Ashford School

Ashford School is an independent day and boarding school, which has enriched the lives of thousands of young people since it opened in 1898. We provide childcare and education for boys and girls aged from 3 months to 18 years. We benefit from being part of the large family of schools that is the United Church Schools Trust.

Since its beginnings, Ashford has had a tradition of academic excellence and achievement, but this is only part of the picture. The great strength of the school lies in its ability to develop and demonstrate self-reliance, compassion and boldness. Of profound importance are the relationships and experiences that the school nurtures, the freedom to be creative, the enterprise to initiate and the resilience to cope with adversity. Individuals count at Ashford, and their whole development is central to what, for us, education is about.

As Head, my focus is to ensure that every child is imbued with an unending craving for learning and discovers themselves by having the opportunity to explore, to know, to do, to share and to be.

Mike Buchanan

Our aim;
Preparation for life

Ashford School and Ashford Friars Prep School promote self-reliance, responsibility, compassion and boldness, and also foster a sense of teamwork, the intellectual freedom to be creative, the confidence and enterprise to initiate, the resilience to cope with adversity.

Individuality, diversity & curiousity

The School is a diverse community where individuality is valued. We encourage intellectual curiosity and aim to help each girl and boy to develop independence of mind and spirit.

Vitally important to this development is the breadth of co-curricular opportunities available to every member of the School.

All pupils have the opportunity to discover their own creativity, abilities and strengths through a range of sporting, artistic, cultural and social activities, which run in parallel to their academic development.




Ashford School is situated very close to Ashford International Rail terminal, 1h 20m by train from Central London, and also enjoys close proximity to the M20.

The Senior School occupies a 25+ acre site in a prominent position close to the centre of Ashford, whilst the Preparatory School is located in the rural village of Great Chart, two miles outside of Ashford.