NACE Challenge Award
Our commitment to academic excellence has been recognised with the prestigious Challenge Award from the National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE) — an honour that reflects our belief in stretching and supporting every child to achieve their very best.
The NACE Challenge Award is presented to schools that demonstrate a sustained and high-quality commitment to providing challenge, opportunity and inspiration for all learners, including the most able. Following a rigorous two-stage assessment process, Ashfold was officially accredited with the award in May 2024.
Excellence in Teaching and Learning
The NACE assessors praised Ashfold for making “exceptional provision for its pupils both within and beyond the classroom”, offering “a vibrant and exciting curriculum that promotes learning and builds cultural capital”.
They found that “standards of achievement are high” and that, as a non-selective school, Ashfold “seeks to ensure that all children achieve their potential and transition effectively to the next phase of their learning.”
The report highlighted the quality of relationships across the school, noting that “pupils know that their teachers work hard to help them achieve their potential and they in turn are considerate to their peers. This ensures that the atmosphere in classrooms is lively and pupils are fully engaged in their learning.”
Challenging and Inspiring Every Learner
Ashfold’s approach to teaching and learning is rooted in the belief that challenge benefits all pupils. The report recognised that “the school’s leadership is highly aspirational for its pupils and provision for more able learners is central to that aspiration and woven through all aspects of school life.”
The assessors commended the school’s focus on developing independent thinkers and reflective learners, observing that “teachers have very good subject knowledge and can challenge pupils very effectively,” and that “resources and lesson content are well thought through to inspire and motivate.”
Beyond the classroom, the report noted that “the school provides a number of opportunities and support for able and talented pupils to gain success in many areas within a broad and deep curriculum”, including Scholars’ Club, weekly masterclasses, and enrichment activities across the arts, sport, and digital learning.
A Culture of Continuous Improvement
The NACE assessors also praised Ashfold’s “sustained commitment to meeting the needs of more able pupils”, highlighting “a strong CPD programme with most staff doing at least one course a year” and “Teach Meet sessions where staff share particularly good practice.”
They concluded that “leaders have drawn on research into effective practice and accessed NACE resources to ensure that all staff are alert to new ideas and initiatives.”
We are immensely proud to have achieved the NACE Challenge Award. This recognition reflects our shared belief that every child at Ashfold deserves to be challenged, inspired and supported to reach their full potential. It is a celebration of our teachers’ dedication, our pupils’ curiosity and determination, and the culture of learning that defines Ashfold.
Quote from Ashfold Head