Ashford School A GSG School

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All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.

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What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2018, Michael Hall, previously CEO and principal of GEMS Wellington Academy in Dubai for a year. Grammar school education, followed by economics degree from Liverpool and master’s in education management. Brief stint in the City before realising his ‘true vocation’. Proud to have gained experience ‘in all sections of a school’: boarding master, economics, geography and sport teacher and head of sixth form at AKS Lytham; deputy head at Kingston Grammar; then eight years as head at Bedford Modern. Wistful about the latter, saying he ‘loved its unpretentiousness’. No surprise, then, that outreach is a passion – he is determined to change mindsets locally that Ashford is not an ‘elitist school’ but very much part of the community, including hosting competitions for local state schools.

Told us that ‘whatever we do, it has to add value’ and is committed to ensuring pupils benefit from ‘inspiring teaching’ – not the opposite – a risk when blessed with able pupils and good facilities, he believes. Regrettably some pupils arrive here believing themselves a ‘failure’ for not having passed the 11-plus, so rebuilding confidence is high on his agenda, which he says the school achieves by providing a happy environment, meaningful pastoral care and excellent extracurricular. Parents feel in ‘safe hands’ and that he’s ‘a man with a plan’, showing ‘confident leadership’ as well as being a ‘listener'. Humble enough to reverse bold decisions, the latest being to ditch rugby.

Not afraid to set himself public challenges and admit defeat either – demonstrated during Covid when he set the school a ‘learn something new’ goal, kick-started with his pledge to re-learn the piano, which he didn’t quite smash. On the upside, he says, pupils get to see that teachers can also fall short, but that 'it should never stop you setting a target'. They told us, ‘you want to impress him’, that ‘he’s a nice guy’ and ‘doesn’t take himself too seriously’. Every Christmas, he brushes off his Grinch for a hilarious assembly, and on lunch queue duty ‘they laugh at my jokes’ he says, ‘that’s a win!’

Lives on site with his wife, the school’s director of music, and three sons who all attended the school. On our last visit, he admitted to not taking his own medicine regarding wellbeing, so has he got better? ‘Gone from “needs improvement” to “quite good”,’ he decides.

Leaving to head the Grammar School at Leeds in September 2025.

Entrance

About 70 per cent of the prep move up to the senior school (automatic entry), joined by a handful or so from Spring Grove. The remaining 25 per cent come from around 15 local state primary schools, plus some further out, eg Aldington Primary. Places also available in other year groups. Entry by English, maths and NVR (online Atom Learning). Wide ability range – some very bright, others who struggle, but all must have the ability to pass at least six GCSEs. Preference given to siblings where possible.

Around 10–15 pupils join sixth form, mostly international. Grades 5+ in at least six GCSEs (7s recommended for A level subjects, but not a deal breaker), plus an interview.

Exit

A fifth depart post GCSEs, mostly to local colleges or grammars. Most sixth formers to university, 40 per cent to Russell Group. UCL, Manchester, Loughborough, King’s College London and Royal Holloway most popular. PPE gets a solid take-up most years, but subjects wide-ranging overall, everything from landscape architecture to medical neuroscience and from agriculture to animal physiotherapy. A handful of foundation studies in art and design (eg University of the Arts London), mechanical engineering and science. Three medics in 2024. Sometimes a few to Oxbridge.

Latest results

In 2024, 51 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 36 per cent A*/A at A level (64 per cent A*-B).

Teaching and learning

‘Not an exam factory,’ say parents but results are nonetheless on an upward trajectory, which pupils attribute to animated teaching, interactive lessons and academic support clubs ‘in everything’. We heard of grades regularly being turbo boosted, sometimes more than two at a time. ‘The teachers show they care, so you want to do well,’ said one. Impressive for such wide-ranging ability.

Year 7s are set in maths, English and science. For MFL, they sample Spanish, French and German then choose two in year 8. Science popular throughout, with an even split between combined and triple at GCSE and a high take-up at A level. ‘I’m not a science boffin but it’s so much fun here,’ said one pupil. PE and history also attract quite a crowd at GCSE, while at A level maths gets good take-up. Psychology and business studies have gone down a storm as newest A levels, with core maths also now available. About five pupils a year take an EPQ.

We saw the ‘vibrant’ and ‘engaging’ teaching reported by parents and pupils in action in a year 9 physics lesson where the class was designing steam turbines. After clear instructions (health and safety warnings such as, ‘You’ll cook like a piece of chicken!’) and Bunsen burners fired up, pairs got to work, reminded that ‘the turbine that spins is the winner’. Displays provide further evidence of exciting investigations, including around themes such as Dr Who. Food tech also taught with dynamism – one aspiring Heston Blumenthal warned us that his curry’s spices would ‘blow your head off’. Next up was a queue of year 10’s eagerly awaiting cupcake taste testing. Lovely to see the school’s ‘no pressure’ approach come good in a maths lesson where pupils were simplifying fractions and one announced ‘I’ve got it!’ after initially struggling.

Pupils say careers advice is ‘solid’ and enables them to explore options without feeling ‘pigeonholed’ or coerced into a particular pathway. ‘It’s not like you’re on a rollercoaster and can’t get off,’ one pupil commented. ‘If you change your mind, the school goes with the flow.’

The small cohort of high ability pupils report a ‘gentle rivalry in a nice way’, bouncing ideas off each other and enjoying challenges. The scholars’ programme throughout includes mentoring, fun challenges and exposure to articles and discussions eg ‘Can psychopaths show empathy?’ and, the cherry on the cake, ‘Scholars’ Elevensies’.

Learning support and SEN

Twelve per cent receive support, mainly for autism, ADHD, hearing impairment, dyslexia and dyscalculia. Three EHCPs when we visited. The department, comprising two learning support rooms for interventions, is run by a full-time SENDCo and five full-time learning support assistants. Majority of support is for English and maths in class, but group and one-to-one sessions are also available at an extra cost. In KS3, pupils struggling with MFL can replace these lessons with learning support. Pupils said you’re ‘not judged’ if you need support, with one adding, ‘If you’re stuck, they’re brilliant at going over things in different ways at your own pace'. Some pupils use laptops in classes. Impressive medical centre, where pupils say they feel ‘reassured’ and in ‘capable kind hands’. EAL support available at an extra cost.

The arts and extracurricular

The inaugural arts festival, set to become an annual highlight, was recently extended to a two-week extravaganza including jazz on the lawn, a radio play, voiceover workshops and a visit from the Smoking Apples Theatre Company. It’s not the only area of extracurricular that has undergone a makeover, with a new focus on the three ‘C’s (care, craft and cognition) to incentivise participation through awards. Pupils approve and need no persuading to join the clubs offered in everything from STEM to law club and from bracelet making to rewilding. Foodie club a particular hit – ‘You have to get in early to sign up before it’s full,’ pupils advise. Impressively, over half of all pupils do bronze and silver DofE, and we saw some updating the DofE display board with photos of the recent 15-strong gold expedition. Was it hard? ‘Yeah, Nordic skiing for four days flat, when we hadn’t done it, before was exhausting,’ they admitted.

Music more of a ‘community’ than a department, say pupils. ‘If you’re involved, you’re one of the gang,’ confirmed a parent, ‘and not just for the virtuoso.’ All year 7 pupils try out instruments on rotation (brass, guitar, strings and woodwind) with good take up beyond (about 300 having private lessons, including the organ), feeding into the 85-strong training orchestra which recently took on an adapted Beethoven’s 5th with gusto. Director of music says they’ve been ‘rebuilding music since Covid’ – ‘You can really see it starting to click,’ enthused a pupil, who went on to rattle off all he groups: ensembles for wind and brass, string, recorder and flute plus a jazz band. Being a Steinway School is ‘very cool’, reckon pupils, some of whom got to visit Hamburg to choose new pianos. We sat in on the 46-strong choir’s final rehearsal before the spring concert – Gloria was beautifully harmonised after a fun bubble-gum warm-up – and not short of male voices either. We heard that Billy Joel was a particular hit in their recent care home visit. Tours in the pipeline. School hosts Ashford Youth Jazz orchestra with 15 pupils attending. Facilities good too, including practice rooms, a classroom and music technology suite with 20 iMacs. About 25 students do music GCSE; A level currently has three.

Art wouldn’t be out of place in the Tate Modern: brave, bold and accomplished, as well as celebrated everywhere in school (even some fascinating pieces in the biology department). ‘Some of it blows my mind,’ said a younger pupil, clearly in awe. No wonder the head of art was recently shortlisted for subject leader of the year. Between 25-30 take art GCSE; three at A level. Newly introduced photography well received – we saw students exploring different types of exposures, subject isolation and burning acetate effects inspired by Sam Taylor Wood. Industrious newly revamped DT workshop heaving with projects including speakers – ‘the best lesson I’ve ever had,’ said one pupil.

Drama on curriculum including everything from Harry Potter to Greek theatre and the teenage-themed play, DNA. Must inspire as a whopping 50 per cent take GCSE; a handful for A level. On the extracurricular front, the senior school alternates between a musical and play, with 20 per cent of pupils involved in the recent productions of Matilda and The Little House of Horror, both described as ‘awesome’. Use of the Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells elevates performances – ‘I couldn’t believe how brave and confident they were,’ praised a parent. Tech theatre club and Impro Troupe (a Whose Line is it Anyway vibe) extremely popular. School is home to Ashford Youth Theatre.

Plenty of trips – from skiing in Austria to hockey and rugby tours to Holland, and art and drama visits to New York and Florence. Theatre trips too – recently to Wicked.

Sport

Most sport happens just across the road, where there’s a sports hall, newly re-surfaced Astro (‘it’s gorgeous, so bouncy,' raved a pupil) and sports field – a favourite space for many pupils, we heard. ‘It feels a bit like home,’ said one, ‘I genuinely love it.’ Athletics track wouldn’t go amiss though, they said. Hockey, netball and cricket (school does particularly well in the latter) are core sports for girls, while for boys it’s rugby, hockey and cricket, and in addition there’s swimming (to a high level), water polo, archery, badminton, table tennis – and, most recently, golf (in partnership with Kingsnorth golf course). Good sports outreach programme includes touch rugby tournaments hosting 45 local state primary schools and swimming lessons (in its 25m indoor pool). Football coming soon. First aid offered for sixth formers less keen on sport.

Boarders

Boarders make up a fifth of the school, accommodated in two houses. Eighty per cent are full-timers, half of these international (predominantly from Asia and West Africa). Weekly boarders are mainly British nationals. Vast majority of boarders are sixth formers but boarding is available from year 7 (currently only three in the latter).

Refreshing the houses’ interiors is still work in progress but they’ve made good headway. So it’s out with the ‘seen better days’ carpets and in with the practical and fresh wooden floors. The heart of boarding is now the newly refurbed main communal space, with a long cooking area and sitting island (the three large hobs get lots of wok action, we heard) – and that goes for both houses. Mother tongue only allowed if no English speaker in the room: ‘Important not to exclude anyone, which goes both ways,’ a pupil told us. Dorms tidy but not too tidy – it’s no boot camp, although all boarders learn to do their own laundry.

Pupils are assigned houses based on biological sex; some pupils have ensuite rooms. No drifting back to house during the school day. Post-prep activities tailored to meet the pupils’ interests so ‘it may look sport heavy some years but that’s because the boys were mad on basketball’. At weekends, students are allowed into the town for up to 1.5 hours, with day pupils welcome to join them. Trips include Thorpe Park, bowling, Natural History Museum and most recently Prison Island Escape Room – really important on exeat weekends where school remains open, says school. Pupils grumble there are only two options for their evening meal.

Whizzy Orah digital system keeping parents in the loop of the whereabouts of their child (‘swings and roundabouts,’ we heard, ‘not always a good thing’ – but appreciated by parents).

Ethos and heritage

Proposals for the school to decamp to rural Great Chart (near the prep school) have not been ruled out, but for now it remains on East Hill (site since 1913), hidden behind high red brick walls, an oasis between the old flour mill and the bottom end of Ashford High Street. If it wasn’t for the snazzy striped blazers and the bubble of school sounds, you wouldn’t know it’s here. That said, it’s very much part of the community – indeed, the school was founded in 1898 with express purpose of pupils playing an active role in the life of the town. It was also home to the 59th Newfoundland Heavy Regiment during WW2.

Externally attractive, but a bit of a warren inside, the main school building opens onto some charming spaces including the Atrium café (‘The place to be,’ pupils told us, ‘and a reason to like maths lessons as they’re the closest!’). Pupils can even earn café tokens for demonstrating good learning habits. The rest of the campus is a hotchpotch of styles, all well used, with highlights including Brake Hall, with its two-manual Walker organ, and the two newly refurbed cosy sixth form common rooms. Lots of green spaces too.

Take-up of gender-neutral uniform and sports kit met with a communal hooray. Business clobber for sixth form to be replaced in September 2025 with a natty pinstripe suit. ‘It’s actually quite cool, I think I would prefer it,’ said one.

Buzzy dining hall with the usual fare – ‘There are complaints, so it gets better for a while and then it goes downhill,’ one pupil reckoned, although others say it’s ‘decent and fills you up’. The gnocchi and chilli are popular, although we went old school with a generous portion of classic fish fingers.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

The recent ditching of the vertical house system was met with mixed reviews – some miss the interaction with different ages. However, with the introduction of prefects and the senior deputy head leading the well-gelled pastoral team (form tutors, heads of year, three assistant heads, wellbeing manager, chaplain, two counsellors and four nurses), everyone agrees they’re making it work. Weekly PHSE tackles the whole gambit of issues, plus talks for parents – one appreciated a recent presentation on county lines and vaping: ‘I felt clueless, it really opened my eyes.’ Neighbouring centres for wellbeing and medical needs – ‘always someone there,’ say pupils, some of whom particularly appreciate the quiet room which provides ‘a calm space to worship with dignity’ for all faiths (several perform salah here) or for pupils to drop in for a chat with the chaplain about world issues or existential wanderings.


The newly formed Equity, Diversity and Inclusion group meet once a week and were instrumental in the introduction of the gender-neutral PE kit. No rainbow flags flying high, but pupils say the school is welcoming and that issues are discussed in PHSE lessons – also that there’s an ‘uptick’ in interest in the EDI group.


Discipline has clarity. Maintaining a good reputation is seen as key, not least because of the town centre location, so school takes misbehaviour seriously even out of school (eg vaping), with suspensions not unheard of (up to a handful each year) and the occasional mutual agreement for a pupil to move on. That said, detentions have been on the decline, thanks to early interventions by the head of year and weekly meetings identifying behavioural red flags. Parents like the pastoral approach. ‘They know they’re cared for,’ said one. Some pupils would like more leniency with ‘little things’, eg wearing blazers in warm weather, but admit they like ‘knowing where we stand’ with the big things.

Pupils and parents

Pupils as you find them: unpretentious, honest, open and good company. ‘No sense of entitlement,’ said one parent, with many making considerable sacrifices to send their children here. A significant proportion didn’t set out to go private but became disillusioned with the local state options. As Ashford becomes more ethnically diverse, so too does the student population, plus there’s the international contingent (about 12 per cent). The train station, a seven minute walk, brings pupils from London in just 37 minutes; others travel by train from Canterbury (lots jump on at Wye), Folkestone or The Weald. School minibuses service Tenterden, Folkestone, Maidstone and Sittingbourne, plus to-and-fro prep and senior. PTA is upping its game, with its inaugural coffee morning coming up.

Money matters

Means-tested bursaries (between 10–50 per cent) attached to scholarships in academic, sport, drama and music (no upper limit fee remittance).

The last word

An authentic and perhaps surprisingly down-to-earth school that lives up to its motto, Esse Quam Videri (To be rather than to seem). Aspirational but unpressurised, with impressive extracurricular. A ‘great place to work out who you are', as one parent put it.

Special Education Needs

Learning support is provided to pupils on the basis of individual assessment and need by our own Learning Support Teacher. Where additional support is required, private lessons are arranged with one of our peripatetic teachers. These lessons are charged as an extra.

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