Oundle School Foundation:
What has been achieved
Descriptions on this page detail the tremendous breadth and wealth of the achievements of the Oundle School Foundation to date. Projects mentioned include the all-weather Astroturf Pitches and sports equipment, additions and improvements to the Chapel, Library and Modern Languages; the Electron Microscope and the OSCAR radio studios, The Patrick Centre, and the Peter Ling Fellowships.
All Weather Astroturf Pitches
Thanks solely to sizeable donations from the Foundation, the School now boasts two floodlit all weather astroturf pitches, a carpeted warm-up area and a designated section for spectators. The whole area is enclosed by grass banks, producing a natural stadium effect.
This facility is widely regarded as one of the best of its type in the country, outstripping many of the School's competitors. Indeed, it enables over 600 Oundle pupils (more than half the School) to train and play hockey and tennis on astroturf rather than on substandard grass pitches.
The 1st XI Boys Hockey Team have been Under Eighteen Northamptonshire County Champions for seven of the last eight years, and have gone on to represent the county at National Competitions.
Not to be outdone, the 1st XI Girls Hockey Team have been Under Eighteen Northamptonshire County Champions since entering the competition four years ago, and regularly contest the finals of the National Cup.
Chapel
The School Chapel was raised by public conscription as a memorial to the Fallen of the Great War and for Frederick Sanderson. At the time of its building donations were received from the Great and Good of the day: friends of Sanderson like H.G. Wells and Arnold Bennett, as well as numerous Old Oundelians and the Worshipful Company of Grocers. Gifts included the altar, the stops on the original organ and the inscribed chairs which remain in the Chapel to this day.
Later generations left their mark on the Chapel with the gift of the ambulatory windows by Hugh Easton, the John Piper windows in the sanctuary and the new Frobenius organ. The Lucas family also assisted with funds to purchase the new Copeman Hart organ which has enhanced the worshipping and musical lives of the School.
The most recent donation to the Chapel has been the scheme of thirty-six stained glass windows given by Alex Patrick, OO, in memory of his brother Andrew, which has transformed the building's appearance.
Work on the scheme began five years ago when the artists spent a week in the School meeting pupils and staff. The design process involved three sets of designs on paper before the construction of working cartoons for the finished windows, and the new windows include three pieces of artwork by pupils of the School. The theme on the north aisle moves from the Garden of Eden through the Old Testament to the story of Jesus. The windows in the south aisle were installed in 2002, and the angels at the west end of the Chapel herald the scheme in a dramatic way.
Electron Microscope
In 2003 generous donations from Old Oundelians and parents enabled the School to purchase an electron microscope. The beauty of this new instrument is that it is extremely easy to use, as there are only two buttons on the microscope itself: all other controls are in the form of icons on a computer screen.
The microscope can magnify up to 300,000 times, but where it really wins over optical microscopes is in its much greater resolution, which allows for the observation of far greater detail.
It is currently used by pupils for project work, although its use will be extended so pupils in other schools can visit Oundle to benefit from this unique resource.
Library Improvements
Foundation contributions have enabled the School to establish a reading/seminar room on the ground floor of the Cripps Library and, on the upper floor, a classroom that can accommodate up to twenty-four pupils. The entrance lobby is also being modernised as part of an ongoing project.
The classroom provides a dedicated space for research-based learning in form groups and, computer-wise, will initially be equipped with one for the teacher and six laptops for pupils. These will be used in conjunction with the six fixed terminals in the main body of the Library, which now has a wireless hub.
Modern Languages
In Easter 2004 a new language laboratory, funded by an extremely generous bequest from an Old Oundelian, was opened in the Gascoigne Building. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the lab consists of twenty-eight pupil positions, each serviced with a computer and headphones. In addition, the room benefits from direct Satellite input, enabling viewing of television programmes in all major languages and even some of the less usual ones, such as Romanian, Bulgarian, Arabic and Chinese.
This laboratory is an invaluable aid to the teaching of modern languages within the School. As well as enabling all the traditional language laboratory activities to take place, the system permits the integration of ICT in language teaching, including controlled access to the Internet.
Other innovations incorporated in the lab include telephone dialling, whereby a pupil at one position can engage in a 'telephone' conversation with another pupil in the room, and a facility for digitising audio and video tapes and CDs, enabling a large amount of material to be stored and easily accessed.
The room will also be available for self-access study by both pupils and members of staff during Voluntary times.
OSCAR Radio
Oscar, the School radio station, considered the leading station of its type in the UK, simply would not exist without the Foundation assistance it has been fortunate enough to receive.
Oscar was launched in 1998 and, having recently moved to new purpose-built premises in Old Dryden, now comprises three impressive studios – the Sir Howard Stringer Studios - which are used for radio, news and recording.
At Oscar's re-launch ceremony in November 2003, Sir Howard Stringer, OO, kindly donated a further USD$10,000 to the station. This has been used to purchase state-of-the-art studio equipment, placing Oscar on a par with several university radio station set-ups.
The benefit to pupils, both those involved in the production side and those who listen, has been tremendous and the broadcasts are now part of the Oundle Calendar. On average 200 pupils participate in each broadcast and virtually the whole School tunes into these at some stage.
Please visit our website at www.oscar-radio.com, and do feel free to call in and have a look around the studios if you are passing through Oundle.
Sports Equipment and Prizes
The Sports Department at Oundle is extremely grateful to the Foundation and its donors for enabling pupils to benefit from a variety of essential equipment.
The Cricket Scorebox was purchased following a notable donation from the father of Colin McInnes (1st XI Captain in 1993). The electronic device is operated from the Pavilion balcony - a significant improvement on the antiquated system in use beforehand!
School cricketers have also benefited from the all weather, fully enclosed nets generously provided by the Assassins - a group of OOs consisting mainly of former 1st XI players from the 1949 and 1950 cricket teams. The hard surface nets have proved a great success, not only for 1st X1 players to practice on, but for cricketers of all ages and standards. Furthermore, the bowling machine and video can be better used within these nets to analyse and improve players' batting techniques.
The scrummaging machine used by the School's rugby players was funded by donations from parents and OOs, as was the electronic scoreboard that takes pride of place on the Two Acre.
The School's main sports award – the John Jackson Award – is funded by John Jackson, OO. Each year, during the last term of the recipient's Lower Sixth, it is awarded by the Sports Committee to a talented, all-round sportsman or woman who has contributed significantly to the sporting life of the School during his or her time here.
The Patrick Centre
The Patrick Centre, home to the School's Engineering, Design and Technology departments, exists thanks solely to the outstanding generosity of Alex Patrick, OO, after whom the building is named. Opened in October 1998, the Patrick Centre offers an optimal working environment in which pupils can learn and experiment.
Further Foundation assistance has also provided for the purchase of specialist equipment, such as the CAD/CAM routing system installed within the Patrick Centre in 2004. This combines software and machinery, allowing pupils to visualise and construct 3D forms in layers of variable width and depth, thus enabling the construction of objects within objects. Oundle is the first School in the country to have such a system.
Fundamentally, donations increase the scope of the department and, in so doing, extend the opportunities available to pupils for expanding their potential. Wherever they sit in the academic range, and whatever their scientific priorities, pupils can now manufacture their ideas in a variety of ways, whilst suggestions can be communicated more effectively and problems can be solved in a fresh, creative and individual manner.
Peter Ling Fellowships
Since 1999 Sir Howard Stringer, OO, has provided funds for the Peter Ling Fellowship in memory of his former Laundimer Housemaster. Peter Ling Fellows are graduates of Yale University and stay at the School for two years, teaching half a timetable and becoming fully involved in the life of the School as tutors and Games coaches.
Having come from a different educational system, these Fellows bring the best American teaching techniques to their classes, in addition to special academic skills and other interests of their own with which they can enthuse pupils.
The first Yale Fellow, Ryan Hickox, went on to take up a research post at Harvard and has stayed in touch with the School and former pupils, as have the subsequent Yale Fellows.
The majority of Peter Ling Fellows enter research posts when they return to the USA after their time at Oundle.