Admissions Procedure

Obtaining a Place at the School for your Child

Click here to download the registration form >> 

Ashford provides childcare and education for boys and girls from the age of 3 months to 18 years in four separate sections (Bridge House Pre-Nursery, Ashford Friars Pre-Prep - including the Nursery - Ashford Friars Prep and the Senior School): each specialise in a particular age range. Boarding places are normally only available to boys or girls from age 10 onwards.

The admissions process will aim to identify applicants whose academic and other abilities appear to match the ethos and standards of the School and whose personal qualities suggest they have the potential to contribute to the school community and benefit from the opportunities that are offered.

Until winter 2009, children from 3 months to 7 years and from 11 to 18 years are taught on the East Hill site with children from 7 to 11 years taught on the Great Chart site. There is a supervised shuttle bus in the morning and afternoon to enable pupils to move easily between the sites. The journey takes about ten minutes.

As of winter 2009 the Pre-Prep School at ages 3 to 7 will be moving to join the Prep School at Great Chart. Click here for more information.

Applications

Click here to read the terms and conditions >>

Applications for admissions at any age should be addressed to the Registrar, Ashford School, East Hill, Ashford, Kent, TN24 8PB; telephone: +44(0)1233 739030 or email: registrar@ashfordschool.co.uk. A non-returnable registration fee is payable on submission of an application (£100 for applicants from the UK and EU, £150 for applicants outside the UK and EU). Please ensure the school is told at the application stage if a child has a disability or particular need so that we can properly assess his/her requirements. Assessments from professionals such as Educational Psychologists should be provided at this stage.

Sibling policy

From the Pre-Prep School onwards entry is competitive and based on the potential of the boy or girl to benefit from the academic education that the School provides. We shall consider each candidate individually and the fact that a brother or sister is already in the School does not guarantee the award of a place to a younger sibling. Where possible, however, we will give precedence to a younger sibling in the admission process, if this is considered to be in the child's best interests. It is not always possible to do so. 

Acceptance of Places

Once a place is offered, we ask for prompt acceptance. Acceptance comprises the payment of a deposit and the return of the school's Form of Acceptance. This document sets out the primary contract with the School and the financial obligations regarding notice and withdrawal, to which parents are required to agree. All parents with legal responsibility must sign these documents. The child cannot start at the School until this process is completed.

Capability in English

Please note that from September 2009, all students whose native language is not English and who wish to take up a place at Ashford School will have to have achieved a minimum level of proficiency in English. Please click here for more information or email the registrar.

Progress through the School 

It is our expectation that pupils who join the School at one of the younger entry points will enjoy a full career at Ashford, proceeding to and through the Sixth Form and on to university. Occasionally it is necessary to review the case of a pupil who is about to move into Year 7 or Year 12 to be sure that it is in his or her best interests to do so. A pupil, for example, who is not thriving within the academic environment of the school, may be advised that transfer to the senior school may not be in his/her best interests. In situations such as this, the school will endeavour to alert parents in good time. Progression of a pupil into the Sixth Form is normally assured by a combination of appropriate behaviour, hard work and academic success at GCSE (minimum 6 GCSEs at A*-C with at least Bs in their A level subjects). Experience shows that graduation into the Sixth Form should present no difficulty to almost all pupils who are admitted to the School. Progression into Year 13 is dependent on a minimum of 3Cs at AS Level.