Amesbury A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Jon Whybrow

Since September 2023, Gavin Franklin, previously head of Wellesley House and before that, housemaster at Wellington College, where he also taught English and was master in charge of cricket. Educated at Malvern College and Durham University, and a former professional cricketer with Warwickshire and ECB Level 4 Coach, he also spent five years working in elite player development at the Oval for Surrey County Cricket Club, before moving into teaching. In his spare time, he enjoys promoting junior golf and cricket in a voluntary capacity. His wife, Claire, is also a Durham graduate and qualified teacher. They have two sons, William and Sammy.

Entrance

From pre-nursery (now from 9 months) to year 4 entry is through registration, plus visit. No formal assessment ‘as long as they are not biting everybody,’ but head is insistent that ‘the doors aren’t open to anybody’. From year 5 it’s a little more formal with CAT scores considered. Two form entry – up to 18 per class. No waiting lists.

Exit

True independence leads to a broad array of aspirational senior destinations including Bryanston, Charterhouse, Churcher’s College, Cranleigh, Ditcham Park, Lord Wandsworth College, Seaford College and RGS Guildford. In previous years, Canford, Portsmouth Grammar, St Catherine’s, Prior’s Field, Wellington, Winchester and Bedales have also featured. In 2023, 25 scholarships. Relationships with senior heads are head’s forte - ‘They trust me’ he says. Retention at year 6 (particularly for girls) is a concern with very small numbers currently. Plans afoot for a ‘retention day’ to calm ‘parents spooked by aggressive senior schools.’

Our view

It’s dank and dismal on the day we visit Amesbury. But adverse weather is not enough to dampen the spirits of this school’s pupils who we find darting around outside, coatless, excitedly chanting ‘rugby in the rain’. There are no ties or blazers - ‘it’s just not Amesbury’ say parents who admit with pride that children here ‘are a bit scruffy at times’. Uniform - ‘a brilliant vehicle for gender equality,’ according to the head - is under review and no-one will miss the tight-necked brown scratchy jumpers.

Founded in 1870 the school is steeped in history and heritage. A blue plaque on the main building tells us Field Marshall Montgomery adopted Amesbury as his Rear HQ in World War II, planning the D-day landings from a room above the head’s office. In remembrance, pupils who have attended since nursery are still presented with a Monty bear when they leave the school.

The main house is a Grade 2 listed building and the only school ever designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Wide corridors and staircases, and low windows so children can easily see out, all point to an environment where children come first. Our delightfully haphazard tour is the perfect visual representation of the Amesbury experience featuring quite the smallest chapel we have ever seen next to one of the largest sports halls (displaying 150 years’ worth of first team boards). Gleaming glass fronted, mirror backed dance studio; cosy wellness and learning support hub; bright new library; embryonic pig farm; and immense modern art block, built around an ancient tree.

For all its tradition, Amesbury is one of only 52 Microsoft Digital Showcase Schools in the country. Technology is embedded throughout the school enhancing learning and teaching for pupils and staff alike. Years 5 and above all receive their own laptop and homework is as likely to be a voice note as an essay, all managed online. ‘The continuity of learning makes a massive difference, everything is easily accessible,’ explains one mother. While school bags are most definitely lighter, the school maintains books and more traditional resources are still valued.

Parents tell us this is a ‘rounded, unpressured school’ compared to some of its more ‘powerhouse neighbours’, but not at the expense of academic rigour says the head. ‘We do not lack aspiration, we are ambitious and determined, but we don’t crawl over others to get there.’ One of the first preps to adopt the Prep School Baccalaureate framework of study. Setting in English and maths from year 4. Specialist teachers and Latin from year 5. French from nursery, Spanish in years 7 and 8. We see some inventive interpretations of the scientific elements outside the two well equipped and spacious science labs and geography is a favourite subject for all pupils we speak to who light up at mention of the inspirational department head. ‘Without question the academic expectations are high,’ says one parent. Most evident in the early years where a focused new head of department with 25 years’ experience is ‘cracking through the curriculum’. Spacious purpose-built nursery/reception block encourages ‘purposeful, free-flow’ learning - they’re studying books through microscopes in one corner and plugged into learning programmes on iPads in another (on five-minute timers we are assured).

New head of sports and health recruited to ‘bring innovation’ to the currently very traditional arena. Strong in netball (girls have won last 10 matches they’ve played), cricket and rugby – multiple boys and girls play for the county. A, B and C teams are evenly challenged in fixtures across ‘a quite local circuit’ so that travel time doesn’t outweigh match time. Ethos is play and move on, whatever the result. Parents with uber-competitive, match orientated off-spring, might want to be aware, school ‘doesn’t need a fixture every week’. Tchoukball is big here with several Amesburians representing at national level. Established tennis academy is enjoyed by large percentage of pupils, and a neighbouring state primary free of charge.

The performing arts department pick up those who prefer to find their groove on the dance floor. ‘Everybody dances here, it’s seen as normal and comes naturally,’ enthuses head of department. There’s a contemporary class for year 7s underway when we visit. Hip-hop, ballet and tap are also popular with three girls gaining positions at The Royal Ballet School last year and more currently rehearsing for The Nutcracker with English Youth Ballet.

Drama is led by characterful hipster complete with bushy beard, DMs, flat cap and passion aplenty -though no formal teaching qualifications. He ‘fell into the role’ 23 years ago and now ‘represents the heart of Amesbury’. All drama lessons are geared towards an actual performance. ‘The culture here is kids get up on stage,’ he says. Year 3 do a ‘show in a week’ and in a recent production of Oliver Twist a year 8 scholar wrote the soundtrack. The timetable is suspended for the biennial weeklong arts festival which features performances from west end shows and local senior schools alike.

Even busier music department. Numerous choirs – the chapel choir wear scarlet robes by royal consent. Around 180 children undertake individual lessons in all the usual instruments. Numerous but normal after-school clubs, quirkier ones like jewellery making, Mandarin and gardening are slower to returning after the pandemic.

Pupils are at ease with adults. Unguarded and unpretentious, ‘they know how lucky they are, that something special is going on here’, says school. At lunch a boy voluntarily pours water for the girl next to him and our year 8 guide is clearly revered by the younger children. ‘They’re unregimented and allowed to be individuals,’ one parent says. We do see a little harmless horseplay at break time and head freely discloses he dispensed a break time detention to ‘three likely lads’ just before our meeting. Discipline is swift and measured. Continued misdemeanours result in being sent home for the day and on rare occasions where patterns of behaviour indicate underlying issues, the school’s aptly named psychologist, Dr Smiley, swoops in. Most of the time his role is to help bolster confidence for those with learning support needs and he runs a Friday club for children with dyslexia to share experiences. Small team supports 75 pupils with mild needs. One is a yoga specialist, another a qualified ELSA. Teaching assistants are trained to provide in-class support too. One parent described the support her child received as ‘fantastic’; another said it could be ‘bolstered’. School says it can only support mild needs.

Pastoral support goes beyond the physical wellness hub, knitted into the daily fabric of the school and underpinned by a kindly school nurse who patches up more than the odd scraped knee. No performative values plastered on walls; they’re dismissed by head ‘as just for inspections’. Instead school irradiates an atmosphere of straight-forward decency and mutual respect - illustrated nicely by year group charters jointly agreed between pupils and teachers.

Parents are in the main local, dual income and feet on the ground. The sort that won’t hog the middle lane of the A3, but will overtake if needed, politely. Certainly, no tailgaters or flashness - ‘there’s no ostentatious wealth coming down the drive at drop off’. One parent concurs bashed up Volvos are more usual than fancy Range Rovers in the car park. Regular dinner parties between parents and lifelong family friends are made.

Money matters

Scholarships (academic, tennis and expressive arts) available in years 3 to 7 for those ‘head and shoulders above other very talented children’; worth applying for, with awards worth up to 50 per cent of the fees.

The last word

A truly balanced school that delivers a progressive education wrapped in traditional values and served in a most picturesque setting. Parents and teachers are aligned and children are happy and achieving. As one parent said, ‘it totally delivers.'

Special Education Needs

At Amesbury our learning support department assists a range of pupils, and in particular we have Helen Arkell trained support teachers who specialise mainly in the areas of dyslexia and dyscalculia. In-class support can vary from small groups to one-to-one support depending on the level of need. Timetabled support is overseen by the head of SEND, head of English and head of maths. The head of SEND can also put parents in touch with registered educational psychologists, child psychologists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, if an assessment of a pupil's learning or emotional need is necessary. At Amesbury we also cater for any additional access arrangements that a pupil may need in their exams, based on an up-to-date educational psychology assessment.

Leavers' destinations

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