insideKENT Magazine Issue 39 - June 2015 | Page 153

EDUCATION

Ashford School announces
major investment in new
sports facilities
Work is beginning next month on the
construction of another full-size, 3G, floodlit Astroturf
at Ashford School.
Lizzie Yarnold Opens Ashford School's Sports Centre Last September

The new development will be accompanied by
a further seven grass pitches for rugby, football,
lacrosse etc, a 400-metre running track, and four
cricket wickets. The development is located next
to the Prep School in Great Chart and will be for
use by both Senior and Prep pupils.
Head, Mike Buchanan, said: “Sport at Ashford
School is a key and strong element of our pupils'
education. This development will enhance greatly
the facilities available, hence the quality of what
we are able to do.”
Ashford School already has Astroturf on the
Senior site in East Hill, and in September
celebrated the opening of its brand new sports
centre with a visit from Olympic gold medallist,
Lizzie Yarnold. The centre comprises a Sports

England-size hall, a teaching room with viewing
balcony, changing rooms and staff offices.
Sport plays a major part in the life of an Ashford
School student with ball skills being taught in
Nursery, and children progressing to hockey and
netball in Reception. By the time they are in the
Prep School, children enjoy five and a half hours
of curriculum sport a week with a host of cocurricular activities to choose from on top of that.
In the Senior School, there are two games
afternoons a week, swimming and PE lessons,
and specialist coaching sessions in games such
as rugby after school. Early mornings see the
swimming teams training in the school’s two
pools. Activities such as fencing and taekwondo
are on offer as part of the school’s compulsory
co-curricular programme.

Ashford School already turns out exceptionally
talented sportsmen and women with many
reaching national level in sports such as pentathlon
and triathlon. Pupils are regularly selected to play
for the county in games such as rugby and
hockey. The development of these new facilities
will further enhance the opportunities available
to pupils.
It is hoped the Astroturf will be operational before
Christmas this year, with the other pitches ready
for use in the course of the coming academic
year.
www.ashfordschool.co.uk

Northbourne Park School pupils visit
House Of Commons for an audience
with Dan Snow (The History Man)
SLC Pupils Hold Cake Sale
to Raise Funds for Nepal

Kent pupils help raise
funds for Nepal victims
St Lawrence College, an independent
day and boarding school in Ramsgate, is
proud to count a number of Nepalese
pupils amongst its population, who are
the children of Ghurkha soldiers serving
with the British Army. The news of the
recent earthquakes in Nepal and the
resulting devastation was therefore
particularly keenly felt and pupils were
quick to react, wanting to help.
Senior School pupils organised a cake sale, with Nepalese
pupils donating the money to buy cakes, which were
enjoyed by the rest of the school. The cake sale and
donations raised an amazing £1,172. Junior School pupils
and parents have been donating their loose change into a
paper mâché Mount Everest and the Parents’ Association
is kindly donating half the profits from the forthcoming
Summer Fête to the appeal also.

There's nothing more satisfying than sitting on the enclosed
terrace at the Palace of Westminster with the sun glinting off
the surface of the River Thames, listening with due enthralment
to the events of The Battle of Waterloo.
This spring, four fortunate Northbourne Park
School Year 8 pupils were kept engaged
and enrapt by the very personable historian,
Dan Snow (The One Show’s History Man).
He enlivened his presentation by getting
some of the students to re-enact the battle
whilst describing the tactics of the enigmatic
Napoleon Bonaparte and the intrepid Duke
of Wellington, with the latter victorious of
course!
The Year 8 pupils themselves responded
well to the historical enormity of the building
they were in and “were overawed by the
history contained in these walls”. Big Ben
also made an indelible imprint on their
memory as its gold leaf clockface glistened
in the spring sunshine.
The Battle of Waterloo Bicentennial
Commemoration celebrations will be hosted
locally in Broadstairs this June, marking the
moment when, in June 1815, a young Major
Percy came ashore in a rowing boat, fresh
from the battle of Waterloo, with the

www.slcuk.com

153

Northbourne Park's Year 8 Pupils
in View of Big Ben

breathtaking news that Napoleon was
beaten!
Watch this space for Northbourne Park’s
involvement in this event.
Christie Riley, History Department.
www.northbournepark.com