School Review 2022 by AshfordSchool

SCHOOL REVIEW 2022

shford School Statistics

265 Nursery students 121 girls 144 boys

281 Prep School students 136 girls 145 boys

482 Senior School students 229 girls 253 boys

1,026 Students

Students from 33 countries

106 Boarders

Contents

Foreword .........................................................

Alumni ............................................................

Jubilee Celebrations ..........................................

Awards ............................................................

6-8

Scholars ...........................................................

Somerville Library ............................................

Partnerships .....................................................

Wellbeing ........................................................

Duke of Edinburgh ............................................

Nurseries .........................................................

Bridge Nursery ...........................................

The Stables Nursery ....................................

Prep School Nursery ...................................

Prep School ......................................................

Reception & Year 1 .....................................

Years 2 & 3 ................................................

Year 4 .......................................................

Year 5 .......................................................

Year 6 ........................................................

Sporting Achievements ...............................

Special Mentions ........................................

Senior School ...................................................

23 - 37

Humanities ................................................

Mathematics .............................................

Science ......................................................

24 - 26

English ......................................................

Languages .................................................

Creative & Performing Arts .........................

29 - 32

Careers ......................................................

Sports .......................................................

34 - 39

House Reviews .................................................

40 - 43

Boarding House Reviews ...................................

44 - 45

Leavers Destinations .........................................

Exam Results ....................................................

Foreword Throughout the past two Covid dominated years, I frequently challenged the school community to not allow the pandemic to become an excuse for anything; moreover, I saw it as an opportunity to improve the way we do things, to show more respect, acknowledgement and humility to those around us and be grateful for what we all have in our lives. As we embarked on this academic year, I was determined that the School would emerge from the pandemic in the most positive, optimistic and energetic manner. The attitudes, ethos and culture which one experiences from within the School are something which I am particularly pleased about. The School feels alive, engaging, warm and friendly. Our tenacity to keep sport, music, drama and outdoor education alive, despite lockdowns and social distancing have meant that we can now stand tall and proud, when reflecting on our achievements. We are National Indoor Cricket Champions! Our music and drama departments are producing concerts and performances of a renewed and improved high standard, with growing levels of participation. I have the utmost admiration for our students in the key exam year groups – Years 11 and 13 – the latter in particular who sat the most important exams of their school lives, having never sat a public exam before. Yet the mindset and approach of all the students in the key examination year groups has been exceptional. In acknowledging the students, I also want to pay tribute to the teaching staff. The past two years have tested teachers like never before; however, our teachers performed better than just rising to the challenge, they stayed ahead of the challenge and delivered the best possible education to the students. In addition, none of us can carry out our roles without the work of the support staff – invaluable members of the whole team! We end this academic year with the School more popular than ever: the current School roll is higher than the previous prepandemic peak. We have a new School Strategic Plan, which will be launched in the early Autumn, which will guide our continued progress and improvement for the next few years. As the year 21-22 draws to a close, I reflect as a very proud Headmaster: proud of the whole organisation, but most of all, proud of the achievements and development of our students.

Mr Michael Hall, Headmaster 3

Alumni and Development

Over the last year we have continued to see our alumni community continue to go from strength to strength. Most excitingly, we saw a return to in-person events. From our ASA Leavers’ BBQ in September and our ASA London Drinks in November, to the ASA Sports Reunion & Tournament in March, and a sold-out ASA Summer Lunch in July – there has been something for all of our alumni. Plus, with international travel on the agenda again, we were able to host reunions for our alumni in Nigeria, Madrid, Munich, The Hague, & Paris. Thank you to all who volunteered to help organise these events, and of course, to all those who attended. Alongside this, we have continued connecting with our global alumni community digitally. Our #throwbackthursday posts continue to be hugely popular, and we have loved hearing everyone’s memories of their time at Ashford School. We also hosted a virtual talk with Former Head of Science, Brian Stockwell, in which he spoke about the Science Experiment that was sent by Ashford School into Space in the 1990s! Our alumni community have continued to volunteer their time to lead careers talks and share their expertise with our students, for which we are incredibly grateful. Speakers this academic year have included: Chartered Clinical Psychologist Dr Emma Stevens (née King, Squires, 2002) Senior Datalink Engineer at Collins Aerospace & Former Chief Pilot Captain Enid Otun (Alfred, 1980) Author Nicola Pryce (née Snelson, Nightingale, 1975) Head of Revenue Transformation at Liberty Speciality Markets Rachael Lukehurst (Pilgrims, 1999) Assistant Director Chessie Wilton (Merchants, 2013) Architect at Holloway Studios & RIBA Mentor Rebecca Wise (Pilgrims, 2011) MRes Microbiology student and Laboratory Technician Megan Fox (Merchants, 2017) Business Applications Sales Executive Toby Harris (Franklins, 2013) Head of Operations at UK Antarctic Heritage and Ice Maiden Team Member Sophie Montagne (Merchants, 2001) Pentathlete & Mechanical with Automotive Engineering Student James Wilton (Pilgrims, 2018) Former Magistrate and JP John Hosking (Former Chair of Governors & Ashford School Foundation Patron) This year we also saw the introduction of an exciting new ASA Prefect role, which was taken up by Charlotte in Year 13. Charlotte supported the Alumni & Development Office with various initiatives including the ASA School Tie, developing content for social media, and working on the launch of a School charity day for the Ashford School Foundation which raised money for the Foundation’s Bursary Fund. Thank you to Charlotte, and we look forward to meeting our Prefect for 2022-23. We have continued to celebrate the history of the School, installing blue plaques around the Senior School site commemorating the history of buildings, gardens, and trees. Thank you to Ashford School Association Committee who generously agreed to fund these. We are also delighted to announce that this year’s recipient of the Tom Watts Travel Award, following an extremely competitive application process, is K-Leigh Hargreaves (Merchants, 2018). The Tom Watts Travel Award provides financial assistance to leavers who are considering undertaking challenging journeys or expeditions. K-Leigh will be travelling to Córdoba in Argentina through Projects Abroad to work at an Equine Therapy Centre where she will be supporting people with disabilities. After a successful bursary campaign last summer and the generosity of our alumni community, the Ashford School Foundation was able to award 6 new bursaries, and next academic year will be supporting a total of 15 students. We hope to continue to grow the resources of the fund so that the Foundation can continue to support more talented pupils receive a transformative education here at Ashford School.

Jubilee Celebrations This year, Ashford School joined the rest of the country as we celebrated the Queen's 70 years of service to the United Kingdom. Spanning 7 decades, the Queen has done a remarkable job in the face of world-changing events including war, recession, and a pandemic. On 27 May, before the pupils began their half term break, we celebrated in style with a wonderful church service at St Mary's in Ashford Town Centre, themed dress-up, a BBQ at the Senior School and a picnic in the sun at the Prep School.

shford Tree Trail Project

The Ashford Tree Trail is a special community arts project for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Year that will see a visual spectacle growing across Ashford town centre from 2 – 26 June 2022. Our tree was made of recycled materials, using red, white and blue, as well as the Queen for inspiration. It included:

Ashford Prep School Tree situated at Ashford Picturehouse during the Jubilee weekend

Tin can crowns Paper soldiers in plastic bottles Material bunting Lolly stick mobiles Pyrography Queen on wood Red, white, and blue shell wind chimes Wool pompoms Yogurt pot corgis Plastic bottle-end flowers Coiled rope Decorated CDs Mosaic hearts Wooden robins Wood circles decorated by newspaper & magazine cuttings

One of the highlights of the day was the Reverend Bellamy's Introduction at the service and his explanation of the Jubilee Tree which was constructed by the Art Department and featured over 450 handmade leaves with messages of hope and well wishes from our pupils to the Queen.

Awards

United Learning Best in Everyone 2022 Awards Oli J took home the Mathematics Award for his astonishing development in the subject during his time at Ashford School. Nominated by Dr. Britton, Oli honed his skills and has become the most talented mathematician in the School: “From a Year 7 pupil who was competent, but did not excel in the subject, he has now developed into the most accomplished mathematician in the school. He is currently taking Further Maths at A Level, but his appreciation and understanding of the subject is much greater than what is found in textbooks.

Oli routinely explores mathematical topics from a wide range of sources, often focusing on mathematical physics, where he delves into undergraduate topics with vigour. He has explored a wide variety of topics, writing journal entries which allow his teachers to follow his impressive progress. Currently, he has uploaded 13 different essays discussing Lagrangian dynamics, Hamiltonian mechanics, Quantum mechanics, and more. All this is in addition to his schoolwork and test results are consistently outstanding. In every respect, he is the epitome of an outstanding student of Mathematics.”

United Learning Art Competition Kitty W was shortlisted for the International High School Arts Festival Competition with her painting “Cyanosis”. She then went through to the final round where she made it as one of only three runners up in the competition. Congratulations on this fantastic result; finishing in the top four is a brilliant achievement and Kitty should feel very proud! In her own words: “This piece is heavily influenced by my detailed study of hands, as well as the topic of foreign cultures, where I studied the great use of vivacious, block colour in ancient African Art, as well as the semi-realist, skilful aspect of both modern and ancient Japanese Art. By incorporating these, I created Cyanosis, when the hands turn blue due to lack of oxygen, with oil paint. Hands are, as Aristotle states, ‘tools of tools’ and are symbolic of a collective outlet of affection and relationship. Therefore, despite the barrier created by language and culture, humans are still able to communicate through gesture and physical touch of their hands, hence their importance to society and why I was inspired to create this piece.” The annual International High School Arts Festival in Japan is sponsored by the International Foundation for Arts and Culture (IFAC) and organised by the International High School Arts Festival Organising Committee, of which IFAC functions as its presiding body. It is an opportunity for senior high school students to showcase their outstanding creative talent on a global platform. Senior high school students from across the globe will submit approximately 14,000 pieces of art and the top 500 pieces will be brought to Tokyo, where they will be exhibited at one of the nation’s most prestigious galleries, Japan’s National Art Centre.

Awards Speech and Drama tuition is exceptionally beneficial to students seeking confidence, specialised knowledge, emotional intelligence, resilience and metacognitive training. It allows students to physically explore an abundance of literature whilst improving your communication skills. Our latest examinations took place on the March 14 and 15 this year from which, the following Students gained a Distinction: Tara B (Y7) – Acting Grade 3 Sophie W (Y7) – Verse and Prose Grade 4 Ishbel D (Y8) – Verse and Prose Grade 5 and Acting Grade 3 Oli F (Y9) – Verse and Prose Grade 4 Lola H (Y9) – Acting Grade 4

Lucas F (Y9) – Acting Grade 5 Liv J (Y10) – Acting Grade Toral P (Y10) – Public Speaking GOLD AWARD Grade 8 Kitty W (Y12) – Musical Theatre BRONZE AWARD Grade 6 Dhilan P (Y12) – Public Speaking GOLD AWARD Grade 8

A Special mention must go to Austin W (Y7) who, having taken his first LAMDA examination, achieved a strong MERIT in Grade 2 Verse and Prose.

Congratulations to Thomas F who was awarded 1st place in the Monologue section for Yrs7-13 at this year's Kent Festival of Speech & Drama.

Music Examination Results A huge congratulations to the following pupils who achieved a Pass, Merit or Distinction in their Music Examinations. Pass Fraser D - Grade 4 Piano Practical Mildred T - Grade 4 Flute Practical Merit Ishbel D - Grade 3 Singing for Musical Theatre Practical Anna M - Grade 3 Flute Practical Anna M - Grade 3 Flute Practical Adam F - Grade 7 B Flat Cornet Practical Tasmin R - Grade 1 Cello Practical Chloe H - Grade 2 Piano Practical and Grade 4 Clarinet Distinction Phoebe P - Rock Guitar Grade 1 Izzie M - Grade 5 Singing for Musical Theatre Practical Hannah A - Grade 4 Recorder

Awards U15 Girls Indoor Cricket National Champions Ashford School embarked on a journey which started with over 900 schools entering to try and become the best Indoor Cricket team in the country. Having gone through preliminary, county, regional (Southeast) rounds all undefeated, our girls were filled with high hopes to try and be crowned National Champions. The Finals were played at the prestigious Lord’s Cricket Ground where we will hopefully be watching our stars in the future! Ashford girls won their first three games, one comfortably and two coming down to the last over. We were set for the Final against a very tough opposition, Ipswich School. The girls saved their best for last and set their highest total with the bat, scoring 94 runs in 8 overs. With a great start and scoreboard pressure, we were able to shut the game down with two overs to spare. The celebrations started and the emotions came through. What a performance from a group of girls who showed talent, understanding, teamwork and most importantly enjoyed the journey!

Scholars

This has been a fantastically busy year for the academic life of the school, as we have returned to the fullest spectrum of offerings and activities whilst we emerge from the fog of the last two years. Returning to a full suite of face-to-face teaching has allowed us to take the best of the Covid innovations, especially in educational technology, and return to the core of what we value as a school by fostering inspiring subject specialism in the intensity and rigour of the classroom environment. Under the banner of our six Learning Habits, a key ambition for this year has been delivering stretch and challenge for all our students. Alongside this, a myriad of trips, academic enrichments, and subject discussion societies, from Crest awards to the humanities twilight, have punctuated the year. Students have written for the A. Magazine, entered national and United Learning essay competitions, and been featured in publications. We have been delighted to host the first of our masterclass events this year, allowing Prep and Primary students to get a flavour of the expertise we have among our ranks here at East Hill, and have also been privileged to hold discussion sessions with a range of eminent guest speakers, from John Hosking on the Magistracy to Graham Stracey, a former NATO commander, and Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin. Scholars have continued to be at the vanguard with an ever-rigorous series of Octagon Lectures this year, from how to get published and commoditisation of freight, to how to be a writer and sneaky statistics. The energy, engagement and commitment of our students has been a privilege to behold this year, whilst the scale, quality, and range of our offering a testament to our ever-extraordinary teaching staff. Here's to 2023!

Somerville Library Following a superb refurbishment during Summer 2021, the Senior School’s Learning Resource Centre reopened as the Somerville Library, the new name reflecting Ashford School’s rich heritage. Still at the heart of the School, the Somerville Library provides over 13 500 books across three floors dedicated to study and reading for pleasure. Sixth Form students were delighted by the introduction of high-sided carrel desks, which reduce distraction and improve concentration. The studious atmosphere has been enhanced further by the generous provision by the Ashford School Parents’ and Friends’ Association of a conference table and matching chairs. This has transformed the Junior Fiction area into a stimulating and welcoming place for class visits, acting as a focal point for the English department’s regular library lessons. As always, we have responded to requests from students and staff to ensure that the Somerville Library provides books not only to support the curriculum but to stimulate intellectual curiosity and celebrate the power of the imagination. The number of books borrowed continues to climb each year, with non-fiction increasing in popularity as pupils seek knowledge and understanding beyond the classroom. Our eBook collection also continues to expand as more and more pupils explore its wide range of resources. We look forward to welcoming many more students and staff to the Somerville Library in Autumn 2022 and beyond.

Partnerships Partnerships with schools

The following workshops, activities and events are mostly delivered to local Prep and Primary schools. In all cases, the “benefit” to Ashford School is through the leadership opportunities provided to our pupils in terms of planning, delivery, and evaluation of each event and/or the opportunity to work with others in our local community. Chemistry Academy- Weekly activity Maths Academy- Weekly activity Prep School Music Day Year 5 Enrichment Day- Up to 120 prep and primary school students to attend a Harry Potter themed enrichment day led by our year 12 students. Kent School games - Hosting the 6 largest Primary school sports festivals- Approx. 1,000 local Primary school pupils will play on our pitches led by our students. Ashford Youth Jazz Orchestra Combined Cadet Force - Partnered with Wye Free School Outreach and Lettings We are proud to be able to offer support to the following clubs and associations. Primary School and Community Learn to Swim Programmes - Over 1,000 local children swim in our pools each week. London Pulse Netball - Host training camps Saracens RFC - Host academy sessions and matches Kent Cricket - Host area festivals across 2 age groups Southern Spartans Cricket - Host their winter nets programme Ashford Hockey Club - Shared facilities Mersham Cricket Club - Shared facilities

Wellbeing Returning this academic year, following 2 years of lockdowns and uncertainty, meant that the need for the Health and Wellbeing service was greater than ever. Added to this was the ever-changing Covid-19 guidance given to schools, to which pupils responded exceptionally well. In response to a change in personnel and the increased need for a Health and Wellbeing provision, we have been fortunate enough to be able to appoint further members of the wellbeing and health centre teams. The new Health Centre Manager and Wellbeing Manager have led their teams into the next stage of their development, including increased support and consultations for parents, fast referral assessments and the general development of the service and wellbeing area. We have continued to offer wellbeing sessions during curriculum time as well as increasing the capacity for 1:1 sessions across the whole School. We are now well known as a centre for counsellor training allowing us the opportunity to support and develop trainee counsellors whilst also offering close supervision and guidance to them. This has meant we have a variety of different counsellors all offering their own individual counselling styles, including play therapy, art therapy, CBT and talking therapy. The close links the Health and Wellbeing Teams have with local external services has meant that we have access to all necessary services available in the area, and support has been timely and well received. We are excited for the next stage in the development of both the Health and Wellbeing Teams, including a move to newly refurbished facilities. This will take place over the summer break and will allow an even more cohesive approach to supporting the Spiritual, Emotional and Physical Health of all pupils.

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Ashford School has had an extremely busy Duke of Edinburgh expedition year. We have completed 3 expeditions with a further 2 to go, the Bronze qualifying in Challock and the DofE Gold cycling expedition to Arnhem, Holland. DofE completions are at an all time high within Ashford School, the National completion average is 33%, down by 25% previously (Covid). Ashford School has a perfect 100% completion rate on last year’s enrolments. We have the following pupils completing their award currently: Bronze – 94 Silver – 43 Gold – 26 Total – 163 (46% of all eligible pupils) 206 participants have enrolled or completed an award this academic year. Expedition numbers: 37 (43% of Bronze cohort) participants completed their Silver practice and qualifying expedition to Snowdonia, Wales 73 participants completed their practice expedition and will depart on Monday to complete the qualifying expedition 24 participants will attend the Gold DofE expedition, amazing achievement Ashford School Stats: Ashford School Silver award pupils, collectively walked over 3,290,000 steps during their Silver expedition to Wales, this is according to Polar Fitness who estimate that on average adults will walk 1,312 step per KM. Completions are estimated to be over 93% this year. We are already at 12% and still have over 9 months remaining. Ashford School have committed to nearly 2,500 volunteering hours, raising a social value total of £10,990.98 Ashford School has a community of experienced and professionally trained DofE volunteers, 15 of these amazing people, ranging from parents, staff and members of the public have assisted our DofE programme during our expeditions. We also offer all staff member under the age of 23 to enrol and complete their Gold Award at no expense. This year, we have had 2 staff members complete their Gold Award. Combined Cadet Force: 83% of cadets have completed their Army Proficiency Certificate (APC), The APC consists of Navigation, Field Craft, Dress and Turnout, Leadership, Marksmanship, First Aid, Skill at Arms, and Military Knowledge. Achievements: Impressively, over 30% of cadets have taken to the air, gliding across the Kent countryside The Combined Cadet Force complete a charity event each year, this year was the infamous National 3-Peaks challenge in under 24 hours

Nurseries

A note from the Head of Early Years It has been a real joy to see all our Early Years settings having such a vibrant and successful year after all the challenges of the previous 18 months or so. The experiences the children enjoy is unparalleled in their variety and quality; they have been wonderfully prepared for school life when the time arrives, which is all too quickly for some parents! As we have welcomed our parents back into the Nurseries, we have also been able to have more in-person meetings and parents’ and carers’ evenings, so that everyone is fully involved and informed about progress and next steps. Functions such as sports day and transition information evenings have been wonderfully well attended by parents and it has been such a delight to have the opportunity once again to really get to know our children’s parents and carers. In addition to The Stables, Bridge, Nursery and Reception families, we have sought to play our part in supporting the local community by starting our toddler groups; ‘First Steps’. For the past year on Tuesdays, we have run an Outside Explorer’s morning, welcoming parents and toddlers to our wonderful grounds come rain or shine. The children have used our forest school area as their base and enjoyed creative activities as they explore and discover in our glorious natural environment. On Wednesday mornings, families have been welcomed into the Prep School library to enjoy story time followed by music and singing lead by the Head of Prep Nursery. These have proved extremely popular and next term; we plan to amalgamate the story and music time with our Thursday Stay and Play groups to enrich the sessions further still. Each of these different sessions have been an important opportunity for young children to socialise and take part in some exciting activities while their parents have a chance to meet others and discuss ideas about their children’s development. These groups have been fantastic fun and the benefit to the children has been clear to see. Through ‘First Steps’ we have managed to reach over 100 different families over the course of the year. It is just so good to be back and able to do all these rich and valuable activities with our youngest children and their families!

Bridge Nursery Bridge Nursery has had a fantastic year. We have embedded the ‘In the moment’ approach with our group planning which has been a huge success, identifying our children’s interests and sparks, then expanding them further. This supports us in meeting the diverse needs of our children to challenge appropriately as well as celebrate and respect our differences. The staff have also been involved by sharing their interests and ideas which has led to some amazing activities. Our children love to play outside and our newly laid play surface in the garden has enabled the children to have further exciting opportunities whilst supporting all areas of their development. We are now busy redeveloping our mud kitchen and builders' yard which will allow the children to use their curiosity to investigate and discover. We have also started to develop a new allotment area where the children have planted seeds and are now able to watch them grow. They are learning to take care and nurture their plants, developing a sense of proudness in their achievements. We look forward to tasting the fruits and vegetables grown by our little Bridge Nursery gardeners later this summer. We have spent lots of time supporting a sense of high wellbeing across the Nursery, practising our yoga and mindfulness sessions, using our snug areas, and helping our toddlers to identify and explore their emotions. The children have enjoyed the calming of lights and sounds in our wonderful Sensory Room, exploring many of our lovely new resources such as sound balls, prism shapes on the light table and instruments.

The Stables Nursery The Stables Nursery has had an incredible year and has grown from strength to strength. The ‘In the moment’ planning approach that we adopted last year has been fully embraced resulting in some amazing, inspiring activities for both the children and staff alike. We continue to ensure that the experiences offered to our children motivate them to be curious and keen to learn more about their world, with a willingness to try hard even when faced with a challenge. One of our great successes this year has been the changes we have made to mealtimes, especially for our toddlers. The ‘Family Dining’ service, which sees all the food available served at the table in shared dishes before being plated for the children, has encouraged choice-making, and promotes a healthy and positive relationship with food. It has enhanced our already rich communication and language development opportunities and consolidated the family feeling that continues to thrive at The Stables. In line with the interests of the children and staff collectively, we have built an allotment area in the front garden of The Stables this spring. The children lovingly tend to their plants that have been grown from seed, demonstrating their understanding of the importance of gentle care with the beginnings of appropriate responsibility. The allotment is in view of our recently developed Tranquillity Area. This shaded space is for the children to take some time to be calm and practice mindfulness, make some music, engage with stories, or explore natural objects. Both new spaces are integral to The Stables because they have been created to meet the interests and needs of our littlest members, a philosophy that continues to influence everything we do.

Prep School Nursery Our Nursery year is always full of adventurous learning, enabling the children to embrace and investigate many opportunities. The Nursery team have continued to actively encourage the children to explore and develop their individuality by providing a broad range of learning and activities which enhance their knowledge and skills. Throughout the year, Nursery staff have focused on seasonal topics, and we have also drawn on the children's own interests. From different continents around the world to the Loch Ness Monster, no topic was left unresearched, investigated and then implemented into our Nursery curriculum. The Nursery children have so much enjoyment exploring the outdoors. We have enhanced our garden area with the addition of the water wall and large Perspex outdoor easel to support creativity and curiosity. We continue with our expeditions around the school grounds which have enabled us to make new discoveries around the school and its surrounding area. We are always so proud of all the children's achievements that they make during the academic year, seeing the children flourish and thrive in assemblies, the nativity and showing support and encouragement for their friends on sports day. This all amounts to enriching the children's learning and Prep School experience.

Prep School Reception

Year 1

The year commenced with our focus ‘This is Me’. We were able to get to know more about the children by sharing information about our families and homes, as well as by looking at our physical features and personal interests, acknowledging our similarities and differences. We explored how our lives compare to those of children from around the World and shared many lovely books, both fiction and non-fiction, to learn about different cultures.

Year 1 have embraced the high-quality learning opportunities presented to them this year and have displayed resilience and determination towards their education. It has been a fun-filled year with moments of laughter and enjoyment for all.

In the second half of the Autumn Term, we delved into a range of celebrations, including Bonfire Night, Diwali and Christmas. We looked at the history of the celebrations and how and why we celebrate each one. The term culminated in our nativity performance, where the children acted and sang their socks off! They performed magnificently!

During the Autumn Term, the children discovered what it takes to be a zoologist and explored a range of different animals, as well as their habitats, diet and particular features. They used their fantastic research skills to find out about their favourite animals and designed and created amazing animal masks, which were then paraded around the School. A highlight of the term was the magical moment that the children received their golden tickets to board the Polar Express! Dressed in pyjamas and with hot chocolate and gingerbread, they played party games with Sparkle the elf and created some festive crafts.

We commenced our learning about dinosaurs in the Spring Term and they enjoyed seeing such wonderful learning take place both in and outside the classroom. A highlight was the fantastic dinosaur models the children designed, made, and decorated using junk modelling materials.

Year 1 truly reached for the stars in the Spring Term, when they learnt all about space, determined to find out whether there is life on Mars! The children met the astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Mae Jemison and helped them prepare their rockets for launch, thinking carefully about the kinds of things they would take with them when travelling into space. We also The Summer Term was full of fun as we travelled the world with the explored some of the beautiful stories by Oliver Jeffers and the children Go Jetters! The children were treated to trips to various locations wrote their own versions of ‘How to Catch a Star’, using their fantastic and were able to share their knowledge and experiences, compare imaginations to think about how they would go about this task. features of the environments and use technology to see our destinations up close! The children came back to School for the Summer Term not, in fact, Year 1 children, but detectives in charge of a nasty case of breaking and entering. They used their fabulous powers of deduction to identify, interview and arrest the big bad wolf, who is currently serving time for his crimes against grandmothers (and little girls in red hoods!). As well as this, we have read a large range of other fairy tales and the children have enjoyed writing their own versions. A particular favourite was our learning about ‘The Gingerbread Man’, when the children used their creative flair to design, bake, decorate (and eat!) a gingerbread person of their own!

Year 2

Year 3

Year 2 have enjoyed a packed curriculum filled with opportunities to develop their learning and understanding across all areas. They have approached their learning with enthusiasm, commitment and steady determination as they have tackled challenges and shown a true eagerness to learn.

It has been pleasing to see Year 3 grow steadily in their independence and maturity this year; from timid beginnings in September, to confidence and courage, ready to head into Year 4. The children have experienced plenty of adventurous learning, many opportunities to work collaboratively to build teamwork skills and take their learning Year 2 has had a fabulous year in which they have fully engaged in outside of the classroom. and made the most of, every learning opportunity. We started the Autumn term by trying to answer the question, 'What made the Opportunities for extending their learning has been plentiful; from Great Fire of London great?' We created Tudor houses and Pre-historic and Roman themed days to designing, making were lucky enough to be entertained by a visit from Samuel Pepys, and sailing Viking longboats in history, a visit to the Recycling Centre who gave us his eyewitness account of the Great Fire. As we neared to complement global citizenship units of work, making seeds from Christmas, the children put on a fabulous performance in the natural materials in science and of course the addition of Outdoor Christmas Concert. Learning to the timetable which has been hugely popular. In addition, the children have taken part in many sports The Spring Term saw us exploring animals and their habitats. We had matches and musical events, representing the School a fun-filled and educational trip to Port Lympne, the highlight with pride. of which was a safari tour, spotting rhino, giraffes and wildebeest in the Kent countryside. In addition to this, we enjoyed some animal- The highlight of the year was the Roman-themed Year 3 themed texts in English and wrote our own brilliant versions Entertainment Evening, which saw the children sing, of the story ‘The Journey Home’ by Frann Preston- dance, recite poetry and tell jokes. It was incredibly Gannon. entertaining and highlighted the children’s many talents. As we approach the end of Year 3, we are proud to announce that We ended the School year investigating castles and asking ourselves collectively the children have read over 9,700,000 if we could live in one. Our creative talents were put to good words and passed over 1,675 quizzes – a fantastic use as we created our own castles and we rounded off achievement that all children have played their part in the topic with a Medieval Banquet. The children accomplishing. designed their own headwear, ate traditional honey biscuits and learnt a medieval dance.

Year 4 Year 4 have enjoyed a very successful year with many opportunities to extend their learning, work collaboratively and develop effective teamwork skills as well as thrive and shine on an individual basis. This academic year, children have extended their history learning with an interactive play at the start of the year and a hands-on re-enactment of the Spanish Armada in the School pool and a Tudor Explorer-inspired treasure hunt to complete their unit of work. The children also reaped the benefits of a tortoise presentation by the head vet of Howletts and Port Lympne, accompanied by her tortoise, a ‘teeth talk’ by a dentist to help share the important message of dental hygiene and a science-themed LOC day in the local community to compliment and broaden their curriculum. They have taken part in many sports matches and tournaments, drama workshops and musical events, representing their School with pride. The highlight of the year was the ‘holiday’-themed Year 4 Entertainment Evening, which saw the children sing, dance and recite poetry to an extremely high standard. It was an outstanding performance which highlighted the children’s many talents. As we approach the end of Year 4 we are proud to announce that collectively children have read over 1,677 books which equates to a massive 27,226,420 million words! Individually there are millionaires, double millionaires, triple millionaires and even quadruple millionaires: a wonderful achievement by all.

Year 5 At the start of the academic year, the children returned to School and almost immediately embarked on their Bushcraft trip. They had immense fun in the Oxfordshire countryside with campfires, sleeping in tents, making their own food, undertaking challenging activities like dissecting a fish and eating its eye, and of course, the camp talent show. The trip afforded them the chance to build on existing friendships and develop their self-confidence and resilience, many had not even stayed away from home before – another covid legacy. In science, the children made animal documentaries about live animals that were kindly brought into School, there was an inspiring STEM Day too, with some highly competitive escape room activities. In HE lessons, delightful aromas have filled the building, with all kinds of bread making and the most wonderfully decorated Christmas cakes. In D.T, the children attended a challenge day at the Senior School, where they created mood lights and a picture of the Queen, they have made William Morris cushions, sun prints and silk paintings. Year 5 contributed to the annual School art exhibition with their masterpieces inspired by Henry Rousseau and also peacock feathers. Across the Global Perspectives curriculum, the children enjoyed an Egyptian Day that included mummifying apples, and a Victorian day to experience how different life was for children at School in those days. They also made a selection of Victorian traditional toys. More recently, the children took part in the Fiver Challenge that required them to come up with a business idea, plan, build and execute this idea, leading to a week of trading this term. Charity events have been high on the agenda with Oliver spearheading a cake sale for the Ukrainian refugees; Molly, Anwita and Ruth leading a team to raise money for the R.S.P.C.A. and Harry undertaking a sponsored walk for the Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Throughout the year, the children of Year 5 showed off their creative and performing arts talents in concerts, Friday Factors, the Prep and Primary Schools Music Day at the Senior School, Church services and not least their Entertainment Evening, which marked the return of live performances with a full audience, after so many months of absence. Under the expert guidance of our fantastic LAMDA teachers, several Year 5 children took LAMDA exams this year in acting and prose and poetry. Books and reading play a vital role in the education of our young people. This was royally celebrated in our book week and on World Book Day itself. Year 5 have managed to read a total of 35,815,036 words (with Freddie reading over 9 million words by himself) and have passed 1,339 quizzes – a tremendous achievement. On the sporting front, as ever, our children dominated and succeeded locally and further afield. All the children enjoyed the many house tournaments, Sports Day and Swimming gala. Stand out performances were Niamh who played in the Year 6 hockey team and Zara who has qualified to represent Great Britain in both the Biathle and Triathle in Greece. Looking ahead to next year, we elected a new pupil leadership team from an exceptionally strong field of candidates, and they will no doubt go on to serve the Prep School and make us proud over the coming months. Year 5 spent an action-packed day at the Senior School too, to enable them to see what opportunities lie ahead and give them a foretaste of Year 7 in a senior School setting. Prize Giving rounded off the year, which served to further highlight the many varied and exceptional achievements of Year 5. These are to mention just a few of the highlights, demonstrating how ‘full-on’ this year can be!

Year 6 At the start of the academic year, the Year 6 children returned to School and almost immediately embarked on their Bushcraft trip which they had missed out on during Covid. It was a superb opportunity for them to immerse themselves into their first School residential as a whole year group and lots of fun and learning was had! In science, children undertook animal projects which highlighted their PSB skills and went fossil hunting to Folkestone; there was an inspiring STEM Day too with some highly competitive escape room activities. In HE lessons, delightful aromas have filled the building, with biscuit making for the bake-off and the most wonderfully decorated gingerbread houses. In D.T, the children have made spitfires, poppy broaches to raise money for the Anzac charity and Jubilee decorations. They have also mastered the art of tie dying, making their own bags and operating a sewing machine. Year 6 contributed to the annual School art exhibition with their masterpieces of lino printing and pop art. Across the global perspectives curriculum, the children enjoyed a World War 2 Day, visited the Houses of Parliament, where they learnt the art of debating and voting and in the Summer Term participated in a very colourful 60’s Day.

Our leadership team have grown and evolved throughout the year, and this was indicative when they visited Oxford University in March to present their project to other United Learning Schools and at the same time have a foretaste of what life and learning can be like at university. It goes without saying that our team of – Charlotte, Billy, Joshua, Zu, Isabella and Lois, shone brightly through their confidence and presentation skills. We look forward to seeing the wormery coming to fruition soon. Their project having a sustainability focus neatly linked into the school-wide green Schools project, undertaken through Global citizenship lessons. They have served the School brilliantly and we wish them well in their future endeavours.

On the sporting front, as ever our children dominated and succeeded locally and further afield. Billy, Freddie and Jesse have been selected to play football at the Gothia Cup in Sweden this summer; Tallulah, Xara, Leyla and Lois are all swimming National Finalists; Freddie won bronze at 1500m IAPS competition; the boys won bronze in ISFA and IAPS Football Tournaments; the boys won bronze medals for cricket in the IAPS tournament; the boys won for the first time ever the Junior Kings Football Tournament and also won the Ashford Prep School Football Tournament; our girls won the Kent Minis Hockey Tournament and qualified for the IAPS National Hockey Throughout the year, the children of Year 6 showed off their creative Finals; the girls finished 5th in the IAPS qualifiers in netball, were and performing arts talents in concerts, music days and Church services. runners up in the area netball finals and finished runners up in the This year, we have three children who have achieved Grade 5 plate, IAPS Cricket, hosted at APS. and 6 in their music performance and two who have passed Grade 5 theory of music. Three pupils have been The final week of the year saw the Year 6 celebration evening, where the successful in winning music scholarships for Year 7. Under the children enjoyed a barbecue, played rounders, watched slideshows on guidance of our fantastic LAMDA teachers, several Year 6 children their time at APS and took selfies in the photo booth. We celebrated took LAMDA exams in either acting, or prose and poetry them again at our end of year Church Service and later, in the and also, for the first-time public speaking. The super-charged afternoon, at Prize Giving which highlighted their many year came to a fitting end with the Year 6 production – returning after a exceptional achievements and grace us an opportunity for couple of years absence thanks to Covid. This year’s offering was those emotional goodbyes. These are to mention just a few of the Shakespeare Rocks and it did not disappoint, with fantastic singing, highlights and achievements of our Year 6, showing how ‘full-on’ this dancing and acting, let alone the fun costumes, hair and makeup. year can be! Lastly, we wish them a most fond farewell and the best of luck for Year 7. The Isle of Wight trip was undoubtedly the highlight for most of the children, going away together and spending a week involved in so many different outdoor activities, where their confidence and trust in each other and themselves were often pushed to the very limits. The staff felt privileged to take the children away and delighted in witnessing all their incredible efforts and achievements. Books and reading play a vital role in the education of our young people. This was royally celebrated in our book week and on World Book Day itself. Year 6 have managed to read a total of 37,957,538 words and passed 1,291 quizzes – a tremendous achievement.

Sporting Achievements It's been an incredibly busy year for Prep School sports and we're immensely proud of all pupils that have taken part in competitions, team events, galas and more. Year 4 won the Area Tournament in Netball and were unbeaten in every game Year 4 were runner-up in the Area Hockey Tournament Tallulah and Zara qualified for National Athletics Finals in Birmingham We qualified for the IAPS National Hockey Finals We finished 5th in the IAPS qualifiers for netball We were the runners-up in the Area Netball Finals Finished runners-up in the Plate IAPS Cricket Tournament hosted at Ashford Prep School Our girls hockey team finished runners-up in the Regional Hockey Tournament The girls won the Kent Minis Hockey Tournament Billy, Freddie Jesse have been Selected to represent the Pumas in the biggest football youth cup tournament in the world - The Gothia Cup which is being held in Sweden this summer Freddie won bronze at 1500m IAPS Tallulah, Xara, Leyla, Lois were all National Swimming finalists The boys' team won bronze medal at the IAPS Cricket Tournament The boys' team won bronze in ISFA & IAPS Football Tournament The boys won for the first time ever the Junior Kings Football Tournament Our boys won the Ashford Prep School Football Tournament Our boys' team hosted the U10 rugby festivals The U11s reached the semi final of the Summer Cup for Cricket Ashford School teams U9 girls & boys, U11 girls & boys were victorious at the Schools Biathlon we hosted May We won the team event for the inter-schools Cross Country event Ashford School hosts each year U11Boys won the Sutton Valance Hockey Tournament unbeaten in all games U9 Boys won the Ashford Prep School Hockey Tournament unbeaten in all games

Modern Pentathlon Earlier in May, Ava (Yr7) and Zara (Yr5) were in Leweston, Devon for the European Qualifier Triathle Championships. Triathle involves shooting, swimming and running in a continuous shoot/swim/run format. There is a transition zone between the run and swim. Races begin with a pack start, and the winner is the first across the finish line after completing their shoot-swim-run. Both swim, run and shoot with Ashford Schools' Swim Squad and Modern Pentathlon Club. The girls secured a place on the GB Team going to the European Triathle Championships in Greece at the end of August. Zara won her age group while Ava came second in hers.

Special Mentions United Learning StorySLAM Competition 2022 Over 20 primary schools entered the annual United Learning StorySLAM competition which was open to pupils in Years 5 and 6 to develop their creativity, imagination and confidence. Over 500 children across the country wrote stories in their English lessons, before performing them in an in-school final to decide on the school champion to represent at the final. In February, 85 finalists took part in two special storytelling events and Ashford Prep School attended the Southern final at Coworth Flexlands Prep School. At each event, pupils enjoyed a writing and performance workshop led by children’s author Sarah Holding. In the afternoon, the finalists performed their story. Zuleikha won the ‘Overall Performance’ award performing her story ‘Brushed Aside’. The judging panel commented on the originality and humour of her piece.

UK Mathematics Trust Junior Maths Challenge In April this year, 20 children from the Prep School took part in the UK Junior Competition (aimed at children up to Year 8) answering problem-solving questions and applying their maths knowledge and skills. 5 children achieved Bronze Awards, 2 received Silver Awards and congratulations to Will H in Year 6 who gained a Gold Award.

Bebras Competition The annual Bebras Computational thinking competition in November saw the students in Years 3 to 6 working hard to solve puzzles and earn points for the questions they solved. Everyone did an amazing job and achieved certificates for their efforts.

Ashford Prep School Reading Champions Having previously been recognised by Renaissance as a Reading Champion School, Ashford continues to encourage our pupils to become actively involved in reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books from our excellently resourced library. We currently have over 9,500 books in the library and the children regularly seek advice and support to further their interests in reading or to find a new adventure to explore. Over the past year, pupils in Years 3-6 have achieved the following and we are still counting… A total of 31 Word Millionaires 5,972 quizzes passed 120,710,552 words have been read The record number of words read by one pupil in a school year has been broken again! Freddie, in Year 5, is currently on 9 million and is aiming to reach 10 million before the end of the year. This is a truly staggering achievement. Throughout the school year, 10,210 books have been taken out on loan from the library by pupils in Reception to Year 6. This is an average of 36.3 books per child over the whole year. Wow! Keep up the amazing reading Ashford School!

Book Week 2022 Our annual book week in March saw the school transformed by villains and beastly baddies arriving at school and undertaking lots of themed activities and lessons. On World Book Day, the whole school came dressed to impress. We were delighted to welcome authors Clare Povey and Jenny Bailey, who ran workshops with the children across the school.

Ashford Prep School Results All children across the whole School are monitored to measure their progress in English and Mathematics, which is formally assessed termly in reading, writing and mathematics lessons.

Reading: 91% of the children in Year 6 achieved expected and above in Reading assessments (National Average KS2: 74%), 88% of children in Years 1 – 5 achieved expected and above. Mathematics: 84% of the children in Year 6 achieved Expected and above in Mathematics assessments (National Average KS2: 71%), 92% of children in Years 1 – 5 achieved expected and above. Writing: 93% of the children in Year 6 (National Average KS2: 69%), 89% of the children in Years 1 – 5 achieved Expected or above in Writing assessments. Phonics Check Year 1: 92% of Year 1 children passed.

Senior School Humanities Away Trips This year, it is a relief to report that the extra-curricular offering in the Humanities Faculty has been returning to normal after the twoyear interval created by Covid. The History Department ran a Year 10 trip to London to visit the Wellcome Galleries in support of the students’ History of Medicine course, and in the afternoon, we visited the replica of Drake’s Golden Hind to support the Elizabethan England course; the students attended a fascinating workshop there.

Year 7 Geographers have carried out their own microclimate investigations in the school grounds, and Year 9 have investigated whether the school site had evidence of its own microclimate. This was followed up with a project to investigate the best site for either a new wind turbine or solar panel.

In conjunction with the English Department, the Humanities Faculty also hosted a Twilight event for Sixth Formers to discuss Orwell and his prescience in an informal setting over cake and tea The RS Department ran two trips to Westminster Abbey and the – it was a thought-provoking evening, giving students a taste of the London Central Mosque in March. The tour guides focused the kind of intellectual exchange that they can expect at university. tours on the GCSE course content, e.g. in the abbey the focus was on life as a Christian, and in the mosque the focus was on prayer A Level Business and Economics students made up the and worship in the mosque, and belief in God in Islam. majority of the school’s Young Enterprise company which produced an impressive portfolio of products to sell at school, including their In Geography, Year 10 spent the day at Winchelsea Beach and very own Ashford School board game, Ashopoly! The game and Hastings town centre as part of their fieldwork investigations. The other products sold well throughout the year, earning an annual pupils were looking for evidence of longshore drift and the impacts profit of £480. of coastal defences on these coastal processes. Meanwhile, Year 7 students were taken to Canterbury as field work for a cross- Meanwhile, our A Level economists entered two nationwide curricular Humanities project focused on the city’s development as a essay competitions. Essays on the economic impact of Covid were medieval pilgrimage site, and we visited the castle, the Cathedral, submitted to the New College of Humanities, and research pieces Westgate Towers, Blackfriars, and St. Thomas Hospital for Pilgrims. on the optimal wage rates at Amazon were produced for the John We also walked along stretches of the city walls. Locke Institute. We have also had History essay competition entries, including a Year 12 entry on the Vikings and whether they In the summer term our A Level Business students visited the were principally raiders or traders. Shepherd Neame brewery in Faversham. The pupils were given a tour of operations which illustrated in practical form many of the We have also been nurturing our links with younger pupils at the concepts studied by the group in lessons. Prep School in several exciting ways. In RS, Year 7 students have been working in collaboration with Year 5 students at the Prep School on their world religion projects, giving them useful advice. It Events in School was a peer-assessment exercise in which the students really In addition to away trips, we have also hosted several interesting enjoyed being given feedback by each other. The Geography and inspiring events within school. The Psychology Department Department also hosted an Orienteering Masterclass, whereby welcomed guest speaker Dr. Guy Sutton back again who ran a Brain the Year 7s led the Year 4 students from the Prep School though a Day for our young Psychologists. series of map work challenges and an event course around the School grounds. The RS Department welcomed Libby Ahluwalia, the author of A Level textbooks used by the students, who ran a workshop to improve essay writing skills.

Mathematics A fantastic year for the Mathematics Department started as we welcomed the new Year 7s with a ‘Week of Inspirational Maths’, designed to foster creativity, problem-solving and a growth mindset. The celebration of all things mathematical continued throughout the year. In November we again celebrated Maths Week England with a variety of mathematical puzzles and challenges, together with the return of Number Rumba! This year saw the return of local primary schools for the Ashford School Year 5 Regional Maths Competition. Hosted online last year, it was a pleasure to welcome the pupils to the Senior School again, which created a fantastic atmosphere. All year groups have again had the opportunity to enter the UKMT Maths Challenges, online this year, with many students earning certificates at Junior, Intermediate and Senior levels in addition to Kangaroo and Olympiad qualifiers. There have been many opportunities to for students to explore Mathematics more widely, including projects on the Hamlitonian and Lagrangian dynamics, research into fractals, logarithms, and exponentials, plus Further Maths presentations that included artificial neurons, Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem, the Collatz Conjecture and how to survive a zombie apocalypse. Maths Society also completed a poster on the Kirkman Schoolgirls Problem. Academic Scholars were also inspired by an Octagon talk by Dr. Britton on the topic ‘When Statistics Lie’.

Science Biology The Biology Department has had another busy year and it has been so wonderful to be back in school and immerse ourselves in experiments and ‘real’ science again. We have seen a record number of pupils taking part in the British Biology Association tests/challenges, which has been so pleasing. 174 pupils took the Biology Challenge (with the following achievements: 8 commended, 9 highly commended, 4 bronze medals and 3 silver medals), 40 pupils took the British Biology Olympiad (with the following achievements: 3 highly commended, 3 bronze medals and 1 silver medal) and 24 pupils took the Immediate Biology Olympiad (with the following achievements: 2 commended, 1 highly commended, 3 bronze medals and 1 silver medal). What a lot of achievements! The department’s interest in giving pupils ‘real’ experiences has continued to grow with the investment in a live plant wall in J3, the progress of the aquaponic site outside J2 and the sustainable growth of vegetables, the love of the three department geckos and the investment in a solar panel power supply to teach sustainability. A truly marvellous moment for our department was the return of the residential Biology Field trip after the pandemic. We have had a marvellous week in Wales at Penhein Farm, looking at land and aquatic life. Pupils have gained so much from this experience, and it remains a true highlight. As a department we have continued to support the EPQ programme of the school and have seen spectacular dissertations written on ‘Should the school day start later to accommodate teenage sleeping patterns?’ and ‘Does trauma in the critical window of children effect the rate of methylation and acetylation of DNA?’. Both pieces have been exemplary in showing how pupils learn beyond the curriculum. In addition to this Ellen in Year 11 wrote an excellent essay on DNA for International DNA Day and we are awaiting to hear the outcome of the competition.

Our pupils have worked so hard throughout the year, have embraced all the challenges that they have been faced with but above all have loved being back in the classroom and embracing the learning environment in which they find themselves.

Chemistry This year in post-Covid Chemistry we have seen the full suite of practical experiments reinstated across all Key Stages, bringing the handson approach to Chemistry back to the forefront of our teaching. There has been the formation of a ‘Chemistry Academy’ where upper school students have been delving into the world of Exhibition Chemistry. They have seen the most impressive and exciting Chemistry demonstrations to supplement their learning experience. You may have even seen some of these activities on the Ashford School Twitter account. The Academy has used these students as demonstrators to encourage and excite the next generation of budding scientists with visits by local Primary schools to take part in practical Chemistry experiments. These students have been presented with badges and certificates by the Headmaster as Science Ambassadors for Ashford School, a wonderful accolade for any UCAS application. The Chemistry Ambassadors played a vital role in the Ashford School Masterclass event at the Prep School, where they assisted the Year 5 students with some exciting experiments. A group of Year 12 students also attended the Annual STEM Quiz, which this year was held at Benenden School. Ashford School hosted this last year with great success and the visiting speaker was Professor Dobbs from the Greenwich University. The end of the year has seen a Year 10 visit to Greenwich University STEM Centre to tantalise them into the world of Scientific Research at university level. Activities ranged from Pharmacy and Engineering to Forensic Science.

Physics The Physics Department has had another very successful year. Practical work has always been a core component of learning Physics at Ashford School and it has been a pleasure to have students back in school being able to enjoy the subject fully. Many of our students took part in national competitions this year, and we were delighted that several of them were rewarded with medals. 25 students took part in the British Physics Olympiad Junior Physics Challenge, achieving the following awards: 4 Gold Medals, 7 Silver Medals and 7 Bronze Medals. At the Senior level, several of our students took part in the British Physics Olympiad Senior Physics Challenge, with one student being awarded a Gold Award and one student being awarded a Silver Award. Most impressively of all, one of our students qualified for the highly competitive British Physics Olympiad Round 1 competition and was awarded a Silver Medal. Students have continued to be encouraged to pursue their passion for the subject out of the classroom, with several of our students taking part in Isaac Physics – an open platform for active learning designed to develop students’ problem-solving skills beyond the Physics curriculum at school. One of our Year 9 students has been working with the University of Southampton via the Zooniverse platform, looking through data collected using the ASK camera (Auroral Structure and Kinetics) connected to telescopes based in Svalbard, in the high Arctic. He has contributed to their research by helping to classify different types of auroras. His participation will help understand how different shapes in auroras form and understand the conditions necessary for them. This can assist in predicting natural disasters and help further the world’s understanding of auroras. The Physics Department has also been involved in further developing the transition from the Prep School to the Senior School, with Year 6 students being taught Physics by a Senior School Physics teacher all year. They have enjoyed having access to Senior School experiments and developing their practical skills well beyond the scope of the primary curriculum. Our pupils have embraced all the opportunities that being back in School has provided them with – they have worked hard and enjoyed being back in the classroom learning with their peers. Overall, it has been a very successful and enjoyable year!

Computer Science Learning programming skills thrives in a classroom-based, interactive environment and it’s clear that the students in all age groups have really benefited from being back in School full time this year. We have also been pleased to welcome a second Computer Science teacher to the department, with Mr Deverill joining to teach both Computer Science and Maths. The students once again took part in the annual Bebras Computational Thinking Competition. This international competition requires students to complete a series of logic-based problem-solving challenges in a set time. We continue to see great success in this with 210 students taking part this year and 57 receiving the highest award (Distinction). 19 of these achieved a score that put them in the top 10% nationally with one student choosing to go on and take part in the Oxford Computer Science Challenge. Beyond the classroom, students have also had the opportunity to try out some physical programming with the BBC micro:bits and have been learning how to create their own games. We look forward to being able to expand upon this next year.

English This has been a busy and stimulating year for the English Department and Our English Department team have also maintained their we have welcomed the opportunity to develop activities which have commitment to their personal literary interests. We are very enriched the students’ experience. proud of Dr. Hayes who has completed a Masters by Research in Shakespeare Studies, focusing her In Key Stage Three, we began by marking Roald Dahl Day in study on uncovering the mysteries of Nathaniel Lee, a September, by debating the best, most influential Dahl character. As the playwright of the Restoration period. Mrs. MacKinnon year progressed, we reflected on significant events with discrete lessons inspired the Academic Scholars with her insights to the dayexploring National Poetry Day, Black History Month, Holocaust Memorial to-day experience of professional authors and has Day, World Book Day, Shakespeare’s anniversary, and Pride. continued to progress and nurture her second novel to its completion. What a wonderful example they are for Our Key Stage Four and Five classes have also shared in the fun. In March, us to fully appreciate the power of the pen! pupils in Years 9 and 10 enjoyed a performance of ‘Macbeth’ as a way to complement the GCSE study of this important play. In Creative Writing Club, Mrs. MacKinnon hosted Nicola Pryce, an alumni author, who led a creative writing workshop, which proved most encouraging, inspiring, and produced much laughter amongst our own budding writers. Earlier on in the year, we were delighted to collaborate with the History department and jointly lead a seminar session exploring George Orwell, ‘1984’ and the impact of his ideas. It was so exciting to witness our students whetting their appetite for university-style discussion with the opportunity to engage and wrestle in scholarly debate. Reading continues to be an important focus for the department. Our pupils love their regular visits to the Somerville Library where they make the most of the wisdom and expertise of school librarians Dr. Hayes and Mrs. Davidge to find their next read. Years 7 and 8 participate in the Book Buzz scheme. It was a very exciting day when their choices were delivered in January. We have also sought to widen the scope of our Year 9 pupils by taking them on a short visit to the local Waterstones, where they met a Young Adult fiction specialist and enjoyed an opportunity to browse and select a new discovery. The Reading Challenge has continued to thrive, and we would like to compliment Phoebe P who has achieved the much-coveted Diamond Award.

Modern Foreign Languages This year was all about “revival” in the Faculty of Languages as many new elements appeared. Mr. Ifrah was appointed the new Head of Faculty and led several assemblies to show that English is not the only way to communicate around Europe or around the world but also that languages are vectors of culture. 2021-2022 also saw the first set of trips post-Covid-19 and students were delighted to use their language skills in Germany and Spain. Miss. Loughlin, our Head of German, took nearly 60 students to the Rhineland in the Easter holidays (9th -13th April 2022) and Mrs. Calver, our Head of Spanish, took about 15 to Sevilla during the very busy period of Semana Santa. This year also saw the first traditional set of exams in 3 years and made our language assistant role more important than ever. Thanks to Miss. Gimenez-Hernandez’s expert work, Year 11 and Year 13 students were thoroughly prepared for exams they had never faced before. Relentlessness and resilience were the key words for those who wanted to excel. This year, we are also sad to say goodbye to Mrs. Wilding and Miss Gimenez-Hernandez, two valued members of our faculty who are moving on to the next step of their careers. We will miss their dedication, willingness to help and humour as they got us through some really challenging times. We wish them the best and have no doubt that they will be incredible in their next positions.

Creative and Performing Arts Drama It has been an exciting year in the Drama department, notably so from the wonderful performance students have given throughout each term. Particular highlights have included performances of Mallatratt’s 'The Woman in Black', Dennis Kelly’s 'DNA' and, of course, the whole school production of 'Annie', which ran to packed houses in March. There have also been notable successes in Speech & Drama examinations, with a high number of Distinctions being awarded. GCSE and A Level devised Drama performances were executed successfully, and Year 8 Drama led a very fun and engaging workshop and performance day to the Year R/1 classes at the Prep school. We’re thrilled to see the inception of the Glee Club this year, as well as the AshTech Club increasing in numbers. The Drama department remains a hive of activity, which sees actors, directors and theatre designers in all years groups collaborating creatively on a range of productions.

Music It’s been a busy year for the music department, as we are finally back into full swing with live performances. We kicked off the year with the Commencement Service at St Mary’s Church. As the festive season rolled around the School Choir was in high demand, singing carols at various Christmas Festivals and even entertaining the public at Ashford Designer Outlet! Our Spring Concert was a farewell to our 8 Year 13 students who have been amazing supporters of the music department; we thank Ellie, Toby, Edwin, Beth, Will, Seb, Cody and Will for all of their hard work and wish them well for their future endeavours. The department played a key role in our Platinum Jubilee Thanksgiving Service, as the orchestra and choir performed historic British anthems such as Zadok the Priest and Pomp and Circumstance to honour Her Majesty’s 70-year reign. Small ensembles have performed throughout the year, but the Summer Concert concluded it all with 80 players from the Year 7 Instrumental Scheme, the Training Orchestra and the Orchestra coming together to play Mozart’s Horn Concerto No.4. It was quite a challenge but ran smoothly in the end with credit due to all of our Visiting Music Teachers and department staff. With the final exams for ABRSM to take place, we are proud to acknowledge another fantastic year for exams with more distinctions than ever before. It has been a very busy but highly successful year. Well done to the team!

Art This year has been an exciting one for the Art Department with a whole host of outstanding creativity and talent being showcased far and wide. As mentioned previously, Kitty W’s “Cyanosis” was one of the highlights of the year but there have been many others to celebrate as well. Bo W in Year 10 has had an art piece selected for Turner Contemporary's annual art competition, Portfolio, which celebrates local talent across Kent. This year's theme 'Belonging' is inspired by the work of Ingrid Pollard who will be bringing her major solo show to Turner Contemporary this Summer. Bo's art piece titled "I DON'T KNOW" will be exhibited at Turner Contemporary alongside Ingrid Pollard's work. Ashford School was invited by Ashford College and Ashford International Station to be part of a stained-glass project to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. The artwork has been displayed along the walkway of the Ashford International Station and sits alongside other local schools' stained-glass windows which will have a lasting impact on the station. Ashford School students have shown off their photography talents at two separate exhibitions at Macknade’s in town this year. On Tuesday 18th January 2022 at the Tate Britain, students saw the impressive "Walk through British Art" collection which explores artworks from 1545 to the present day and Heather Phillipson's sound, colour, and motion commissioned installation exhibition. During out Art and DT morning at the Senior School, our Year 5 students had an amazing time creating a textile portrait of the Queen in celebration of her Jubilee. Artist in Residence Sophie Bedingham Smith, Art scholars and other Ashford School students exhibited their work at Ashford St Mary’s Church in January. Finally, and by no means least, on Friday 24 June Ashford School hosted their annual GSCS Art and DT End of Year Summer exhibition.

Design & Technology Activities Made in Ashford – this year students in Years 7 and 8 have been busy designing and making their own laser cut clocks, gumball machines, tic tac toe game and most recently air powered vehicles.

Curriculum Our Lower School students have once again designed and manufactured an array of exciting projects. Electronic orientated projects included a flashing LED-based Christmas decoration in Year 7 and a sustainable lamp in Year 8, whilst those with a more material bias included the design and construction of passive amplifiers and social pods. Our Year 10 students created aluminium characters, each inspired by a different sporting activity and low-cost lights as practice Nonexam Assessments.

Visits Year 10 and 12 students visited the Design Museum and Brunel University design degree show. Whilst at the Design Museum they explored a range of exhibitions, including work by Bethany Williams on embracing the discussion of social and environmental issues, the Oak Collection which features some of the finest watches in the world, designs from the Design Ventura competition and the Designer Maker User exhibition. At the Oxo Tower in London, they viewed this year’s Brunel design graduates’ final degree submissions and spoke to the students themselves and their professors. Those studying the Sciences, Maths or DT at A Level took part in the annual Big STEM Quiz. This year Benenden hosted, and Professor Francesca Toni from Imperial College talked about Explainable AI which presented some interesting ethical and moral points for discussion.

Visits Alumna Rebecca Wise gave a talk to our Year 8 students on how and why she became an architect and some of her more recent projects including the forthcoming Brompton factory here in Ashford.

Food Studies It has been great to get back to normality with lots of cooking and learning happening in the classroom. This academic year has seen our first group of Year 11s finish the Food Preparation & Nutrition course, culminating in a 3-hour practical exam, and then their written examination. Students went above and beyond to produce some fantastic dishes and have surpassed expectations with their efforts and application. From homemade ravioli, gnocchi, fruit flan and panna cotta, to deep fried cannoli, chocolate brownie and matcha rolls, the cuisine was diverse, appetising, and well presented, and we now look forward to seeing the results of all their hard work and efforts. Lower down in the school, in Key Stage 3, students have been learning about a range of food-related topics, including food safety, sustainability, healthy eating and the new food laws relating to allergens. This is a just a fraction of what has been covered across different year groups, as our aim is not only to develop practical skills, but for students also to understand the fundamental areas relating to food. Practical skills have however still been plentiful, with students working with many different ingredients, and producing an array of dishes, sweet and savoury, from around the world. Overall, a pleasing year with students enjoying their learning and progressing well.

Careers This year, pupils in every year group have been thinking about how they can use their time at school to prepare themselves for the rapidly evolving job market. In March, we celebrated National Careers Week with some workshops for students in Years 7, 8 and 9. First, they looked at some jobs that no longer exist and thought about why – for example, alarm clocks have replaced the knocker-upper, who used to tap on people’s windows in the morning. Students then looked ahead 50 years and imagined what new careers the future might bring, due to developments in technology, changes in social attitudes and global issues like pandemics and climate change. Having seen the importance of acquiring the career skills to equip them for jobs that might not exist yet, students then took part in a team challenge. Year 7 and 8 designed some extremely imaginative new snack products, and then pitched them Apprentice-style to the rest of the year group. For Year 10, there was a University and Careers workshop in June, which included online talks from universities and other providers. Pupils were able to choose from topics including apprenticeships, why go to university, the importance of A Level choices, the creative industries and sports courses and careers. They also heard about the benefits of taking a gap year before university, and about how they can use this summer to develop their transferable skills. Their final team challenge involved negotiating on behalf of two rival pharmaceutical companies for the world’s only supply of a rare ingredient (an orange!). After some fiercely contested negotiations, they had to present their solutions to the group and saw that often, compromising and sharing information brings a better outcome for both teams. Throughout the year, we had a series of lunchtime and after-school career talks, most of which were presented by alumni and parents. We heard from Guy Hollaway Architects about some of their projects around Ashford and Kent, and from alumni about their careers in Financial Services, Technology, Clinical Psychology and Bioveterinary Sciences. Perhaps the most important message to students was that nowadays, few people have an entirely linear career journey. Often, the speakers had changed jobs or careers, each time adding experience which has brought them to their current position. Given our pupils’ growing interest in studying abroad, we were also pleased to have talks from experts on studying in Australia and New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.

Our University Fair in March featured 25 universities from the UK and abroad. While most universities joined us in person, we were able to include more institutions by offering them the chance to give a virtual talk during the fair. Students and parents from Years 9-13 were able to meet a wide range of universities, including the University of British Columbia and IE University Madrid, and could also talk to representatives from the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme. Alongside the exhibition with display stands and staff from each university, we had a programme of talks on topics such as Applying for Medicine, Study in Scotland, and Student Finance. This was a very well-attended event, with over 500 visitors from Ashford, Highworth, Norton Knatchbull, Towers and Wye Schools. During the Spring and Summer Terms, Year 12 have been hard at work preparing for next year’s application process and will leave in summer with a first draft of their personal statement and an understanding of what they need to do over summer to enhance their application. Some Year 12 students also gave up two of their Saturdays to take an intensive Teaching English as a Foreign Language course. They learnt how to teach various types of lesson and produced some incredibly creative and engaging lessons on topics such as clothing and houses. They all passed the assessment, and now have a qualification that will allow them to teach English abroad. Our Year 13 students will soon be finished with their A Level exams and have thoroughly earned their summer break. We will be working with them on Results Day to ensure that the transition to university and work goes as smoothly as possible. We wish them all the very best for their exam results and for the future!

Sports It has been an incredibly successful year of competitive school sport Rugby at Ashford School which we are keen to reflect upon. We saw over 52 rugby fixtures in the Autumn term played by our 8 senior teams. Block fixtures with Duke of York, Netball King’s Canterbury, Cranbrook, Tonbridge, and Gravesend have Our Saturday block fixtures were extended to include helped raise our profile and reputation as a rugby school. The stronger competition including King’s Canterbury and Walthamstow success of the U13A, U14A, U15A and 1XV greatly contributed to Hall. We have 18 teams from Years 7-13 which includes A, B and C an overall win rate of 50% which shows the upward teams in most year groups where we played over 117 inter- trajectory we have taken over the last few years: 41% (2017), 33% (2018), and 46% (2019). The 1XV had their strongest season to school netball fixtures during the Spring Term. date, boasting a 70%-win ratio and recording convincing victories A win rate of 48% was slightly higher than previous years despite the over Cranbrook, Duke of York, Bethany, and Gravesend. The 1VII having a tough season with a win ratio of 25%. They are young attitude to training from the boys has been exemplary and we and inexperienced but still made rapid progress and improvements have a large senior squad of over 45 senior boys. and they will come back much stronger for next season. Overall, we had some promising results for the U12-15 A and B teams Highlights for the season include: where we have a number of talented girls. This is U15 reaching the semi-final of the County Plate and the extremely promising for the future of girls’ netball. Quarterfinals of the Kent Sevens 1XI finishing 3rd in the Emerging Schools Sevens We have an increasing number of students accessing the Kent and Anthony being offered a professional contract London Pulse Performance Pathways including Hannah (U13 with Saracens Kent), Molly (U13 Kent), Anna (U14 Kent), Polly (U15 Kent), Poppy (U15 Kent), Emily (U17 Pulse), Ellen (U17 Pulse), Gabriella (U17 We have more students than ever before in the Pulse) and Abigail (U17 Pulse). Saracens & Kent Rugby DPP and PDG programmes and Ms. Hyams continues to raise the profile of the netball having Mr. Bubb as one of the coaches of the U15 PDG squad has helped strengthen our links with Saracens, who also programme at Ashford School through: were also scheduled to use our facilities at Great Chart for various training days for the Academy Being a partnership school with London Pulse Netball Trip for students and staff to the London Copperbox Arena to Squads. The following students are involved with Saracens: watch England play U17 DPP - James Netball Tour to Brighton for our senior players in March 2022 U16 DPP - Toki, Dhilan, Andrew Hosted Netfest in conjunction with Pilgrims Netball Club U15 PDG - Munachi, Josh, George, Harry, Sam, Max, Edward Ms. Hyams is also the Kent Schools Netball Secretary and has hosted U15DPP – Fin, Pierce, Joe, Freddie five county tournaments. U14DPP - Oliver, Charlie, Cangala, Tom and Joe

Linked to this, we do have increasing numbers of students involved with local clubs, especially Ashford RFC, which is developing them further as rugby players. To help raise the profile of rugby at Ashford School and improve the progress of those involved in School teams, we have put in place the following enrichment opportunities in place for next academic year: Pre-season training for the 1XV prior to our return to school in August Club training day with Drew Fautley to encourage more students to join the various local clubs including Ashford and Canterbury Re-introduce Holland Tour for those year groups that have missed out of this wonderful touring opportunity We have stronger club link with Saracens and there is a clearer and more accessible pathway now for our most talented rugby students to follow We have strong club links with Ashford RUFC following a meeting with the Chairman We entered the Kent Sevens for the first time and were incredibly successful Organise guest coaches to assist with training squads and delivering rugby masterclasses

Girls' Hockey The girls finished the season with a 52%-win rate from over 49 fixtures, with the U14A contributing greatly to this statistic as they came 3rd at Regionals Tier 2. The 1XI had a tough season but this was a relatively young squad, and it was a good learning curve for them. Meanwhile the U13 finished second at the Blackpool Festival. We have a number of girls involved in the Kent Squads including Molly, Anna, Alice and Rosa with Maddie R involved in the Performance Centre. We do have an increasing number of students developing in the JDC District Programme and lots of students playing club hockey.

Boys' Hockey The boys finished the season with a 33%-win rate from over 89 fixtures, with the U15A contributing greatly to this win ratio (76%). The U13, U14, U15 and U18s all reached the quarterfinals of the respective County Cup. The U15s lost narrowly in the quarter-final despite being one of the strongest teams at the tournament. We have a number of boys involved in the Kent Squads including George, Joseph, Harry and Joe and we have an increasing number of students developing in the JDC District Programme and lots of students playing club hockey. We have strengthened links with Ashford Hockey Club and have attracted a number of very talented hockey players to the school this year. To help raise the profile of hockey at Ashford School and improve the progress of those involved in School teams we have put in place the following enrichment opportunities: Pre-season training Strong club links with Ashford HC Shared use of facilities with Ashford HC which allows students to additionally train with the club through the new Aspire Masterclass sessions every Monday A number of students have attended the local Development Centres at both Folkestone and Canterbury hockey club Hosting a club training day with AHC coaches Returning to Holland to play against MHC Bennebroek Continue hosting the Years 3/4 and Years 5/6 Primary School Quicksticks Festivals with over 20 Primary schools in attendance. This is always a great opportunity for our sports leaders to develop their coaching and officiating skills.

Swimming

Girls' Cricket

Swimming continues to be successful for Ashford School pupils, with several very strong swimmers joining the school this year from overseas. Despite the difficulties of Covid, the School has ensured that its swimmers have been able to train and compete as swimming starts to return to 'normal', restarting competition with Level X racing to gain times and moving on to local competitions as they restarted.

It has been a successful cricket season for our girls, with our U15 girls crowned National Indoor Champions for 2022. Following this remarkable feat, we will hopefully be recognised as one of the Top 100 Schools for Cricket again and it is important to highlight that our U13 girls missed out on qualifying for their indoor nationals by 8 runs! The School is extremely pleased with how the girls are further transitioning into cricket and we have lots of talent coming through from the Prep School.

The School hosted the Schools District Swimming Championships for Year 7-10, where the team won the girls’, boys’, and overall event in all categories. They have also entered teams at the East Invicta Championships, Kent Schools, Kent Swimming Championships, Southeast Regionals as well as competing in a selection of Open Meets, including a trip to Sheffield to enable a few of our Regional Swimmers to gain experience competing outside the Southeast. Notable performances include the Girls’ Intermediate Relays Team of Polly, Abbie, Cc and Louisa who qualified for the English Schools National Finals which were swum at the London Aquatic Centre. Hani, Freya, Cc and Tilly were all finalists at the Kent Swimming Championships and Tilly placed 3rd in the 100m Backstroke. The IAPS National Finals saw the U11, U12 & U13 girls qualify, alongside Henry in the boys’ 50m Backstroke. The U12 girls placed 6th and 8th and the U13 girls 7th and 9th in their relays, respectively. The strongest swims of the day went to Chloe who placed 7th individually and Tilly who placed 2nd in the 50m Butterfly, both outstanding performances. Ashford School swimmers will finish the season by competing at the English Schools Open Meet in July. We are looking forward to Olympian Robin Francis joining the School next academic as our Head Coach of Swimming. Enrichment opportunities in swimming include: To accommodate all the swimmers the School now has a Performance Squad and a Development Squad, with training available in the mornings and evenings 50m training at the London Aquatic Centre Ashford School continues to work closely with the local swimming clubs to ensure that we can maximize the support for the area’s swimmers

In total, we field 15 teams, 5 of which play hardball and the girls have played 39 cricket fixtures this term, boasting a 64%-win ratio. Highlights include the U12A who won the Dulwich Prep Tournament, beating St Lawrence convincingly. Our U13s finished 2nd as regional finalists in the Lady Taverners Indoor Tournament and had good wins against Sutton Valence and St Lawrence. Other notable highlights include victories for the U15 girls against Sutton Valence and King’s Canterbury in their Chance to Shine Tournament. U15s are on route to become the outdoor hardball champions for Kent. Ashford School have hosted hardball and softball tournaments this year for Kent Cricket, showing that we are an emerging hub for ladies’ cricket. We currently have multiple pupils who are involved with the County Squads or District Squads in their respective age groups. This includes Maddie, Maegan, Olivia, Katie and Caitlin and there are many more girls capable of competing who have the potential to make county standard if they continue on this pathway.

Boys' Cricket It has been a successful cricket season, with our 1XI boys reaching the semi-finals of the Kent County Cup. We are looking forward to our prestigious match vs The Marylebone Cricket Club where our 1st XI was victorious for the first time in September 2021. Very rarely have fixtures been called off as we have struck lucky with the forecast. In total, 30 fixtures have been played. However, our win rate is 37% which is lower than it has been in previous years. This is down to the fact our Year 7 and Year 8 teams are small cohorts and are very much developing as cricketers. Block fixtures scheduled in this year were against Kent College, King’s Rochester, Duke of York’s, King’s Canterbury, and Harvey Grammar. The 1XI entered a 100 ball Friday night competition which proved to be a popular addition to the fixture card. We currently have multiple pupils who are involved with the County Squads or District Squads in their respective age groups. Benji is involved in the Kent Cricket EPG squad, and we also have a number of students involved in the District Southern Spartans set up and knocking on the doors of Kent. We are looking forward to reintroducing the following enrichment opportunities for our girls’/boys’ programme next year: Regular 1:1 net sessions for our most talented cricketers Visit to watch Kent in a one-day fixture next summer term Hosting the first ever United Learning Independent Schools T20 Competition Long haul cricket tour to Barbados

Tennis Our U13 and U15 tennis teams played several friendly fixtures against Kent College, St Edmund’s, Wye School and Norton Knatchbull. We boast a 25%-win ratio currently this term, with a number of matches still remaining. We have an increasing number of talented tennis players in the school who have the potential to make the county squads if they continue to train and improve. This includes day pupils and international boarders with Josie, Gabriel, Alex, Aoife, Treasure and Fin the standout performers at the School.

There have been a number of key developments this season with the tennis programme which continues to grow in strength as shown below: House tennis for our senior pupils was a big hit and proved to be very popular 1:1 private lessons provided for our most able players during study periods We also strengthened our links with Wye Tennis Club and used their clay tennis courts during the Senior Games programme.

Badminton We entered the Kent Schools District Badminton tournament with our U14 boys finishing 2nd. We are pleased with the progress the students made this year and it gave students who do not usually take part in representative sport a chance to perform and excel. To provide our senior pupils with the opportunity for competitive sport, friendly fixtures were organised against Sutton Valence, King’s Rochester, St Lawrence, and St Edmund’s. The senior team finished 2nd at the annual County Tournament.

Athletics

Modern Pentathlon

Our U13 team performed admirably at the Independent Prep Schools Championships where 5 pupils qualified for the IAPS National Finals at Birmingham. These include Cian (Shot), Peyton (Shot), Will (1,500m), Ava (1,500m) and Hannah (200m). At the recent District Competition, we won the team event at U12 girls, U13 girls, U15 girls and U15 boys. Our teams outperformed many of the local secondary schools and numerous pupils won medals for individual performances Other individual achievements include Jess who was invited to compete for the English Schools' race-walking team and Nadia who represents Kent in the Long Jump, Heptathlon and Pentathlon.

In October, 25 Ashford School pupils, across Year 4-9 competed at the delayed British Schools Biathlon Championships in Bath. Our U9 Girls and Boys Teams placed 3rd nationally in the team competition. There were top 10 individual placings for Noah, Zara and Tilly .

We hosted a National Schools Biathlon Qualifier in December, where 31 Ashford School biathletes qualified for and competed at the 2022 National Finals. Tilly added an overall 2nd place in the U13 age group to her recent 1st place in the National Biathlon We are looking forward to reintroducing the following enrichment Championships earlier in the month. There were top ten individual opportunities next year: placings for Noah in U10, Zara in U10, Ava in U12 and Jess in U17. The U10 Boys team finished an impressive 4th whilst the U12 Girls Athletics club run with the help of Stella Bandu team claimed 5th and the U10 Girls team were 7th overall. Encourage more students to get involve in club athletics once the Julie Rose Stadium reopens In May, sisters Ava and Zara competed in their first Triathle, an Emphasis on improving general fitness of our athletes event involving a continuous run-shoot-swim. Both qualified to represent Great Britain in the European Triathle Championships to be held in August in Turkey. We look forward to hearing how Cross Country they get on. It was an incredibly successful season for our runners with the U13 Girls’ Team crowned champions at the annual Dobson The Ashford School Summer Biathlon returned to the Cross Country event. Following this, both Ava and Jess were calendar of events in May. We hosted 165 athletes from 24 selected to represent South East Schools. Ava also won the Year 7 schools competing across Years 3-10. Ashford School had Kent Schools Cross Country, gaining her selection to run for Kent 73 athletes competing, some experiencing biathlon for the very Schools team at the Southern Inter Counties Cross Country, where first time. We took the top team prize in every age she placed 2nd individually. group and won 9 individual gold medals.

Virtual Marathon Challenge Following on from the success of our virtual fixtures through 2020/21, we launched our very own Virtual Marathon Challenge. It was a fantastic success; we covered 1,385 miles. We had around 110 people log miles from across both sites, with 25 completing the full distance and 17 completing half. Thank you to everyone in our local community who supported the event.

We have also hosted 2 training camps and have for our Laser Run Pentathletes since September and have a number of training days planned for summer holidays. We hope to run camps for local athletes from October half term next year. Mrs. Wilton has recently qualified as a Laser Run Coach and she is hoping to develop Laser Run as an event next academic year.

Other Sporting Highlights Emily finished 2nd in the South East Regional Floor and Vault Championships Alice completed her Grade 6 Ballet Exam Toral has completed her RYA Stage 3 certificate in sailing Charlie is National Champion for his trampolining at U11 and U15. He is off to the World Championships this year. Abbie selected for the Kent U16 waterpolo team Tia 3rd spot in Kent for Kumate (Karate)

House Reviews Franklins - Mr. Langford

Knights - Mr. Stew

It has been another exciting and challenging year for the students of Franklins House, with pupils having numerous successes and achievements across a range of academia, sport, music and drama, both within the school, and externally.

As usual when writing the review of the year for Knights House, I find it difficult to distil all the highlights and achievements that we have shared into just a few lines. That difficulty is compounded this year as it will be the final review for Knights House, as we move to a new pastoral structure for next year. In which case, Beginning with academics, Eisa was deservedly proud in winning the with the exception of one particular event, I'll focus this review on School Shakespeare Competition and Keevy received the paying tribute to the House, and those who make it. I know the Silver Award in the Intermediate Maths Competition. This strength of feeling that was present amongst my Knights was also attained by Jack, alongside his position as a Chemistry when the change was announced - it was quite moving to witness Ambassador in supporting the development of KS3 that firsthand, and to be on the receiving end of some very students. In the Sixth Form, Fizz, Tomas, Amelie and Daisy all forthright views! It really exemplified the best qualities completed a quite rigorous TEFL course, receiving a qualification that of the Knights - passionate, committed, motivated will allow them to teach English in the UK and overseas. Molly has and deeply loyal. Nowhere was this more evident than when also had a significant impact on student experience, being part of the the Knights rose to triumph in the House CPA competition. group that successfully campaigned for Sixth Form Every single member of the House contributed in some way to the lanyards, something many students had requested. victory, and it was richly deserved. It also gave me an excellent introduction to the following week’s House Assembly, where I In Art, Music and Drama, Franklins has been well represented across paid tribute to our departing Year 13 leavers. They were the the numerous recitals, performances, and open days. Daisy and Sam embodiment of our House spirit and a very special group of both performed excellently in the recent 'Annie' production, with people. I talked about how I looked upon them and Phoebe achieving the Senior Drama Award in recognition of her the rest of the House as another family for me, and consistently excellent contribution, despite being in Year 10 and facing the leavers provided an excellent lesson for me to stiff competition from many KS5 students. Heron was also selected as deliver to the rest of the House. the Most Committed Musician in the Intermediate year groups, so a huge congratulations to all these students and more, So, as we move away from Knights House I will repeat my closing who have performed so admirably in their co-curricular pursuits. lesson from that leavers’ assembly, in the hope that my advice will stay with your sons and daughters wherever they find themselves Franklins have excelled in sports and athletics this year, with Evie in the school structure: be like our Year 13s, emulate their being part of the winning Netball and Gymnastics team, and Jane and attitudes, behaviours and values, and you will be Mollie winning the Junior Inter-House Hockey trophy. Hannah hugely successful in whatever you do, because they attained the Player of the Season for the U13A Hockey team were the best of us. and Franklins/Knights came first in the Senior Inter-house Hockey tournament. Ruby was awarded the Reflection and Responsibility prize for U13B Hockey, an achievement mirrored by Phoebe in Swimming. In Rugby, Ed, George, and Henry were part of the U15A team that reached the Quarterfinals in the County Cup (our highest position to date), and the Seniors finished 3rd in the Emerging Schools Sevens, with Franklins represented by Bluey and Sam. Possibly our proudest sporting achievement this year was our U15 Girls Indoor Cricket National Champions, beating 900 schools in the process to claim the title. Both Gabriella and Abigail were key members of this team and should be deservedly proud.

Merchants - Miss. Saville This year Mighty Merchants have persevered throughout House competitions and have displayed a can-do attitude. Merchants always work their best and want to achieve but do not put too much pressure on themselves. Freddie and Matt have been instrumental in helping the House to accomplish our goals and have led the way confidently and assertively throughout. They have led House assemblies and encouraged others to take part, being motivational leaders. I have seen them both develop their confidence and share the skills that they have with younger students, inspiring them along the way. Merchants came together with Squires to produce one of the 'the best House charity days at Ashford School' in raising a large amount of money, along with creating a fun environment for all in Brake Hall, not to mention Sponge the Teacher! Every single person in both Houses contributed and there was a real sense of community, which as Head of House I was immensely proud of. In the first House competition of the year, House Debating, we came 2nd to Yeomen by all but 1 point! In the House Maths Challenge, we struggled to get volunteers but still came 5th overall. In girls' hockey we came 4th in all age groups. The Year 7 and 8 boys came 2nd in their House Rugby, narrowly losing out; the inters and seniors came 4th too. Despite this, the House pulled together and came 2nd in the House General Knowledge Competition, which was excellent to see. We were placed 4th again in the House CPA Competition, lacking in creativity, as this is not a strong point. Nevertheless, Merchants never gave up! Each year group delivered a House assembly on a subject of their choice, and I was pleasantly surprised at how insightful and well thought out their presentations were. The variety of assemblies included Year 7 on the Winter Olympics, Year 8 on the Ashford area, Year 9 on sport and the impact it has on your life, Year 10 on Dr. Seuss. Year 11 created an idea for a time capsule which is to be completed, Year 12 presented a Kahoot challenge and Year 13 spoke about themselves and who they are. All the presentations were completely different and had depth to them: every person involved should be proud of themselves as they were outstanding. Further to this, the support from Merchants House staff has been exceptional this year and I would like to thank all members of the House for their continued support and enthusiasm for House competitions and all other tasks. Overall, it has been a pleasure to be Head of Merchants House this year and I have really enjoyed working with a variety of pupils, who are all vastly different in many ways, but this is what makes Merchants House special. I have got to know so many pupils, in watching ‘Annie', attending sports fixtures, music recitals and seeing them shine in House competitions. I have learnt that it is not only about winning (which is hard to understand as a sports teacher) but the team spirit behind the House, which is even more important. I will miss being Merchants’ Head of House next year and wish the pupils and staff all the best for the future.

Pilgrims - Mrs. Diamond

Squires - Miss. Loughlin

It certainly has been a busy academic year for the pupils in Pilgrims House, with achievements in music, sport, drama, and academia both in and out of school.

Covid couldn’t dampen the strong team spirit in Squires, and after an outstanding run of success in 2021, Squires secured the overall House Cup after winning House Music in July 2021. This academic year has been just as fun and full of numerous successes. Squires was well represented in the fantastic production that was 'Annie' with Leila in Year 7 playing the titular role, and according to her peers in Year 7, she “absolutely smashed it”. And we cannot forget Kitty W’s stunningly gritty performance as Miss Hannigan. On a different stage, Kitty’s “Cyanosis” has been displayed at the National Art Centre in Tokyo, representing the UK in the International High School Arts Festival. This is a huge achievement, and we are so proud of Kitty. Oli got a distinction in their Speech and Drama exam and Thomas has continued his winning streak at the Hastings Musical Festival and came first with a distinction in the Monologue section for Years 7-13 at the Kent Festival of Music, Speech, and Drama in Canterbury.

In music achievements, I would like to congratulate the following students on their grade achievements: Toby for achieving Grade 4 Cello with merit and Mikhail for achieving grade 8 in Piano. In academic achievements, the following students took part in the Senior Maths challenge: Risa (Silver), Jasmine (Bronze), Jolomi (Bronze), Emily (Bronze). Well done to all of you. The following students took part in the Biology Olympiad: Charlie, Jolomi and Emily. I would like to congratulate Peyton for his performing arts award and for achieving grade 3 in his Speaking and Drama exam. Well done to Lorena who won the photography competition. Sophia has successfully contributed to the sport leader programme by helping to run the Senior House swimming event and in Duke of Edinburgh, Toby achieved Gold. Well done to all of you for your hard work and dedication. At a whole school level, many students in Pilgrims House took part in the school musical. Well done to Toby, Jasmine, and Emily. It is fantastic to see so many Pilgrims students being involved and demonstrating their creative side. I would like to thank students for being involved in House events this academic year. It pays dividends not only to the House but also to the community spirit of Pilgrims House. Outside of school Pilgrims’ students are challenging themselves to learn skills and form new hobbies. Well done to Risa who is challenging herself to learn Korean, Jolomi for learning to barefoot water-ski and for playing Hockey for Kent and Toby for becoming a racing car instructor.

On the sporting field, we have had lots of Squires recognised as players of the match or season: Harrison, Lexi, and Camille to name but a few. Alisha received the resilience trophy for netball and Jude won the Intermediate Multisport Cup. Harrison was selected for the Sporting Excellence Programme and Maddie was part of the victorious cricket team who became national champions. Fin and Pierce have been selected for Saracens Development Player Programmes while Rufus and Curtis have helped Squires to victory in House Swimming competitions. We have had many a giggle during House Assemblies, but the highlight must be Year 12’s Winter Olympics Photo competition which saw some highly entertaining entries from all year groups, not least the Year 13 tobogganing team! Squires House is defined by its genuine sense of community and our strength as a unit is all down to the excellent team who keep the plates spinning behind it all: Robyn G has been a formidable House Captain, inspiring participation in House events and brilliantly supported by Harry. It would be remiss of me not to mention the excellent job Oli has done as School Captain too! The tutors – Mr. Hornsey, Mrs. Allen, Miss. Banner, Mr. Barnett, Mr. Bubb, Mr. Cook, Mrs. MacKinnon, and Mr. Radcliffe – have all shown utmost dedication to their forms and I thank them wholeheartedly for helping to keep the House in such fine form.

Yeomen - Mrs. Walsh In this last Yeomen report we celebrate the qualities that reflect the House, particularly enthusiasm, teamwork, and resilience. We are legendary for our competitive spirit and whatever the challenge, Yeomen pupils and staff will rise to the occasion. Our joint House Captains this year, Charlotte, and Caitlin, have motivated and led pupils throughout the year and, during the summer term, Alice and Spencer have ensured a smooth end to the year. Their contribution to the House is much appreciated. We have used our teamwork as a House to secure many successes this year: House Maths and General Knowledge 1st place, House CPA 2nd place, Junior and Senior House swimming and Senior tennis all 1st place, Senior Boys’ Rugby and Intermediate boys' hockey team’s 1st. This reflects the depth of talent that we have within our numbers. There are individual successes too – a special mention to Charlie in Year 9 who has won the U14 British Trampoline Championships this year. We have welcomed the opportunity to have House assemblies together again, providing different year groups with the opportunity to introduce themselves or reflect their interests. The House Charity event raised over £700 shared between a marine conservation charity and the Red Cross. The pupils are supported by a committed House tutor team and to all staff and pupils I say thank you for your contributions to the House this year and wish you well for the future.

Boarding Alfred House - Mr. Appleton It is not uncommon for Alfred House to emanate a ‘youthful feel’, however with the addition of eleven new boarders, plus the amalgamation with Brooke House and the resulting mix of students, in September there was an aura and buzz of excitement unlike anything I have experienced in six years as a Housemaster. The diverse blend of ages (11-18), nationalities (4 of the 7 continents were represented in one boarding house!), and levels of experience, ensured a perfect mix of enthusiasm and fresh ideas were combined with wisdom and know-how. Led by our House Captain (Leo), Prefect Team (Richard, Cody, Bruce and Alex) and other senior members (such as the Deputy School Captain and several School Prefects), the boys quickly settled into life within Alfred and began to flourish as a result of the opportunities Ashford School has to offer. Opportunities to demonstrate leadership and share pupil-voice are strongly encouraged within Alfred House, and as a result, the sense of unity has been genuinely heart-warming throughout each term. Prefect-led organisation of in-house activities (which have provided some healthy competition on a regular basis) and the responsible use of the Council’s budget, have helped build a strong community, within which life-long friendships have been created. Indeed, this strong bond has been showcased further by the excellent attendance rates at the range of exciting weekend activities (paintballing, go-karting, city-exploring, and cooking - to name a few), and already both the pupils and staff are eagerly awaiting the return of School in September, to continue enjoying the many experiences available to us on Ashford’s doorstep!

Brabourne House - Dr. Thompson Brabourne has had an exceptionally busy academic year. One of the biggest changes was welcoming the boys to the top floor for the second half of the Summer Term, with both the boys and girls happy to share the newly redecorated common room. Boarders, as well as visitors: parents, guardians, and day pupils, all consider it a cosy and comfortable space to relax and enjoy each other’s company. Many of the boarders love cooking and have made a variety of special meals for birthdays and other celebrations throughout the year. Recently, Netflix, Disney Plus and BT Sports have been made available on the common room TV for added entertainment. We have had several short-term boarders, 5 girls and 5 boys, that have made new friends and improved their English considerably in the few short weeks they have spent with us. The house captain, Angela, and the house perfects, Caitlin, Nastasja, Onajite and Alex, have been a great help to the short-term boarders and happily carried out their house commitments. Kate and Sofiia, our two gardening enthusiasts, have been taking great care of a collection of seedlings that are ready to be transplanted into the garden for the summer. Edan has played an important role in 'Annie', the school drama production. Everyone has enjoyed a rich and varied activities program. We have had daily activities, like archery, swimming and shopping, and weekend activities, like outings, the most popular being the trip to Thorpe Park, or competitions between houses. We are very proud of Josephine, who won the Ashford School Boarding Tennis Tournament.

2021 Leavers' Destinations 18% 2% Gained a place at a UK Top 10 University

Gained a place at a World Top 10 University

Gained a place at a Russell Group University

A/A* grades

52%

57%

Architecture (Architectural Institute in Prague, Czechia) Neuroscience (Aston University) Business and Management (Marketing) (Bath Spa University) Brand and Marketing Management (Cardiff Metropolitan University) Mechanical Engineering (Cardiff University) Game Art (Falmouth University) Psychology (Keele University) Medicine (King’s College London (KCL) Engineering (Lancaster University) Financial Mathematics (Loughborough University) Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (Loughborough University) History (Loughborough University) Product Design Engineering (Loughborough University) Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Manchester Metropolitan University) Biomedical Science (McGill University, Montréal, Canada) Sport and Exercise Science (Middlesex University) Mechanical Engineering with Biomedical Engineering (Newcastle University) Law with Business (Oxford Brookes University) Biology (Queen Mary, University of London) Economics, Finance and Management (Queen Mary, University of London) Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Queen Mary, University of London) Psychology (Queen Mary, University of London) Creative Lighting Control (Rose Bruford College) Business and Management (Royal Holloway, University of London) Law with Philosophy (Royal Holloway, University of London) Liberal Arts (Royal Holloway, University of London) Psychology (Royal Holloway, University of London) Politics, Philosophy and Economics (School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Sport and Exercise Science (St Mary’s University, Twickenham) Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (University of the Arts London (Central St Martin’s College) Economics (University of Bath) Sport Management and Coaching (University of Bath) Archaeology and Ancient History (University of Birmingham)

Veterinary Science (University of Bristol) History (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) Environmental Geoscience (University College London UCL) Urban Planning, Design and Management (University College London UCL) Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (University for the Creative Arts (UCA) Engineering (University of Exeter) Financial Services Degree Apprenticeship with JP Morgan (University of Exeter) Computer Science (Games) (University of Greenwich) Management (University of Hong Kong) Economics (University of Kent) Sport and Exercise Sciences (University of Leeds) Accounting and Finance (University of Manchester) Economics (University of Manchester) Economics and Finance (University of Manchester) Materials Science and Engineering (University of Manchester) Psychology (University of Nottingham) Ancient and Modern History (University of Oxford) Business Management (University of Sheffield) Law (European and International) (University of Sheffield) Mathematics (University of Sheffield) Biomedical Sciences (University of Southampton) Music (University of Southampton) Business Management (2 students) (University of Surrey) Art History (University of Sussex) Business and Management Studies (University of Sussex) Media and Communications (University of Sussex) Politics and International Relations (University of Sussex) Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics (University of Warwick) Philosophy, Politics and Economics (University of Warwick) Computer Science with Foundation Year (University of the West of England) Psychology (University of Winchester) Economics (University of York)

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School Review 2022

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