Ashbourne Independent Sixth-form College

Ashbourne student Charli Eglinton has won Best Short Film at the WJEC EDUQAS Moving Image Awards 2018 for her production of ‘8’.

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.

Ashamed of being the eldest son of a 1920’s mafia family, Ed has run away to start a new life alone, but doesn’t plan on his younger brother, Valentin, tracking him down, plunging Ed back into the mafia realm … just not in a way either of them expect. (‘8’ is an excerpt from a longer feature.)

“I animated the film using photoshop and a graphic tablet, recoloured on Premier Pro and then edited together on Imovie. I composed an original score for the film which I recorded and fully orchestrated using Logic Pro. The voiceovers were performed by myself and a friend.” – Charlotte Eglinton

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

Ashbourne’s students achieved 50% A*/A grades at A level for 2018. This far exceeds the national average of 26%. Ashbourne has been particularly successful for students who joined the college to retake, with grades going up on average by 1.5. This means that students joining us with BBB are likely to leave the college with A*AA.

A-Level exam results 2018 (392 exams)

Several of our students have secured places at prestigious UK universities including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial and UCL. With 49% A*-A average across the last 5 years, Ashbourne has consolidated its position as the top choice for A-Level study in London.

We are very proud of our students’ achievement and acknowledge the primary importance of their effort. Without their ambition, determination and hard work our college would not be as successful as it is. We believe that our students also benefit from these key factors:

• Our students have high expectations that are encouraged and nurtured by some very talented teachers.
• Personal and UCAS Tutors spend much of their time with students individually, to monitor their progress constantly throughout the year and to ensure a really confident university application.
• Small classes promote engagement, which is further enhanced by extending the normal teaching time.
• There is competition for places in our upper sixth form; students must reach at least C grade standard at AS before proceeding to the second year of A Level. Morale is boosted because the students share similar ambitions and goals.
• Preparation for exams is a priority. Constant regular testing provides a vital benchmark for all.
• Personal Tutors insist on the highest standards in behaviour and academic discipline.
• The College has an informal atmosphere, helping students to develop a sense of independence and responsibility so that they can flourish when they arrive at university.
• Student happiness is paramount; it is rare to find an unhappy student at Ashbourne.

Ashbourne is very pleased to inform that four of last year’s graduating students have won awards at the annual Cife (Conference for Independent Education) competition. Each year Cife colleges are invited to nominate students for academic awards in Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Economics, Humanities, Languages, Social Sciences, and Visual and Creative Arts. There are also special awards for ‘value-added’ (generally retake students), GCSE, the Baroness Perry award for singular and noteworthy achievement as well as the Gold award for the most outstanding student. Each college is also entitled to designate one student as its student of the year. The award ceremony takes place in March each year at the House of Lords. Not unnaturally, it is highly popular with the parents of the winners, who are also invited to attend.

Our four winning students stood out for their grade achievements in subjects such as English Literature, Geography, History, History of Art, Media Studies, Classics, Drama, Economics and Spanish. Each student achieved at least A*A*A grades in their examinations.

Each won an award in the Humanities category. The competition for these awards is so fierce that it is rare to win even one award in any given category but this time, Ashbourne swept the board in Humanities, winning all four awards. To give you an idea of the excellence on display, another one of our students achieved 3A* grades in Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Physics, including 596/600 in Mathematics and 562/600 in Further Mathematics, and was the fifth best performing student in the Mathematics category.

Congratulations to all who helped produce this success – a fabulous performance!

Ashbourne’s Creative Arts Event, was held at Kensington Town Hall on the 20th of March. It was a fantastic opportunity to see our Art students’ latest work in fine art, graphics and textiles.

Our House Band performed throughout the evening, and there was a stylish fashion show exhibiting a wealth of designs by our Textiles students.

Ashbourne College’s Leavers’ Dinner took place on Friday 25th May in the spectacular Conservatory Room at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel. This annual celebration for Year 13 students combines dinner with an awards ceremony, not to mention a chocolate fountain and a photo booth – and lots of dancing! It is an ideal way to celebrate our students’ years at Ashbourne and a welcome diversion from the stresses of exam season. We wish all our students good luck in their examinations!

Check out our Facebook site for more pictures of the event