The Ashford School community is a multicultural and diverse one, with a student population from 24 countries.
We wish our students to leave school with a distinguished academic record, but we also want them to gain an understanding of human rights and the importance of showing respect for our fellow citizens. Through both their academic and co-curricular activities, students are guided to identify inequality and discrimination within society, and to examine the negative effects of prejudicial language. Throughout their time at Ashford School, students are encouraged to be open-minded in their views and to question bias.
Learning environments in classrooms encourage pupils to listen to each other. Pupils share individual, social, cultural and linguistic experiences, and the School’s Learning Habits lead pupils to gain valuable life skills. The Tolerance and Collaboration Learning Habit encourages pupils to welcome the perspectives of others, to hold up their own views to scrutiny and to be prepared to modify their opinions. The Reflection and Responsibility Learning Habit enables pupils to reflect on their own behaviour and to think about the needs of others.
Beyond the classroom, diversity is celebrated in School assemblies, on International Languages Day and in Black History Month. Through charity initiatives, pupils learn about fundraising for good causes and the importance of community outreach work, such as with the Ashford Food Bank. Opportunities to debate social and political issues take place in the School’s Debating Society, and pupils also discuss a range of diversity issues in PSHE lessons. The School Parliament brings pupils together so that diverse pupil voices are heard, and this in turn enables pupils to learn about the importance of democratic processes.
Ashford School is fully committed to ensuring that the application of its anti-bullying policy, which is available here, is non-discriminatory in line with the UK Equality Act (2010).
An Inclusive Curriculum
Our academic curriculum is inclusive and includes many opportunities for teachers to teach and celebrate diversity.
Some are detailed below: