Ashville Rated as a great school with ‘new energy’ in prestigious Good Schools Guide

Visit the ‘new’ Ashville, for Open Day on Saturday 27 September, a growing and successful school for girls and boys aged 2 – 18.

An inspector writing for the prestigious Good Schools Guide has praised Harrogate’s Ashville as a great school with ‘strong learning and high aspirations, tempered with holistic ambitions’.

Pupils from Ashville have gone on to achieve the best A Level results in Harrogate again for 2025 and the variety of leaver destinations includes the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the Royal Northern College of Music and a sought-after apprenticeship with Ernst & Young.

Regarded as the most independent, critical and fair examination of schools, the Good Schools Guide report is highly respected and trusted by parents worldwide. 

Ashville and its teachers were applauded throughout the report which highlighted an ‘overwhelming sense of enthusiasm and community from every child’.

The review states: “The atmosphere is bubbly and exciting to experience. There is a new energy amongst the staff and parents, but most importantly from the children. There are big plans for the ‘New Ashville’ with plans for significant structural developments and a re-focussing of the holistic ethos; and everyone we spoke to is on board for the ride.”

Planning for the future

Ashville has unveiled the next stage in its masterplan to develop the 70-acre campus further. Already in the last 12 months more than £1m has been invested.

Phase 2 of Ashville’s plan this summer has reimagined its estate and taken it into a new era with a major refurbishment of its Sixth Form Centre and the creation of a Learning Hub for Year 7. This project has been complemented by developments in Ashville’s Prep School, where younger pupils now benefit from a redevelopment of the playground and senior pupils can now enjoy outdoor learning and socialising courtesy of an eye-catching outdoor seating area - under novel canvas ‘sails’.

A clear ethos

The Good Schools Guide also described the Head, Rhiannon Wilkinson, as ‘fantastic’ and someone who is making ‘a positive change’ with a ‘proactive’ approach and a ‘very visible’ and ‘clear ethos’. 

The school’s extensive sporting facilities and impressive arts provisions were also highly praised in the report with over 140 co-curricular clubs per week.

Under the visionary leadership of Rhiannon Wilkinson, Ashville has entered a new era. At its core is a commitment to fostering high academic standards, cultivating curiosity, and equipping pupils with the skills needed to navigate a fast-changing world.

This philosophy shapes every aspect of school life, from the vibrant Early Years provision to ‘Six @ Ashville’; the new pre-university experience for Sixth Form.