Ashville College
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

One of the most exciting days in our annual School calendar takes place next month.

The Year 7 Taster Day on Saturday 16 November 2024 gives prospective pupils the chance to sample Senior School life at Ashville.

Prospective pupils have the opportunity to take part in activities across the school, ranging from making artefacts in Design and Technology to playing Music, enjoying Art, participating in Sport and even trying their hand at Science experiments in the laboratories.

Children get to meet current pupils, teachers and Ashville’s famous Green ties from the Upper Sixth who buddy up with Year 7 starters from September and help them settle into the school.

Miss Jane Ellis, Head of Lower School (Year 7 and 8) said the Taster Day was a significant day across the whole school and a wonderful opportunity to welcome in the next generation of Ashville pupils.

“It gives pupils a genuine flavour of life here at Ashville and helps them prepare and look forward to the natural progression from Year 6 in either from our Prep School or from our local feeder schools, and it’s the start of their adventure as they move to Year 7.

“It’s a great way to spend a few hours making new friends and familiarising themselves with the school, and of course we always finish the morning with a terrific school lunch which is a highlight for many of the children!”

We are adding a new sport to our stable of activities for energetic pupils.

We have launched a new Equestrian Club to give talented riders the opportunity to compete in regional and national competitions.

Ashville has a long historic tradition of developing first class sportsmen and women, and the Equestrian Club is the latest co-curricular activity which already ranges from sports such as traditional rugby and tennis to competing in competitions and fixtures on a world stage.

Next summer the Sports Tour leaves for South Africa.

The Equestrian Club was inspired by the pupils themselves who compete out of school and wanted to harness their enthusiasm under the Ashville College umbrella.

Mrs Stephanie Lightbody, Assistant Director of Sport, said pupils’ parents had a long involvement in equestrian activities over the years.

She said:

“We now have children from Year 5 to Upper Sixth who compete in dressage, show jumping, eventing and more.

“They wanted to pull together a team to enter in competitions with their school friends – alongside that we will teach classes which support fitness for riding across a wide variety of age groups.”

Mrs Rhiannon Wilkinson, Head of Ashville said riding taught children many important life lessons.

She said:

“We are very proud to be adding this to the extraordinary number of sports we already offer.

“Riding gives young people a sense of responsibility and a discipline that serves them well for life – it also teaches children motivation to manage their time to fit in alongside their academic studies.

“We have some incredibly talented young riders who will be flying the flag for Yorkshire in competitions up and down the country.”

We launched a raft of new initiatives to promote good mental health and wellbeing.

As part of the innovations introduced over the past two years, we teamed up with Harrogate GP and mental health expert Sarah Hattam, from Concilio Health, as resident advisor.

We are drawing upon her expertise to offer practical support and training on issues such as rest and recharge, sleep, menopause support and upskilling people to be the best they can be.

Since the height of the pandemic, a study by the National Library of Medicine has revealed the number of young people battling mental health issues has more than doubled. 

And according to a recent global survey, mental health and overtaken cancer and obesity as Britons’ biggest health worry for the first time.

Yet it’s not just pupils – many schools have also found an increasing number of teachers and staff are feeling burnt-out or exhausted by the struggle to re-establish norms, compounded by the marked change in pupils’ behavioural trends.

The sense of pressure for both pupils and staff has also been exacerbated more recently by the removal of COVID “cushions” built into external exams, pushing the bar higher when it comes to results.

With World Mental Health Day focusing on burn-out in the workplace on Thursday 10 October, Ashville has already opened its own Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre for pupils staffed by experts in the field of mental health.

A new position of Deputy Head (Staff) has also been created to listen to and champion feedback from teachers.

The Ashville Staff Association also offers our employees a forum to raise any ideas and concerns.

Head of Ashville, Rhiannon Wilkinson, said: 

“At Ashville, we want to celebrate our staff and recognise what a valuable resource they are – and that means that we need to listen to them and what they have to say. 

“We have therefore developed systems and protocols to support, restore improve and maintain their mental health and well-being. After all, a staff body which is engaged and happy also has a positive impact on our pupils.

“Yet we recognise sustainable change doesn’t happen overnight. Sarah Hattam’s role is to help us ensure we’re constantly reviewing our policies and offering both training and practical support where necessary.” 

We have also consulted experts Mungo Dunnett to offer a holistic view of the challenges facing the education sector in 2024.

Internal Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes have also been introduced for aspiring senior and middle leaders, timings for Parents’ Evening have been reviewed, free flu jabs and assistance with child support are offered to staff while new members of the team join an “onboarding” programme developed to offer a positive, friendly and supportive introduction to life at Ashville.

For those who may need it, a menopause group has also been established following advice from Me and My Menopause, offering access to an individualised action plan which can be taken to healthcare providers as a template for the best support and treatment.

Mrs Wilkinson added: 

“If we are to offer first class holistic education for our pupils, how can we enable them to become the best version of themselves – to be energised, resilient, successful members of society – if their teachers are not in the best place to facilitate this journey?

“By creating a positive working environment with a common purpose, by listening to what our colleagues have to say and optimising performance through improved wellbeing, within the constraints of a school and business environment, we hope to make Ashville College the school of first choice in the Harrogate area with a reputation for delivering excellent outcomes for the pupils entrusted to our care.”

An inspirational teacher has swapped Harrow School Hong Kong for Harrogate to take up a prominent new role at Ashville, joining the ambitious senior leadership team.

Ms Abigail Hiley joins Ashville after eight successful years at Harrow International School in Hong Kong, where she developed a passion for integrating digital technologies to enhance teaching and learning.

She has also taught in the UK and Dubai, amassing a broad perspective on excellent global education practices.

Working alongside Mr Phil Soutar, Head of Prep School, and the senior leaders, Ms Hiley is eager to build on Ashville’s rich and diverse curriculum.

She will focus on embedding essential, transferable skills to prepare pupils for the challenges of the modern world, while also driving forward the use of technology in the classroom.

In addition, she will play a key role in fostering professional development among Ashville teachers.

Reflecting on her new role, Ms Hiley said:

“It’s an exciting time to join Ashville, and I’m looking forward to enhancing the learning opportunities for pupils here. The warm welcome from the Ashville families and the wider Harrogate community has been wonderful.”

Ms Hiley’s journey into education began early.

“I knew teaching was my calling from a young age,” she said.

“After starting my career in the UK, I became fascinated by the opportunity to work internationally and experience different cultures, which greatly enriched my professional life.”

Although her time in Hong Kong allowed her to explore varied educational practices across Asia, the pull of home brought her back to the UK.

“Ashville’s commitment to excellence really resonated with me when I read their Strategic Intents. I’m excited to be part of a school that is deeply rooted in the community and strives to be the independent school of choice in the region. I am excited about a senior role in such an ambitious 2-18 school.”

Mr Phil Soutar, Head of Prep School added:

“We’re delighted to have Abigail on board. Her expertise will be invaluable as we continue to grow, with over 45 new pupils joining this term alone. Her leadership will undoubtedly help us go from strength to strength.”

“This is a great time to join Ashville and share the Head’s ambition and vision for the Prep School and the whole College.”