Final Phase Of Ashville College’s Multi-Million-Pound Refurbishment Is Underway

The final phase of Ashville’s multi-million-pound campus improvement scheme has begun.

The work, which will be completed ahead of the new school year in September, is centred around its Elmfield teaching block, the senior girls’ boarding house and dining room.

The £1.3 million project, being carried out by Leeds-based Jack Lunn, will include the total refurbishment of ten classrooms. As well as the ceilings being lowered, new windows, doors and central heating radiators are being fitted throughout.

In addition to the overhaul of all teaching and learning areas attention is being turned to enhancing other aspects of the pupils’ environment. Norfolk House, the senior girls’ boarding house, is seeing a continuation of phased work started there 12 months ago and the dining room is being redecorated.

Ashville College Headmaster Mark Lauder said: “This is the last piece of a five year, £5 million jigsaw to transform the areas of teaching and learning within the senior school.

“When the pupils return in September, the Elmfield Teaching Block will be virtually unrecognisable.

“Thanks to this considerable investment we will be able to boast some of the most modern facilities in the North of England. And, now that work to all the teaching and learning areas has been completed, we can now turn our attention to other parts of the pupils’ environment.”  

Mr Lauder added: “This will include a new astro turf surface for hockey and tennis, which will be suitable for staging regional tournaments.

“We are also going to be carrying out a major drainage exercise under all of our playing surfaces and carrying out at a major refurbishment of the Soothill Hall, which is our main auditorium.”

Work in Progress. Ashville College Headmaster Mark Lauder (left) examines plans for the Elmfield Block with Jack Lunn Project Manager Jeff Gale.

Ashville College Celebrates Outstanding A-Level Results

Ashville College, Harrogate, is once again celebrating excellent A-Level Results.

62 per cent of all exam results were graded A*- B, whilst the overall pass rate – which saw nine pupils achieve a clean sweep of A*s and A’s – was 97 per cent.

Ashville College’s headline figures for this year’s A Level results are:

• 61 per cent of students achieving at least one A or A*
• 16 per cent of all results were the top A*grade
• 62 per cent of all exams were graded A*-B
• Nine students passing with straight A*s and/or A’s
• Overall pass rate of 97 per cent

Ashville College Headmaster Mark Lauder said: “With competition for university places and jobs never being keener, our students have again risen to the challenge and excelled themselves in these exams. Ashville College continues to grow its reputation for academic success and this is borne out with these results.

“I’m very proud of all the students and their deserved success and I wish them well as they take up their university places in the Autumn. I’d also like to praise the work of our staff who have helped them achieve these excellent results.”

Individual student successes saw Rebecca Floyd passing her four A-Levels with four A*s, Oliver Penn passing his three with three A*s, and Anna Hartley achieving 3 A*s and 2 A’s. They join a group of nine students who got straight A’s or A*s. This includes Chantelle Roelefse, who is going to read Natural Sciences at Oxford University.

Leeds Undergraduate Shortlisted For Prestigious National Union of Students Award

An undergraduate from University of Salford has been shortlisted for a prestigious National Union of Students (NUS) award.

Jonathan Isaacs, from Alwoodley, is just one three students from a field of hundreds nationally in running to win Course Representative of the Year.

Across 13 categories, the NUS Awards celebrate excellence in the student movement and the outstanding contribution students and students’ unions make to the lives of students and their communities.

Jonathan, 21, who is studying Business Management With Law at the University of Salford, has been involved in Student Representation for the past three years; working first as a Student Rep and then later as a School Rep for Salford Business School.

His professional, approachable and proactive manner has helped a large number of students and helped the University to improve and make changes to a number of areas.

Of particular note was his work on timetables, which involved Jonathan surveying students in his school, arranging meetings with academic staff including the University Vice Chancellor, and helping to resolve recurring timetabling issues within the school.

Ricky Chotai, President of University of Salford Students’ Union said: “We are delighted that Jonathan has received this national recognition for his work on behalf of the Students’ Union.

“Jonathan is a great example of the successes the Representation system here at Salford can deliver, and this honour is a credit to his hard work.”

Jonathan, a former pupil of Ashville College, in Harrogate, will find out if he is a winner at the awards ceremony being held in Leeds on Wednesday, July 20.

Ashville College Welcomes New Headmaster Mark Lauder

Pupils and teachers at Harrogate’s Ashville College are beginning the new academic year under the leadership of a new headmaster.

Mark Lauder – the eighth headmaster in the independent school’s 133 year history – takes over the helm of the College as it nears the completion of a major programme of investment.

The 42-year-old, who has two Rowing Half Blues from Oxford University and lists golf, politics, and restoring his 17th Century Grade II Listed cottage in the Yorkshire Dales as hobbies, joins Ashville from Felsted School, Essex, where he was Deputy Headmaster and Head of Boarding.

Mark, who is married with two young sons, said: “I’m delighted to be joining Ashville College at such an exciting time. Not only is the school investing in its academic and sporting facilities, it is once again celebrating an outstanding set of A-Level and GCSE results.

“Ashville has an excellent reputation and was founded on strong Christian values, which are still very much in evidence today.

“During the interview process I was impressed by the facilities, the quality of teaching and learning, the pupils and pastoral care given to them, both boarders and day pupils alike

“I knew then that I very much wanted to be the headmaster of this school.”

Mark added: “My priority is to help take Ashville to the next level in terms of its sporting and academic prowess and, thanks to my predecessor, the platform is already in place for me to build on.”

“I also aim to provide strong leadership, but at the same be guided by the very experienced team we have in place at the school”.

Another key area Mark wants to develop is preparing pupils for the Oxbridge application process, a field he has considerable experience in.

“I’m very much looking forward to becoming involved in Harrogate life. It’s a beautiful town to live and work in. My wife, Caroline, studied music at Leeds University, so she was already familiar with it,” he said.

A keen sportsman, Mark has coached rowing teams and was head coach of Oxford University’s Lightweight Rowing Club.

For the last 16 years, Mark has been a rugby coach and holds a RFU referring certificate. He is looking forward to getting involved with coaching at Ashville.

Mark was educated at Hermitage Academy, Helensburgh and studied at the University of Aberdeen where he achieved an MA Hons in English Literature and History.

He spent a year at the University of Oregon as part of an American student exchange programme. Mark’s first academic post was at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, as History Tutor for the American Exchange Course and he went on to become the Junior Dean of his college.

It was here that completed research on James VI and Anglo-Scottish Diplomacy, 1578-1603.

Before taking up post at Felsted, Mark was Head of History and a Housemaster at St Edward’s School, Oxford. He has also been Head of History at Shiplake College, Henley, where he began his teaching career.

Ashville Pupils Tracking Former Students’ Pipe-Raft Ocean Adventure

Two former Harrogate school boys – who are attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a raft constructed of plastic water pipes – are having their epic journey followed every step of the way by pupils at their old school.

David Hildred and Andrew Bainbridge, who were both pupils at Ashville College, are taking part in the An-Tiki Expedition, which will see them attempting to sail from La Gomera, in The Canaries, to the Bahamas, a journey of 2,800 miles, to raise funds for the charity WaterAid.

The pair – who were classmates at the independent school in the early 1970s and began their ‘exploring’ at the age of 11 with camping trips to the Yorkshire Dales – have kept in touch ever since, answered an advert in a national newspaper five years ago, seeking “three crew. Must be OAP. Serious adventurers only”.

It was placed by 84-year-old Anthony Smith, an adventurer, broadcaster and writer. Mr Hildred, a civil engineer and ocean yacht master – who has explored the Amazon in a dug our canoe – not only met Mr Smith, but also persuaded Mr Bainbridge, who is also an experienced seaman, to join them.

Once the raft sets sail, the journey will be closely monitored by pupils from Ashville College’s Junior School, as part of their geography studies.

Ashville Junior School Head Teacher Jonathan Dolman said: “This is truly an epic adventure, and we will be monitoring their progress every step of the way.

“What makes this even more exciting is that David and Andrew are both Old Ashvillians. Hopefully their exploits will inspire some of the current pupils to become adventurers themselves!”

The pupils are plotting the journey on a chart as well as planning to send regular emails to the crew for updates on their progress. They are also going to make a raft, based on the An-Tiki, and sail it in the school’s swimming pool.

The raft, which will be the floating home to the former Ashvillians for roughly 70 days, comprises of four main pipes, each approximately 39 feet (11.5m) long. It measures 20 feet (6m) wide.
It will be equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and communications powered by solar panels.

Two wood and corrugated metal shelters will be where the crew live, cook, sleep and communicate to the outside world from.

Another key member of the team is professional balloonist, Robin Batchelor, who has flown in 36 countries.

Passengers of hot air balloons he has piloted include former American President Jimmy Carter, Prince Edward and Robert Redford. He has also made two televisions series with actor Stephen Tompkinson.

Details of the An-Tiki Expedition, its crew and aims, plus a blog, can be viewed at http://gasballoon.com/antiki/

Celebration Weekend – New Format!

This year, there is a new format to the July Celebration Weekend.

For the first time, the main day for Old Ashvillians to get together will be the Sunday morning and afternoon, instead of Saturday lunchtime and evening.

OA President David Bulmer said: “For last number of years we have been looking at the Celebration Weekend and how to make it more appealing for OAs to venture back to Harrogate.

“Instead of the main thrust being on the Saturday, we are moving our activities to Sunday. We hope this will prove popular and it means young OAs can do their own thing on Saturday night and come to Ashville the next day.”

In addition to the Sunday programme of events, the Society is planning to make more of an occasion when the OAs take on the school at rugby and netball.

“This sporting fixture is usually the weekend before everyone heads to university. We want to make more of this event and encourage more OAs to attend,” said David.

And, for the first time, the OAs will be hosting a Christmas drinks reception in the Memorial Hall. This will be held from 7pm on Monday, December, 19. It will be free for those OAs under 25 and £5 for everyone else.

David added: “It is our intention for the Society to become more active, not only in Harrogate, but around the country too. The success of the London lunch , which will become an annual event, shows there is a demand for these occasions.”

Details of all forthcoming OA reunions will be published on the website – http://www.ashvillian-society.org and on the OA facebook page.