Heathfield School, Ascot

Last updated

Heathfield School
Heathfield School Ascot Logo.png
Address
Heathfield School, Ascot
London Road

Ascot
,
Berkshire
,
SL5 8BQ

England
Coordinates 51°24′50″N0°42′35″W / 51.4138°N 0.7098°W / 51.4138; -0.7098
Information
Type Independent boarding and day school
MottoThe Merit of One is the Honour of All
Religious affiliation(s) Church of England
Established1899
FounderEleanor Beatrice Wyatt
Local authorityBracknell Forest
Department for Education URN 110117 Tables
HeadmistressSarah Wilson [1]
Genderfemale
Age11to 18
Enrolment240
Houses Austen
de Valois
Seacole
Somerville
Former pupils HOGS & SMOGS
Website www.heathfieldschool.net

Heathfield School is a girls' independent boarding and day school in Ascot, Berkshire, England. [2] In 2006, the school absorbed St Mary's School, Wantage and was briefly named Heathfield St Mary's School but reverted to Heathfield School in 2009 to prevent confusion with another local girls' school St Mary's School, Ascot. The school's grounds cover 36 acres (15 ha) situated on the edge of Ascot (actually in Bracknell Forest), providing access from London, the major airports, the M3 and M4 motorways.

Contents

History

Heathfield Ascot

The school stands in 36 acres of grounds on the outskirts of Ascot and has done so since Heathfield School was founded in 1899 by Eleanor Beatrice Wyatt, its first headmistress. In 1882, at the age of 24, Miss Wyatt and her mother had opened Queen's Gate School in South Kensington, London. [3]

Until this point Miss Wyatt had been concentrating on educating boys and girls from the lower-middle and lower classes; however, she was convinced that the best way to further education for all was to educate those who could in turn educate others. This coincided with Miss Wyatt's desire to move out of a congested and claustrophobic London. The problem she faced was that, while wishing to move to a more spacious country location, she still wanted to maintain in proximity to London and the school's active Old Girl network. In 1899 the solution was found in Ascot, Berkshire, and Heathfield School was founded in a beautiful Italianate building, the original home of the Paravacini family. On 8 May, the school was officially opened and the Chapel blessed. [ citation needed ]

St Mary's Wantage

The Reverend William John Butler became Vicar of Wantage on 1 January 1847. His main aims were, first, to revive the religious life in England and second, to improve education. He hoped to achieve these aims by setting up an order of teaching sisters, but he faced many disappointments and spent 25 years trying to improve various day schools in the parish before St Mary's School was founded in 1873. [ citation needed ]

The school was run by the sisters of the Community of St Mary the Virgin and was based in the Queen Anne house on Newbury Street. Sister Ellen was the first Sister-in-Charge and Sister Juliana succeeded her in 1887. Sister Juliana had studied at Cambridge and set a high standard for the girls, entering them for the Oxford and Cambridge local examinations.

Sister Annie Louisa joined the school in 1898 and started a guide movement called Scout Patrols in 1899 before Boy Scouts had even begun. She succeeded Sister Juliana as Headmistress in 1903. Sister Annie Louisa was responsible for the chief structural improvements at St Mary's including a science wing and the conversion of an old barn into a gymnasium. By the time Sister Annie Louisa left in 1919, St Mary's was recognised as a "public school with an unusually high standard of scholarship".

Facilities

The school is equipped with teaching, sporting and leisure facilities. In 2000, the school opened a 25m indoor heated swimming pool.

Following the merger of Heathfield School and St Mary's Wantage in 2006, a development plan was launched which delivered new facilities. Phase one of redevelopment, the enlargement of the main Library, and phase two, a new Cookery building and Performing Arts Centre, were completed in 2009. The Performing Arts Centre was officially opened in December 2009 as the St Mary's Theatre.

In the summer of 2014, work started on a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) building, providing a hub for the girls to study science subjects. [4] At the same time, the Spectrum (Learning Support and English as a Foreign Language) facility was moved and greatly expanded into four smart new classrooms and a meeting area. At the beginning of Michaelmas term 2015, the STEM building was completed and teaching in the new classrooms commenced. The eight classrooms are four Science Labs, two Maths classrooms, Psychology and PE classrooms. There is also a Science Prep room for the preparation of experiments. All classrooms are equipped with interactive SMARTboards, the four Labs receiving 65" HD touch displays.

In September 2022, The Cadogan Sixth Form Centre was opened - comprising dedicated Sixth Form classrooms, a large communal common room with kitchen, study room, wellbeing room and offices.

The school focuses on keeping the class sizes small which helps to focus on individual learning.

Academic

The 2018 ISI Inspection report noted that "The quality of pupils' academic and other achievements is excellent" and commended the pupils' enthusiastic committed approach to their learning. [5] It also found the quality of the pupils' personal development excellent. "The overall achievement of the pupils is excellent and represents the successful fulfilment of the school's ambitious aims."

Houses

All girls are placed in one of the four houses upon entry. A Head of House looks after the girls and is the first point of contact for parents and girls on issues. [6]

HouseColour
Austen   [7]
de Valois   [8]
Seacole   [9]
Somerville   [10]

Boarding

The boarding houses are separate from the house system. Instead, boarders are grouped into dormitories and boarding houses by years. A housemistress for each year and full-time residential staff reside on campus. Girls in Sixth Form live in separate accommodation similar to that of a hall of residence to prepare them for university life. [11] Having been one of the few remaining full boarding school for girls in the country, Heathfield School started accepting day girls who resided locally from the 2015–16 academic year onwards. [12]

Notable former pupils

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wycombe Abbey</span> Private girls school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England

Wycombe Abbey is an independent girls' boarding and day school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls schools in academic results.

St Mary's School was a private day and boarding girls' school located in Wantage, Oxfordshire, England. In 2007 it merged with Heathfield School to become Heathfield St Mary's School and the Wantage site was closed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roedean School</span> Girls school in Roedean near Brighton, East Sussex, England

Roedean School is an independent boarding and day school founded in 1885 in Roedean Village on the outskirts of Brighton, East Sussex, England, and governed by Royal Charter. It is for girls aged 11 to 18. The campus is situated near the Sussex Downs, on a cliff overlooking Brighton Marina and the English Channel. It is widely regarded as the "Eton College" of all-girls boarding schools in the United Kingdom.

St Catherine's School is a Catholic private school for girls in Twickenham, London. The school is next to the River Thames and about two-thirds of a mile (1.1 km) from both Strawberry Hill and Twickenham railway stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rye St Antony School</span> Private day and boarding school in Oxford, England

Rye St Antony School is an independent Catholic boarding and day school for girls aged 3 to 18 years and boys aged 3 to 11 years in Headington, Oxford, England. The school's name is commonly abbreviated and referred to by both pupils and staff as 'Rye'. Rye is unique as a girls' independent Catholic school due to the fact that it was founded by two women rather than by a religious order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbots Bromley School</span> Former independent school in Staffordshire, England

Abbots Bromley School was a coeducational boarding and day private school in the village of Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original Woodard Schools — and the first such for girls — and so was an Anglican foundation that historically reflected the Anglo-Catholic ethos of the Woodard Foundation. It was affiliated to the Girls' Schools Association, but financial problems over many years closed it in the summer of 2019.

Lincoln Minster School is an independent co-educational day and boarding school in Lincoln, England.

The Community of St Mary the Virgin (CSMV) is an Anglican religious order based at Wantage in Oxfordshire, England. It was founded in 1848 by the vicar of Wantage, the Reverend William John Butler and is one of the oldest surviving religious communities in the Church of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's School Ascot</span> Girls school in Ascot, Berkshire, England

St Mary's School Ascot is a Roman Catholic independent day and boarding school for girls in Ascot, Berkshire, England. It is a member of the Girls' Schools Association. It was named 2015 "Public School of the Year" at the annual Tatler Schools Awards. It was ranked No. 1 in the U.K. by The Daily Telegraph in the 2018 GCSEs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Hallows Preparatory School</span> Preparatory day and boarding school in East Cranmore, Somerset, England

All Hallows School is a non-selective co-educational prep school that provides day and boarding facilities. A Christian School in the Catholic tradition the school accepts children from all faiths and none. The school is located a mile east of Cranmore village, near the town of Frome, Somerset, in the West of England. An ISI inspection in July 2014 rated all areas of the school as 'Excellent', the highest possible rating.

St Mary's School was a private Roman Catholic day and boarding school for girls, founded in 1945 in a rural setting near Shaftesbury, England. The school had a sixth form and was a member of the Girls' Schools Association. After operating at a loss for some time, the school closed in July 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrogate Ladies' College</span> Private day and boarding school in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England

Harrogate Ladies' College is a private boarding and day school located in the town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Founded as a girls' senior school in 1893, the college includes Highfield Prep School and educates girls from ages 2 to 18 and boys up to age 11. It is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and Allied Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Teresa's School Effingham</span> Private day and boarding school in Effingham, Surrey, England

St Teresa's Effingham is a selective, independent boarding and day school for girls aged 2–18 in Effingham, Surrey, England, established in 1928. It is a member of the Girls' Schools Association.

Notre Dame School is an independent Catholic girls day school located in Cobham, Surrey, England. The school includes both a preparatory school and a senior school.

Queen's Gate School is a private day school for girls aged 4–18 in Queen's Gate, South Kensington, London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Felix School</span> Private, day and boarding school in Southwold, Suffolk, England

Saint Felix School is a 2–18 mixed, private, day and boarding school in Reydon, Southwold, Suffolk, England. The school was founded in 1897 as a school for girls but is now co-educational.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prior's Field School</span> Private school in Surrey, UK

Prior's Field is an independent girls' boarding and day school in Guildford, Surrey in the south-east of England. Founded in 1902 by Julia Huxley, it stands in 42 acres of parkland, 34 miles south-west of London and adjacent to the A3 road, which runs between the capital and the south coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heathfield School, Pinner</span> Private day school in Pinner, Middlesex, England

Heathfield School was a private day school for girls in Pinner in the London Borough of Harrow. It merged with Northwood College in 2014 and the site was taken over by Pinner High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's School, Cambridge</span> Private day and boarding school in Cambridge, England

St Mary's School, Cambridge, England, is a private Christian school run in the Catholic tradition, offering day and boarding provision for girls aged three to eighteen. The school occupies two sites within walking distance of Cambridge city centre, close to the University Botanic Gardens, with sports fields a short distance away. There are approximately 160 junior school pupils, 400 senior school pupils and 100 sixth-form students.

Pembridge Hall is a non-selective preparatory school for girls located in Notting Hill, London, England. It is part of the Alpha Plus Group.

References

  1. ↑ "Heathfield School - Staff & Governors". Heathfield School. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  2. ↑ "Schools Guide 2013 - Heathfield School". Tatler.
  3. ↑ Our History Archived 12 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine , heathfieldschool.net; accessed 12 November 2014.
  4. ↑ New STEM Building
  5. ↑ 2018 ISI Inspection Report
  6. ↑ House System
  7. ↑ Austen House
  8. ↑ "De Valois House". Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  9. ↑ "Seacole House". Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  10. ↑ Somerville House
  11. ↑ "Boarding". Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  12. ↑ Day Boarding
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.