EDUCATION
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
ASHFORD SCHOOL : INSPIRING MINDS
MR NICK TILEY-NUNN , HEAD OF ASHFORD PREP SCHOOL
At Ashford Prep School we have a simple motto : Always Be Caring . On the one hand , this relates to the warm and friendly environment that we try to foster in our school , but it also relates to how much we as both staff and pupils care about being at our best ; not worrying about being perfect , but constantly aiming higher and taking pride in what we do .
Over the last few years , the word ‘ unprecedented ’ has been used with frankly unprecedented regularity due to the turbulent nature of life as we know it . This adjustment to new normality has been deeply unsettling for all of us , but especially so for children and young people . It is for this reason that I believe there has never been a more important time to care about education and why it is crucial to ensure that the formative primary years set children on a pathway to a lifelong love of learning .
Children deserve an education that not only inspires their minds but also builds them up to be the very best possible versions of themselves . In order to achieve this , the educational offer must have breadth , depth and be adventurous in nature . Most importantly , children deserve an education that makes them happy . Schools achieve this with hugely varying levels of success , but I am proud to say that this is something that is very much at the heart of Ashford Prep School .
In the classroom , our children engage in an academically rigorous curriculum with English and mathematics rightly at the core , but that also offers much more . With a commitment to supporting the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate ( PSB ), our curriculum fosters the development of core skills by placing equal value on all subjects whether that be home economics or science , design technology or French , computing or global perspectives . We firmly believe that learning should be the ultimate adventure and the outcomes that we achieve at the end of Year 6 are testament to the incredible journey that our pupils experience .
However , it is not just in the classroom that pupils thrive at our school ; it is in opportunities to sing , dance and act in front of an audience ; it is in representing the school as part of a sports team whether that be playing in the finals of a national tournament or stepping onto the pitch for the first time ; it is in opportunities to be adventurous in our Forest School or on trips such as bushcraft . Perhaps most notably , it is evident in the participation by choice in over 100 different co-curricular activities from Little Inventors to Musical Theatre where there is something guaranteed to spark curiosity and put a smile on the face of each and every pupil .
We also care deeply about supporting our children to not only become great pupils but , more importantly , great people . Central to this is the pursuit of happiness – put simply , we believe that happiness breeds success . With unrivalled pastoral care , small classes , specialist Wellbeing Team support and bespoke initiatives such as our very own Wellbeing Journals , our children grow up in an environment where they can be themselves and feel truly cherished .
Finally , it is in the warmth of interaction and the palpable sense of belonging that one can truly appreciate what it means to be part of a school that is committed to always be caring . This has to be experienced first-hand and I would encourage anyone who would like to find out more about our incredible school to come and visit us – you are always welcome at Ashford Prep School .
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