Ashbourne Independent Sixth-form College
Principal:
Mr. Michael Kirby BApSc MSc
17 Old Court Place
Kensington
London
W8 4PL
Tel:
+44 (0)20 7937 3858
Fax:
+44 (0)20 7937 2207
E-mail:
Web:
The College's friendly and informal atmosphere is based on the Oxbridge tutorial system inspiring excellent teaching that is conducive to efficient and enjoyable learning.
At the CIFE awards 2010 two of our students won outstanding achievement prizes
In 2006/07 Ashbourne's A level students achieved 72% A/B grades and 87% A/B/C grades.
In the league table published by the Financial Times in March 2008 Ashbourne rose to position 420.
Ethos and achievement
Ashbourne is a small, closely-knit college, which recognizes the ability in every student and where students' happiness comes first. We aim to help each of our students to reach their academic potential. 69% of all A level exams over the past three years have resulted in an A or B grade (519 exams).
A personal approach
Each student is assigned to a Personal Tutor who acts as guide, mentor, and counselor. As well as liaising between teachers, students and parents, Personal Tutors offer exceptional support and encouragement via individual meetings with their students for advice, counseling and university (UCAS) applications.
Individual attention encourages ambition
We have an average class size of only 6/7 students, and we allocate significantly more contact time to teaching each class than the great majority of schools do. This allows our students to proceed with their studies in a relaxed and confident way and to complete the required material with plenty of time in hand for revision.
Working for success: objective assessment and feedback
The generous provision of teaching time allows for mock exams each half term. These provide crucial indicators of academic performance and add vital clarity to the half-termly reports from each teacher. Our teachers can commit to setting and marking a lot of homework and they devote all the time needed to talk it through. This close system of communication and feedback is, we believe, the essence of education.
Opportunity: subject choice
Ashbourne offers a huge range of choice and guarantees to timetable any combination of 4 AS or 3 A2 levels from this selection, provided students register in good time. The diversity of timetables encourages interaction, friendship and contentment.
A beautiful and stimulating location
The college overlooks one of London's most beautiful parks and is close to many of London's outstanding facilities, including the Museums of Science and Natural History and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Excitement beyond the classroom
We put a lot of effort into extra-curricular activities, which we believe help our students build confidence and maturity. The highlight of the year is the Revue, a passionate production of dance, drama, music and fashion, which involves more than 50% of the college. Each year, during the Spring half term, we organize a trip to the Continent.
