Our Lady's Abingdon

Pros

Small close knit community Pupils feel confident and comfortable to speak to anyone Staff pitch in to help each other

Cons

Because I like to get involved and I’m committed to making the school a great place, I end up working too much!!

Pros

Lovely children and lots of lovely staff. Good parental support. Good facilities. Some good Assistant Heads and Heads of Year trying their best to support kids who need far more help than they can provide.

Cons

This school is so disorganised and staff are treated terribly. Many non-teaching staff members seem to disappear overnight after disagreements with management. The deputy head never answers emails due to being overwhelmed and constantly firefighting. Recent changes are making huge numbers of teachers leave this summer (2022). I would think very carefully about taking a job here. This is a business and they are taking almost every child who applies, without a thought for the support that the child needs. They are not supporting the young people who are there already. Excellent teachers have not been looked after or valued, so they are leaving. This is not a happy school at the moment. Unfortunately, the ones in power are not educationists but business men and they have appointed a Headteacher who has no idea how to lead a school or relate to the staff and children. Marketing looks shiny and perfect but in 5 years staff have only received a 1 % bonus! Now they are offering a crate of champagne if you introduce a family who sends their child here. It makes the school look desperate and pathetic. Working here is like going backwards in your career. It's such a shame as this used to be such a lovely school. I wouldn't send my children here and I can't recommend the school to anyone any more.