Octagon Academic Society

Octagon is Kingham Hill School’s academic society: its philosophy is to provide academic extension and enrichment to the most able pupils. Members are given additional opportunities to extend their learning outside lessons to challenge and motivate them to achieve their academic potential whilst being encouraged to pursue their individual interests.

Octagon seeks to support pupils in their intellectual curiosity, the idea being to give pupils a broader education outside the confines of the School curriculum. Octagon seeks to enable its pupils to discover for themselves what their passions are and allows them time to delve deeper into subjects that interest them.

Octagon activities include debating, public speaking and critical thinking to give pupils the skills that they need to be independent thinkers and to enable them to be proactive in all they do.

Octagon has approximately 60 members and consists of seven classes (one per year group). It is a selective society and at the start of each academic year, all pupils in First, Third and Lower Sixth Forms are invited to apply to be part of the Society. To find out more about the application procedure, please contact Mr Williams, Head of Octagon.

Octagon places very high expectations on pupils: expecting them to read widely, with intelligence and critical thought, and to seek to better themselves in all their studies. Members are expected to be positive academic role models around the School, and promote a love of learning amongst their peers.

Octagon events and activities include:

• Fortnightly lunchtime sessions where pupils share their intellectual passions, talk about their current reading and bounce around ideas in debate around the Octagon table.

• In March the annual Octagon Dinner allows pupils to celebrate and reflect upon their achievements over the year.  It is a formal “Oxbridge-style” dinner with gowns, a guest of honour, speeches and toasts.

• Cultural trips to Oxford and Cambridge Universities, the British Museum, the British Library and the National Archives.

• Participating in the Chipping Norton Rotary Club public speaking competition.

• Running the School’s Inter-House Challenge (a general knowledge quiz competition between all the Houses).