FAQ's
Choosing the right school for your son or daughter is a decision most parents agonise over for some time. With the increase of benefits available at independent schools, the decision of which school to choose is increasingly complex and lengthy.
To help you make your choice more easily we have provided here a list of frequently asked questions for quick reference, but if you have any more questions that you can't find answers for on this site, give us a call on +44(0)1233 739030 or send an email to registrar@ashfordschool.co.uk.
CHILDRENS WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT
Do older pupils have responsibility for younger ones?
How do you keep parents informed?
To whom does a child go if there is a problem?
What about drugs and alcohol?
What is the School's policy on bullying?
When do we get reports
Who is responsible for my child's welfare?
ORGANISATION
Do you prepare pupils for CE tests?
How is the School organsied?
How are new pupil classes organised?
Is there a Parents' Association?
What is the usual class size at Ashford?
What role do parents play?
What role does the Governing Body have?
ACTIVITIES
What about other activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award or Combined Cadet Force?
What opportunities are available to perform in concerts or plays?
What sports are available for my son or daughter?
What visits are arranged for pupils?<
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Are the Classics taught?<
Are there any vocational courses?
Does the School currently offer, or plan to introduce the International Baccalaureate (IB)?
How are the sciences taught? Do pupils have the options of single sciences or dual award GCSE science?
How wide are subject choices for GCSE and AS/A2 levels?
How wide is the choice of modern languages?
What are the arrangements for providing extra support if it's needed?
What subjects do the children study? What choice do they have?
Where are the School's particular strengths?
THE SCHOOL
What plans are there for developing the facilities of the School?
Why should I choose the send my child to Ashford School?
What does the Latin 'Esse Quam Videri' from your crest mean?
Do older pupils have responsibility for younger ones?
Compassion and a sense of responsibility are amongst the qualities we foster so we look for opportunities for pupils to demonstrate both irrespective of what stage they are at in the Prep School or Senior School.
Older pupils, particularly as Sixth Formers, do have specific duties that include oversight of younger pupils and encouraging them to participate in the life of the School. Prefects are given training and guidance to develop their skills. The house system gives opportunities for a wider range of older pupils to support and lead younger ones for instance as captain of a House team or in preparing for the House music or drama competition.
How do you keep parents informed?
Parents can contact the School at any time to discuss their child's progress or to alert the School to matters that might affect their child. Email is a good way of making contact about routine matters but please come in for a personal meeting with your child's teacher or Head of House if you would prefer.
There are regular written reports and interim reports and at least once each you you will be invited to attend a consultation meeting about your child's academic and personal progress when you will be ale to talk with his/her teachers.
You will receive a regular newsletter letting you know what is happening at the School and much more will be posted on the School website or the Parents' section of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
To whom does a child go if there is a problem?
They can approach any adult in the School with whom they are comfortable. Most will talk to their Tutor or Head of House. If they wish they can talk with an independent counsellor, the School Chaplain or School Doctor. If they are still concerned about something or someone they can talk with any of the senior staff or the Head, Mr Buchanan.
Pupils are reminded about how to contact support agencies such as Childline (0800 11 11).
Adolescents will be tempted to experiment or use illegal drugs or abuse alcohol. It is both impossible to and undesirable to shield young people completely from the dangers they face.
With their parents, we provide pupils with the knowledge and skills to make wise decisions in these areas and they know where to turn to if they need help. This care for their welfare need not always include disciplinary consequences but it is likely that any pupil who brings illegal drugs to school or sells them to others will forfeit the right to remain at the School. We reserve the right to conduct random drugs tests when there are reasonable grounds for so doing.
What is the School's policy on bullying?
No school is totally free of behaviour that upsets others but we believe the best way to tackle it is to be clear about what is and is not acceptable, to be open to pupils to talk to us about things that cause them worry and to act swiftly when something does go wrong.
We have a clear Codes of Conduct appropriate to each age group and an anti-bullying policy that all pupils and staff are made aware of. It is comforting to note that pupils believe that bullying is not an issue here and visitors to Ashford School comment that relationships are warm and trusting.
No pupil has the right the disrupt another pupil's learning or to act in way that intimidates others. Pupils who persistently act in this way are likely to forfeit the privilege they enjoy of having a place at the school.
You will either receive a full written report, interim report or have a consultation evening each term at which your child's academic and social progress can be discussed with his/her teachers and tutor.
Who is responsible for my child's welfare?
In the Senior School, your son or daughter will be placed in one of our six Houses (named after charecters from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales). Each House is lead by a teacher called the Head of House who is the family contact with the school. Each House has four tutor groups of about ten to fifteen pupils led by a teacher and containng pupils from across Years 7-13. All the children in the group are cared for directly by a teacher who is their tutor.
The house is a social and pastoral group of about 60 young people. House meetings are held each week; houses hold their own charity fund raising events and they compete at Games, Music, Mathematics, General Knowledge, Art, Drama, Design Technology and Debating.
Similar arrangements apply in the Prep School except that the tutor is the family contact and pupils are likely to also be taught some or all of their subjects in their tutor group.
Do you prepare pupils for CE tests?
We hope that you will keep you son or daughter at Ashford to the end of his/her school career and we anticipate that this is what most parents will plan to do.
If you wish to consider moving you son/daughter to another school at the end of Year 8 then please talk to Mr Buchanan about this as soon as possible. He can then check what the arrangments are at your proposed school. It is our experience that few if any 13+ schools will rely soley on the Common Entrance tests for assessing prospective pupils: it is not in their interests to do so. Most schools will have a mechanism for pupils who are not studying for Common Entrance to take another entrance test and for these candidates to be considered alongside all others.
Mr Buchanan knows personally many of the Heads of senior schools to which your son or daughter might apply so arrangements can be easily checked.
The School has four consituent parts each led by a senior member of staff.
Mr Buchanan is the Head of the School and is based in Ashford. He is ultimately responsible for the whole school, it operation and development. He is assisted in the running of Senior School by the Director of the Senior School, Mrs Howard and the leadership team of the Senior School.
The Prep School covers the children aged 3-11 and is led by Mr Yeates and his leadership team. This includes the Head of the Pre-Prep School, Mrs Smith, who has delegated responsibility for the children in this section.
Bridge House is our Pre-Nursery for children from 3 months to 3 years. This is run by Mrs Russell and her team.
Mr Buchanan reports to the Chief Executive of the UCST and to the Local Governing Body, chaired by Mr Peregrine Massey.
How are new pupils classes organised?
Our experience is that pupils will vary in their rates of progress during their school career so it is important that the School can respond appropriately. It is also the case that confidence is a major factor in achieving success and progression. For these reasons, we try to group pupils according to their ability in individual subjects (otherwise known as setting). For instance, it would be perfectly possible for a pupil to be in the highest ability Maths set but in a middle ability English set and for their sets to change over the year.
Many parents (but few pupils) become obsessed with the set that they are in but you need to remember that all our pupils do well at GCSE and at Advanced Level. In other words, the set does not limit their ability to achieve. Indeed, being in the right set, which does not necessarily mean the highest set, will enhance your child's opportunities.
Is there a Parents' Association?
An active parent-teacher association (PTA) arranges a programme of social events for parents in all sections of the School. The committee welcomes new recruits to its regular meetings.
What is the usual class size at Ashford?
This very much depends on what stage of education your child is at.
In the Prep School we hope to have classes of about 16 children but they are often much smaller and occasionally larger. The Prep School has a number of classroom assistants who work with individual pupils as required and assist the class teacher.
In the Senior School it depends on what subjects the pupil is taking. With around 50 pupils in a year group in Years 7-9 you can expect 16-20 pupils in a class but it will vary according to the subject asd the set.
In the main subjects up to GCSE, such as English or Science, you could expect some groups to be around 20-24 while other subjects might have only a handful of pupils. Generally, we try to arrange the groups so that those pupils who need closer attention will get it. At A level, group sizes vary from about 16 to a few as one or two: classes of 10-12 are common.
In the Senior School we also have a learning support team who work with individual pupils in and outside the classroom.
The level of invlovement from parents varies depeneding on the age of the children and the time mothers and fathers have available.
There are opportunities in the Prep School for parents to help as volunteers and through the PTA as well as to support the numerous concerts, plays and other events arranged for the children.
Once secondary school is reached many parents find their children are less enthusiastic about sharing their school life with their parents. None the less, the PTA and school provide plenty of opportunties to glimpse the secret school life of the adolescent.
What role does the Governing Body have?
The School is owned and run by the United Church Schools Trust (registered charity number 1016538). The School has a Local Governing Body (LGB) led by Mr Peregrine Massey and comprising about 12 members who serve for limited terms and are chosen for the range of skills they can offer to the School. All serve without being paid and mostly are local to Ashford and Kent.
The LGB provide support to the Head and the senior staff, influence the strategic development of the school, have delegated responsibility for overseeing specific aspects of the school and hold the Head to account for the operation and success of the school.
The Chair of the LGB can be contacted via the Senior School.
What about other activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award or Combined Cadet Force?
The programme of activities offers a good range of opportunities. The Young Enterprise groups are active every year. Pupils participate in European Youth Parliament debates at area and national level. Teams representing Years 7 and 8 have enjoyed success in the Sutton Valence Mathematics competition, which involves schools throughout Kent and Sussex.
A wide choice of sports is balanced by such things as science and technology, art and design, music and drama. A large proportion of Year 10 pupils participate in the Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze Award activities, and a good number subsequently embark on the Gold Award. There is strong emphasis on participation in house-based activities for fund raising, which generates much enthusiasm and enables pupils to make suggestions, initiate projects and work as part of a team. We are working to introduce the Combined Cadet Force.
What opportunities are available to perform in concerts or plays?
Musical activities offer the opportunity to perform regularly in front of school and public audiences and there are usually around 2 concerts per term and numerous internal music events. Drama includes a production specifically for pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 besides a musical and a school play each year.
What sports are available for my son or daughter?
There are many opportunities for competitive activities within and outside the School and we regularly review the sports fixtures to ensure pupils can enjoy a wide variety of activities. You can download a list of the co-curricular activities available from the Prep School and Senior School co-curricular sections of this website.
What visits are arranged for pupils?
The School organises an excellent programme of educational and recreational visits. These include galleries and exhibitions, theatres, drama workshops, field trips to places of scientific, geographical and historical interest, and science lectures.
There are exchange and residential visits to France, Germany and Spain, some of which include work experience, trips to classical sites in Greece and Italy and to places of historical interest such as Ypres and Dublin. Singapore is also on the list for next year. Pupils are encouraged by their tutors to participate in as many activities as possible. A culture of participation exists and contributes much to the pupils' educational experience and personal development.
Latin and Classical Studies are taught in Years 7, 8 and 9, and as an option at GCSE and Advanced Level.
Are there any vocational courses?
We do not offer vocational courses but are eager to develop pupils' skills in areas such as Information Technology and Cookery.
Does the School currently offer, or plan to introduce the International Baccalaureate (IB)?
There are no plans at present to introduce the IB but we are thinking about our curriculum and what it offers. We are attracted by the philosophy that underpins the IB and its high standing with universities around the world. We will be considering it in the next twelve months.
How are the sciences taught? Do pupils have the options of single sciences or dual award GCSE science?
Pupils are taught Biology, Chemistry and Physics separately by specialist teachers from the beginning of Year 8. All three subjects are compulsory up the end of GCSE.
Currently, pupils may opt to take either the Dual Award GCSE (equivalent to two GCSEs but covering Biology, Chemistry and Physics) or take all three subjects as separate GCSEs. Pupils are guided in their choice at the appropriate time.
How wide are subject choices for GCSE and AS/A2 levels?
22 different subjects are offered at GCSE and 24 at Advanced Level. Pupils' choice of subjects is carefully guided with advice being given by the Director of Studies and the Head of Careers to ensure a good balance of subjects, which leaves open as many career options as possible.
How wide is the choice of modern languages?
All pupils study French in Year 7 and then most add a second modern foreign language, Spanish or German, in Year 8. Weaker linguists have extra lessons in French instead. The same three languages are available at GCSE and A level. Italian is offered as an option as part of the Sixth Form general studies programme.
What are the arrangements for providing extra support if it's needed?
All teachers have a generous allocation of non-teaching time and they use this freely to support pupils needing extra help. This support is given at lunchtime and after school. Additionally, extra "supported study" lessons are timetabled where necessary.
What subjects do the children study? What choice do they have?
Pupils in Years 7 to 9 study a very wide range of subjects, nearly twenty in all. There are choices to be made in Year 8 between German and Spanish as a second modern foreign language to add to French, which is studied from the beginning of Year 7.
Where are the School's particular strengths?
It can be divisive to promote one subject or activity above another in a school like Ashford in which examination results are so very good. The highest numbers of A grades at Advanced Level in recent years have been in art and textiles, music, mathematics and English.
What plans are there for developing the facilities of the School?
We are currently working on a large development project at the Prep School and regularly work with architects to survey the School sites and to develop a shopping list of our needs. We have already signalled that the priorities are to develop the sporting and physical education facilities of the School as well as provide improved facilities for pupils in areas such as toilets, changing rooms, common rooms and study spaces.
Our aspirations extend to rebuilding or refurbishing much of the Ashford site but the pace at which we proceed is dependent on our ability to manage the development sensitively and finance it without overburdening current or future parents.
Why should I choose the send my child to Ashford School?
Ashford School has a great deal to offer your child and the best way to see this is to come and visit the school personally. You will find a happy, welcoming and successful community within which order and goodwill prevail and individual endeavour is encouraged and valued. Relationships are warm and trusting and the School provides well for pupils' personal development and offers them a high standard of pastoral care and guidance. Pupils are positive about their work and achieve good standards so that the School lives up to its mantra of adventurous learning that promotes the best in everyone.
What does the Latin 'Esse Quam Videri' from your crest mean?
Esse Quam Videri means "to be, rather than to seem" and we promote this philosophy of living amongst our pupils in every day at Ashford School.
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