The Ashcombe School
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| The Ashcombe School | |
| Motto | 'I could teach you a thing or two. Yeah. Yeah.' |
| Established | 1976 |
| Type | Comprehensive school, Community school |
| Headteacher | David J. Blow |
| Specialism | Language |
| Location | Ashcombe Road Dorking Surrey RH4 1LY England |
| LEA | Surrey |
| Ofsted number | 125264 |
| Students | c. 1500 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11 to 18 |
| Houses | 4 |
| School colours | Navy blue |
| Website | The Ashcombe School |
| Coordinates: | |
The Ashcombe School is a mixed LEA comprehensive secondary school, in Dorking, Surrey. It has been classed as a specialist Language College under the Specialist Schools Trust since September 1998.
It was featured in the Independent and the Guardian as a school that teaches Mandarin.[1][2]
The Ashcombe School is a mixed community comprehensive school maintained by the Local Authority. It was founded in 1976, following the amalgamation of Dorking County Grammar School and Mowbray Secondary School. The school is situated in close proximity to some delightful Surrey countryside including Box Hill and Ranmore Common. The A24, A25, both Dorking Deepdene and Dorking railway stations (serving Horsham, Epsom, Guildford and Reigate) and Dorking F.C. are close by.
Pupils range in age from 11 to 18 and the current number on roll is approximately 1600 with a standard admission number of 240 pupils in Year 7, the year of intake.
Each year, approximately 240 pupils join The Ashcombe School from nearly 30 different primary and independent schools. The number of Sixth Form students is approximately 300, including some from other schools.
The school aims to provide opportunities for pupils of all abilities to achieve high standards. An excellent range of courses is available and the level of the school’s academic success is widely recognised. Our GCSE results have been consistent over several years with typically 100% gaining 5 A*-G, around 80% gaining 5 A*-C and 70% 5A*-C including Maths and English and over 20 pupils gaining 5 or more A* grades. In addition to A-levels (which are now divided into AS and A2 level courses), the sixth form offers a limited number of GCSEs and GNVQ. In the A-level examinations the average points score per student is consistently around 350pts per student. As a result of these successes, most of our students have been offered university places, including entries to Oxbridge.
Curriculum provision is based upon the National Curriculum which was first introduced in 1988 with the intention of providing a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum for all pupils until the age of 16. The school seeks to promote the personal growth of all pupils by developing appropriate skills and aptitudes by providing a cultural framework within which pupils can express their individuality and develop positive social attitudes.
A Specialist Language College
Specialist schools are existing secondary schools which provide rich experiences in their chosen specialism in addition to the National Curriculum. They are also expected to provide a resource for other schools and for their local communities and to have a particular concern for the vocational importance of their area of specialism.
The Ashcombe School became a Language College in September 1998. It sought this specialism in view of the predominance of service sector businesses within this area of Surrey and the increasingly international commercial world. The school is very aware that employers need people who can operate effectively across linguistic and cultural boundaries. As a Language College we receive additional funding to enable the school to apply the most modern information and communication technology to the teaching and learning of languages, to extend opportunities for pupils to learn languages (which now include Mandarin Chinese) and to widen the scope for all pupils to communicate directly with students overseas both through exchange visits. Two multi-media rooms dedicated to the teaching of languages give the school outstanding facilities. Language and international links are not confined to the Modern Languages Department but pervade the whole curriculum. The language college opportunities enhance our commitment to a broad and balanced curriculum.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Evan Davies, BBC Economics Editor
- Jamie Mackie, footballer
