Ashbourne Independent Sixth Form College

Ashbourne is a place where I can be myself all the time, it's where all my hard work is appreciated. The environment in the college is remarkable, the teachers and style of teaching is outstanding, and my improvement and grades are all proof of that. They give individual attention for all students, which is very comforting as an international student. I couldn't have made a better choice.

My son attended Ashbourne for his A levels, coming from abroad. I was worried and anxious how he would fit in an unfamiliar system. The teachers here helped speed up the process and he seemed so content I encouraged him to accept the offer to join Ashbourne. At no point did he feel not supported or out of his depth, despite being a complete foreigner and barely understood Sixth Form or how University. application works in the UK.Coming here was an important decision for my son's education, and I would recommend it to any parent in a similar situation as mine.

I was an A1 student at Ashbourne College during the Academic Year 2015-16 and it was one of the best experiences of my life! The course was challenging but, throughout the year, I received full support from all the teachers and members of staff. The quality of teaching is excellent, as the classes are very small and the teachers can focus on every student.Thanks to the extremely high teaching quality and professional environment, I was able to get very good grades in my A-Levels and enter a Russell Group University, from which I just recently graduated with a First Class! I truly believe none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for the strong academic skills that I built during my experience at Ashbourne.Moreover, the school is located in an amazing and safe neighbourhood and you have the opportunity of meeting students from all around the world!

Our daughter attended Ashbourne from 2018-2021. She was incredibly happy and thrived beyond measure at Ashbourne. Her transition from an entirely different school environment was made easier and seamless under the staff's guidance, which nurtured a friendly, healthy, and relaxed working environment. Even though she is now at Univesity, her Ashbourne friends remain some of her closest friends. Although she is in her 2nd year at university, she will always make time in her holidays to go and see some of the staff at Ashbourne.Lee Kirby and his staff offer the highest level of Academic Excellence and promote an 'Open Door' policy for students and parents in equal measure. This approach makes the students feel part of a tightly-knit school community, and parents feel included and informed. Our daughter had high regard for all her teachers, but she was particularly inspired by her A' Level English teacher, James, who (our daughter reliably tells us) had an enormous classroom presence and a lively personality. It was clear that the teachers were committed and had high expectations of all their students.As parents, we owe an immense debt of thanks to Lee and Fran, who made our job as parents so much easier.It is a truly excellent school full of positive energy and vibes.

When I first joined ashbourne I was nervous, as it was my first time studying in a different country. The teachers and staff were very welcoming and helpful, this allowed me to settle in quickly. Ashbourne definitely excels in giving individual attention to students, the small classroom sizes and PT sessions make this a lot easier. The location of ashbourne is excellent, making commuting much easier. Ashbourne really cares for its students, this care is personified in the form of Lee Kirby the director of studies at Ashbourne!

I had a great experience studying at Ashbourne college! The college provides outstanding teaching and education, and great work/class environment. The tutors provide each students with individual attention. They encouraged and pushed us to work to our full potential and keep us motivated. Ashbourne college has helped us achieve the amazing grades to get into top university. Not only have they helped me in getting in to my dream university (LSE) for my undergraduate degree, Mike Kirby, the principal and founder of Ashbourne college, have also been very helpful and supportive in my application process for postgraduate study after four years of leaving Ashbourne college.Tutors and staff are very friendly and approachable. They are efficient and always willing to help. Highly recommended!

I first heard about Ashbourne after my teacher had been approached regarding available scholarships for the new Drama A Level. After my audition and my interview, I was offered a place and joined in the September of 2008. I look back so fondly on my time at Ashbourne; I met people from all over the world, worked with people who were interested a range of entirely different subjects and was taught by inspiring and enthusiastic teachers. I was always greeted by a smiling face in the morning from the reception team and made friends that I am still in contact with today.Ashbourne is a very special place. I felt that I was given the freedom to explore areas that interested me and taught to manage my time and my deadlines, whilst safe in the knowledge that there was always someone there to support me if I was struggling. I found the transition from Ashbourne to studying Film and completing my masters both at the University of Kent so seamless, as I had already grown accustomed to seminar-style classes, taking thorough notes and being productive during free periods - all things I learnt at Ashbourne. As a member of the student body, the admin team and now as as a member of the admissions and teaching departments I think it's safe to say that there's something about the community spirit at Ashbourne that keeps people close. Given a time machine I would easily do it all again.

My daughter attended Ashbourne college in the academic year 2018/2019. Our experience with the school has been wonderful. My daughter took an accelerated one year course for the completion of her A levels and despite the time contraints, she achieved remarkable results. She is now studying computer science at a Russel Group university with great marks.These results were made possible thanks to the outstanding support from the teachers, the one to one sessions provided by the college, and the rigorous learning environment. The school also provided out of hours sessions for all students and given the small class size, managed to give individual and on going support to all students.

The school does not have your best interests at heart; they focus most on the appearance, to look as if they are a caring, scholarly environment. The teachers themselves are so and so. Some teachers, especially in the Social Sciences are clearly there because they are friendly with leadership, despite having low teaching ability. There are numerous instances with the school, especially with this year’s A-Level fiasco where it is clear the school submitted much lower grades than students deserved. The school has a horrible association with drugs; with staff and students smoking outside the school frequently. There is much more to say but I’ll end it here, you’re much better off sending your children to other private schools in the UK - a concerned parent.

I see Ashbourne as a truly outstanding college. It is an environment where I am able to express myself and it creates an environment that encourages me to develop and innovate as a leader of a thriving faculty. I am determined to continue to develop myself and my team and I know that this is made more attainable with Ashbourne's huge investment in support and encouragement through CPD, a superb administration staff an an excellent team of teachers within my Faculty. I am very proud to work, educate and collaborate with some amazing talent at Ashbourne. It is a truly remarkable place to work.