Ashfold School

Well done to Pre-Prep 2 pupils who took part in their cricket showcase this week.

The coaches, and our Form 8 Young Leaders, were all very impressed with their accuracy when bowling, coordination when batting and teamwork when fielding. They have shown terrific progress this term and it was fantastic for them to show what they have learnt to their families.

We look forward to seeing them playing in fixtures this time next year.

Learning moved outdoors at Ashfold today for our annual Empty Classroom Day.
On this day, we make a conscious effort to reduce our electricity use, take lessons beyond the classroom, and place conservation and environmental awareness at the heart of everything we do.

This year’s Oceans theme supported our fundraising for Seas4Life Foundation, and pupils and staff across the school dressed in blue to show their support.

From maths to music, science to scriptwriting, learning was inspired by ocean ecology topics, bringing creativity, curiosity and purpose together.

Form 8 set off on their residential to the Brecon Beacons through the rain on Monday morning, but have since been much luckier with the weather.

Spirits have remained high as pupils embrace a wide range of outdoor activities, rising to the challenges of paddleboarding, cycling and canoeing.

Yesterday brought even more adventure, as they took on gorge walking, climbing and jumping, showing resilience, teamwork and plenty of courage!

Florence and Lottie travelled to the London Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Park at the weekend to compete in the IAPS National Swimming Finals.

Having both qualified among the top 20 swimmers in the country for the 50m butterfly in their respective age groups, they rose to the occasion with outstanding swims.
Lottie finished a brilliant 16th while Florence secured an impressive 13th place in their age categories.

Mr Hulme shared that while a visit to the Olympic Park is always exciting, it’s even more special when watching Ashfold pupils compete and excel! Well done to them both.

It was a pleasure to welcome Mr Oli Parker to Ashfold this afternoon for Junior Evensong. Oli is joining the Stowe Group as the Group's Prep School Chaplain in September and we were delighted he was able to give his first 'Stowe Group' sermon at Ashfold today.

He spoke thoughtfully about the importance of serving others rather than being served, a key message that runs throughout Ashfold and its core values of Kindness and Respect.

Our choir sang Amazing Grace beautifully, before closing the service with an uplifting rendition of You Shall Go Out with Joy.

Welcome back!
The second half of the Summer Term began with calm focus today as Form 8 pupils started Common Entrance exams and Forms 5–7 entered revision week.
Good luck to all those taking exams this half term.

We were delighted to welcome parents into school for our Open Afternoon before we finished for the half term break.

Pupils loved sharing their recent work, talking about their learning and giving their families a glimpse into daily life in the classroom at Ashfold.

Pre-Prep 2 enjoyed hot chocolate with the Head of Pre-Prep in the sunshine today.

Pupils earn this reward by gaining points for their ‘wonderful walking’; moving around school thoughtfully and respectfully while others are learning, and this half term it was a dead heat between PP2E and PP2B so the whole year group came together.

It's a time to relax, celebrate and chat to Mrs White. A lovely moment of sunshine and smiles!

Congratulations to Seb on his outstanding success at the IAPS U13 Triathlon Championships, held at Monkton Prep at the weekend.

Representing Ashfold, Seb delivered an exceptional performance, with his dedication and hard work in training clearly paying off as he secured first place by an impressive margin of over two minutes.

A fantastic achievement, very well done, Seb!

Jack and Archie proudly represented Ashfold at the IAPS National Debate Final this week, competing against 11 Prep Schools from across the UK.

They tackled challenging motions on government spending and education with impressive confidence, preparation, and teamwork. Their thoughtful arguments and strong rebuttals secured a place in the Cup competition, where they continued to debate with maturity and determination, narrowly missing out on the grand final.

A fantastic achievement and outstanding ambassadors for Ashfold.