Ashbourne Independent Sixth-form College

The question for this year’s Literature Essay Competition has been released, inspired by the tumultuous year we’ve all had…

QUESTION:

“The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers & cities; but to know someone who thinks and feels with us, & who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Write an essay of no less than 1000 words, (including footnotes and appendices), utilising a relevant literary text of your choice on the theme of isolation and/or community.

The deadline for submission is Friday 18th June 2021.

The competition is open to all students aged between 14 and 18, including non-Ashbourne students. Entrants must not yet have commenced university study.

The prize for first place is £500, so this is certainly not an opportunity to be missed! Those lucky enough to be shortlisted will also receive a cash prize of £50.

You can find out about last year’s winner and their essay here: https://www.ashbournecollege.co.uk/news/english-essay-competition-winner-2020/

 

We look forward to reading your submission!

Each year, Ashbourne College hosts an audition day for students looking to secure scholarships in A-Level Music and Performing Arts (Drama and Theatre Studies). These scholarships, whilst difficult to achieve, are highly valuable, with offers going all the way up to 100% discount on Ashbourne’s tuition fees (roughly £60,000 for a two year course).

It was great to see such a range of talent and ability from this year’s applicants. We had students who had performed in West End shows, as well as students with no formal acting experience – all students and all levels are considered. What our Scholarship Panel are looking for are students engaged in their academic studies and with promise in performance.

The audition itself is simply a 1-2 minute instrumental performance (Music) or dramatic monologue (Drama). Students are then questioned on this performance, as well as their studies in general. This was the first year that our audition session was conducted entirely online, which made for both an interesting, and rather challenging, experience! All of the auditionees dealt with this fantastically.

Now that our scholarship students for 2021 have been selected, it is great to see them preparing and getting excited for their courses which commence in September. Currently, our Drama Department is working with the University of Cambridge trialling resources for their consideration of Ancient Greek drama in combination with Jez Butterworth’s play Jerusalem. Ashbourne’s Drama students also have access to Digital Theatre Plus that contains online performances of 500 Broadway and West End shows, which has been essential viewing during lockdown. Students have also been using Drama Online to maintain their reading in preparation for their university applications.

Whilst the audition day itself has passed for this year, Ashbourne considers applications for scholarship throughout the year so if this is something you are interested in please do contact our Admissions Department (admissions@ashbournecollege.co.uk).

 

Ashbourne is hosting two new webinars focusing on entry into Oxford and Cambridge Universities (Tuesday 16 June, 12 noon) and competitive Medical Schools (Wednesday 17 June, 12 noon), as part of our Virtual Open Events throughout June.

 

Ashbourne’s Oxbridge Programme coordinator Will Stockland has been helping students prepare for entry into Oxford and Cambridge universities for  many years. In his webinar on Tuesday 16 June at 12 noon he will take you through the whole process of applying to these prestigious universities and provide you with an insight into how Ashbourne can help you gain a place.

Ashbourne’s Medical School Programme is designed to give students the best possible chance of gaining a place at a top UK university to student medicine and related subjects, and has been running for more than 35 years. Deputy Head of Sixth Form and Medical School Programme coordinator, Amy Youngman, will explain how the programme works in her webinar on Wednesday 17 June at 12 noon and describe how Ashbourne prepares and supports our students to make successful applications.

Please contact our Admissions Department admissions@ashbournecollege.co.uk or 020 7937 3858 for further information.

Complete this form to attend Ashbourne’s free webinars or visit Ashbourne Virtual Open Events

Ashbourne final-year A level students won gold awards in the first round of the British Physics Olympiads (2019), putting them in the top 100, while the first year students scooped awards in the AS Challenge.

Top row from left – Peter Stanton (Physics teacher) and AS Physics Challenge participants; Top right and front row –
Mike Kirby (Principle) and  A2 British Physics Olympiad participants

 

The British Physics Olympiad (BPhO) is annual competition run by an independent organisation within Oxford University Physics department. Budding young physicists from across the UK are invited to sit a 2 hour 45 minute paper designed to challenge their understanding and problem solving skills.Those making it into the top 50 go on to the second round and finalists qualify for training at Oxford and a chance to represent Britain in the International Physics Olympiad. Students winning any certificate in the BPhO are considered very able Physicists according to the competition organisers. The AS Challenge, set by the same group, comprises a one-hour paper devised to stimulate and challenge first-year Physics students and is a precursor for the BPhO.

Ashbourne runs a very successful Physics department. Find out more about studying at the college.

Ashbourne student Charli Eglinton won Best Short Film and was awarded Overall Winner at the WJEC EDUQAS Moving Image Awards 2018 for her short animation ‘8’,  which tells the story of two brothers and their ties with the mafia.

The Moving Image Awards is a national competition, designed in partnership with the British Film Institute, that recognises and rewards talented young filmmakers from across the UK.

Dennis Fulcher (Head of Multimedia and Social Sciences) and Charli Eglinton

 

“I’m thrilled to have won. 8 was inspired by my love of anime and steampunk. It took me over three months to create, by drawing illustrations on a graphic tablet, which enabled me to develop the distinct aesthetics. It was amazing to see my work on the big screen, considering it was just an idea 18 months ago. Winning this award has inspired me to follow a career in film,” says Charli Eglinton who not only wrote and animated the film but also performed the voiceover and composed her own score.

Charli graduated from Ashbourne in 2018. She was a scholarship student who stood out for her outstanding academic performance. She achieved 3 A grades in A level Music, Film and English Literature at Ashbourne.

Find out more about Ashbourne scholarships