Ashville College

Ashville College carries a Methodist beginning into a modern all-through education. The Methodist Free Church decided to establish the college in 1875, and it opened in 1877 with 30 pupils and two masters. Today the Harrogate campus runs from age 2 to 18, including early years, prep, senior school and sixth form, with openness, respect and social responsibility remaining part of its stated ethos.

Academic life leads through GCSE and A level, supported by a sixth-form centre for study and recreation. Science, technology, music, drama and arts spaces give the qualification years a specialist setting, while the curriculum links examination subjects with interests, skills and values. The result is an all-through structure that does not treat the senior years as separate from wider campus life.

The campus is equipped for an active week: an auditorium, sports centre, outdoor all-weather and astro pitches, and facilities for arts, technology, health and wellness sit alongside clubs, societies, performing arts, trips, careers guidance and a house system. Ashville became co-educational in 1982 and later introduced girls' boarding; current scholarships span academic subjects, music, art, drama and sport.

Admissions are selective and vary by phase. Year 7 applicants take English writing, mathematics and a computer-based Cognitive Ability Test before an academic interview; Years 8 to 10 applicants take English and mathematics assessments and attend a taster day. Sixth-form offers use interview, predicted grades and a school reference, with conditions tied to GCSE results. Means-tested bursaries are available for day applicants entering Year 7 and Lower Sixth, subject to financial and assessment criteria.