Ashbourne Independent Sixth Form College

"A level teaching was inconsistently taught and there was a real lack of support. I started suffering from mental health issues due to the stress and isolation. I was repeated advised this was because I wasn't actually smart enough to achieve good grades. I internalised this and started to believe I wasn't smart enough to pursue university, despite excelling before and after attending."

"Our daughter attended Ashbourne from 2018-2021. She was incredibly happy and thrived beyond measure at Ashbourne. Her transition from an entirely different school environment was made easier and seamless under the staff's guidance, which nurtured a friendly, healthy, and relaxed working environment. Even though she is now at Univesity, her Ashbourne friends remain some of her closest friends. Although she is in her 2nd year at university, she will always make time in her holidays to go and see some of the staff at Ashbourne. Lee Kirby and his staff offer the highest level of Academic Excellence and promote an 'Open Door' policy for students and parents in equal measure. This approach makes the students feel part of a tightly-knit school community, and parents feel included and informed. Our daughter had high regard for all her teachers, but she was particularly inspired by her A' Level English teacher, James, who (our daughter reliably tells us) had an enormous classroom presence and a lively personality. It was clear that the teachers were committed and had high expectations of all their students. As parents, we owe an immense debt of thanks to Lee and Fran, who made our job as parents so much easier. It is a truly excellent school full of positive energy and vibes."

"My daughter attended Ashbourne college in the academic year 2018/2019. Our experience with the school has been wonderful. My daughter took an accelerated one year course for the completion of her A levels and despite the time contraints, she achieved remarkable results. She is now studying computer science at a Russel Group university with great marks.These results were made possible thanks to the outstanding support from the teachers, the one to one sessions provided by the college, and the rigorous learning environment. The school also provided out of hours sessions for all students and given the small class size, managed to give individual and on going support to all students."

"I was an A1 student at Ashbourne College during the Academic Year 2015-16 and it was one of the best experiences of my life! The course was challenging but, throughout the year, I received full support from all the teachers and members of staff. The quality of teaching is excellent, as the classes are very small and the teachers can focus on every student. Thanks to the extremely high teaching quality and professional environment, I was able to get very good grades in my A-Levels and enter a Russell Group University, from which I just recently graduated with a First Class! I truly believe none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for the strong academic skills that I built during my experience at Ashbourne. Moreover, the school is located in an amazing and safe neighbourhood and you have the opportunity of meeting students from all around the world!"

"I had a great experience studying at Ashbourne college! The college provides outstanding teaching and education, and great work/class environment. The tutors provide each students with individual attention. They encouraged and pushed us to work to our full potential and keep us motivated. Ashbourne college has helped us achieve the amazing grades to get into top university. Not only have they helped me in getting in to my dream university (LSE) for my undergraduate degree, Mike Kirby, the principal and founder of Ashbourne college, have also been very helpful and supportive in my application process for postgraduate study after four years of leaving Ashbourne college. Tutors and staff are very friendly and approachable. They are efficient and always willing to help. Highly recommended!"