Feb 22, 2023 | Old Scholar, Senior School, Sixth Form, Sport
Ackworth School is delighted to announce a new partnership with English Football League Two team, Harrogate Town AFC to deliver our Elite Football Academy from September 2023.
Students enrolling in the academy will benefit from high levels of contact time per week with our school-based UEFA licence qualified Director of Football. This will comprise of regular individual and group skills coaching sessions, regular football matches for both the Academy (and for the school when possible), and supervised strength and conditioning training.
In addition to the Academy’s home being at a brand-new 3G pitch ten minutes from the school, students will have access to five full-sized pitches, a multi-use games pitch and an indoor training area. Students enrolled in the football academy can also take full advantage of the heated indoor swimming pool and our purpose-built fitness suite.
Head, Anton Maree said “I am struck by the professionalism demonstrated at every level by Harrogate Town Association Football Club and their staff. The benefit of being able to tap into that professionalism can only be an advantage to our school and our students. I look forward to a lengthy association with HTAFC and am delighted with the opportunity that it brings to our school and to all footballers within our local community.”
Simon Weaver, Harrogate Town AFC Manager said “I am delighted that our football club has entered into partnership with Ackworth School. I am immensely proud of the association with my former school. Anton Maree is a great leader and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my meetings with him. We are passionate about developing student athletes at the school. The school has strong values and so do we as a football club and that is why we have faith in each other to produce a successful joint venture that gives pupils every opportunity to develop, enjoy and succeed.”
Many players will choose to join the Academy alongside their Sixth Form studies. Two study routes are available: traditional A-Levels, or the BTEC Extended National Diploma in Sport (equivalent to three A-Levels) for those wanting a more vocational education. Those pupils joining the Academy in years below the Sixth Form must take the required academic course appropriate to their age and ability and involve themselves in the school’s co-curricular programme.
For more information about joining Ackworth School and the Football Academy, please visit www.ackworthschool.com/sports/football-academy/ or contact us on admissions@ackworthschool.com.
Jan 9, 2023 | Ackworth School, Junior School, Old Scholar, Senior School, Sixth Form
The Head of Ackworth School, Anton Maree, has announced that he will be retiring from his role at the end of the Spring Term in April 2024.
Anton Maree said: “After 10 years at the school it is the right time to move on and give someone else the chance to set the tone and determine the direction. Being the Head of the school has been an honour and a privilege. I know that change can create uncertainty but Ackworth has survived through unforeseeable and testing times. I look forward to the rest of my time at this wonderful school”.
David Bunney, Clerk to the School Committee, said “ Anton has done so much to further the school and to help the local community. He leaves a strong legacy for his successor to build on. The whole school community wish him well when retirement eventually comes in April next year”.
The School Committee have now started their search for a new Head.
Nov 10, 2020 | Ackworth School, Sixth Form
Alexandra Collingwood, Head of our Sixth Form, shares why boarding school could be the best place for a sixth former to thrive and flourish, both academically and pastorally.
Head of Sixth Form, Alexandra Collingwood guides students on how to get the best out of their studies using their iPads supplied by the school.
Here, she lists her top five benefits of boarding for sixth form students:
1) Bolsters academic growth
Our value-added is the best in the area and is testament to our philosophy towards learning. Every single student progresses tremendously from the start of their time with us, to the end. They consistently perform better than what their targets and previous academic performance indicate that they should.
Sixth form students who board with us have access to tutors ‘out of hours’ during designated prep (study) time, so, not only are they making strides in their learning in school, but they have the chance to further this by getting extra educational support. Even outside of prep time, thanks to our digital learning approach, advice from teachers and tutors is only a message or email away.
2) Incredible facilities
Ackworth School is a truly beautiful setting to learn and relax.
We have a state-of-the-art gym, sports hall, tennis courts and music centre with 10 Steinway pianos set in phenomenal picturesque 18th Century grounds.
With advanced facilities, sixth form students have everything they need to excel at their chosen A-levels and also take part in extra-curricular activities in and out of school hours to enhance their learning – this may help when it comes to applying to universities.
Set in expansive grounds in the West Yorkshire countryside, Ackworth provides a safe and rich learning environment.
3) Close-knit family feel
With our sixth form attached to the school, we maintain a real family community here, and, as we’re non-selective, there’s plenty of opportunity for students to mix with people from all different backgrounds, ages and places.
We have students travelling from across the UK and other parts of the world to attend Ackworth School. Boarding with us helps build and nurture life-long friendships, and encourages social growth. It really is a home away from home.
4) Oxbridge Pathways Programme
Sixth form is an integral time in a young adult’s life. Their leaving destination will depend not only on their academic success, but also the skills they gain, and how prepared they are for upcoming applications and interviews.
We make sure to cover everything with our bespoke Oxbridge Pathways Programme. Designed and managed by Helen Batty – who has a wealth of experience in Oxbridge admissions procedures and processes – sixth form students are taught everything they need to know to achieve a place at a top UK university and succeed after graduation.
5) Necessary support and pastoral care
The wellbeing of our pupils is paramount to their education. We make it our responsibility to ensure that all students have a positive environment to learn in as we believe this has a direct impact on whether they perform to the best of their abilities.
It is possible that giving sixth form students too much freedom too quickly (when they have come from an incredibly supportive secondary school environment) could hinder their progression, rather than help. Boarding school provides the right balance of support and freedom, allowing students to ease into adult life, knowing the safety net is still there if they need it.
As a Quaker school, we operate by our motto ‘Non Sibi Sed Omnibus’ or ‘not for oneself but for the good of others’. This encapsulates what we have stood for the last 240 years. A social conscience and an education go hand in hand at Ackworth School.
Visit our sixth form page for more information. Contact our admissions team at admissions@ackworthschool.com or call 01977 233 621.
Book a visit to one of our open events here.
Aug 13, 2020 | Senior School, Sixth Form
We are very proud of all of our Sixth Formers. With their chance to demonstrate their ability in the normal way removed as a consequence of the pandemic, their teachers were asked to provide Centre Assessed Grades that were a fair reflection of what they would have achieved in their A-Level examinations. They have done very well and their results are deserved.
- 36.7% of grades were A*-A
- 61.7% A*-B,
- 83.3% A*-C
- 100% A*-E.
Anton Maree, Head of Ackworth School said, “This was a year group required to deal with far more adversity than any other. They have responded admirably to this challenge in a way that defines them and we will all miss their spontaneity and humour whilst regretting their missed chances to shine during all the moments that accompany the final year at school.”
Madison and Aidan celebrate their top results.
Ackworth is a small, non-selective school and we regularly send our students to the best universities in the country and further afield: Henry will be studying Modern Languages at Warwick University; Martha, Spanish at Oxford University; Madison, Medicine at Hull York Medical School; Dusan, Economics and Politics at the University of Edinburgh; Reece, Dentistry at Kings College London; and Mikkel, Economics and Finance at Wofford College, South Carolina, in the USA.
Alexandra Collingwood, Head of Sixth Form said, “We are delighted that our students will be moving into higher education at some extremely prestigious universities. They will do very well and were part of a cohort that we certainly won’t forget.’
Click to learn more about Ackworth School’s Sixth Form and Oxbridge Pathways Programme.
