makes and the teachers who support, If they are to keep up with the
new sports hall.
a serious choice. While large schools direct and inspire her.” competition however, the governors
often offer a wider range of sports Word of mouth and the example of boys public schools face a
facilities, training aids and coaching of other children is the best daunting shopping list. “At the
to a high level of performance, many advertisement but the Open Day open day, Abingdon made a huge
parents are more concerned with is no less important. “Some schools thing about presenting the plans for
vigilant and sensitive pastoral care seem to think they don’t need to sell their £7-million sports hall, with its
for the difficult teenage years. Plus themselves and send you round in eight-lane swimming pool, indoor
there are all-important exams to a large group, or guided by scruffy rowing suite, and much-talked-about
pass, and pass well. and uncommunicative pupils,” says producing medallists for the 2012
“Education is what matters to us, Chambers. “Looking at Summer Olympics,” says James Parfitt, father
not lifestyle,” says Penny Chambers, Fields for our son, who is younger, we to a pupil in the school. “I remember
who is currently trawling southern had a mature and articulate school thinking our timing was good, and
England in search of the right leaver who was about sit the Eton how frustrating it must be for school
school for her 11-year-old daughter. scholarship, and we were hugely leavers. But now that our son is in the
“Expensive facilities impress the impressed.” Having visiting more than school, I’m not convinced the sports
children, who look at the beautiful a dozen schools, Chambers advises hall (which opened in October 2008)
pools and sports halls and think, parents to look beyond the head’s plays a huge part in his life. The music
Wow! I could have fun here. It’s up welcome speech. “Any half-decent facilities do, though. It’s the aspect
36 FIRST ELEVEN SPRING 2010 WWW.FIRSTELEVENMAGAZINE.CO.UK
pp36-38FE_SPR10FacilitiesSMsub.indd 36 28/1/10 17:57:55
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