Open all
Our view of Heathfield School
‘The merit of one is the honour of all’ is the school motto here – and there is certainly much to be merited at Heathfield. Cast aside any preconceptions you may have, and prepare to be bowled over, Heathfield hits that rare sweet spot of being small enough to give every girl individual attention, and large enough to offer a full school experience in terms of academic options and co-curricular opportunities, whilst offering an astounding amount of flexibility to families. Over the last few years, this outstanding school has been completely reinvigorated, placing pupil well-being and value-added achievement at the forefront of the unashamedly girls-first ethos, and introducing a stunning new sixth form centre, transforming the A-level experience.
Where is Heathfield School?
Located in Ascot, just 45 minutes from central London and only 20 minutes to London Heathrow Airport, Heathfield School is easily accessible. Transport links are first-rate with seven local minibus routes for day pupils, while a daily bus to and from west London has seen interest from London families soar. There is also a weekly service to and from London for boarders, which currently drops off at South Ken, Clapham, and Chiswick (the routes are continually expanding to accommodate the location of new pupils).
School headmaster
Former head Sarah Rollings left Heathfield in the summer, passing over the mantle to her deputy, Jonathan Williams. Mr Williams arrived at Heathfield last year so he is already well-known within the school community, ensuring a smooth transition.
Heathfield School admissions process
Applications have been soaring, thanks to the proximity to London, the availability of day places (since 2015), full boarding and weekly boarding options. With the introduction of flexible part-time boarding in September 2024, Heathfield’s popularity has risen even further. The school has a strict upper limit ensuring that they remain ‘intentionally small’ with a family feel and a focus on the individual – everyone is welcomed with a handwritten letter from the head.
Registrations are encouraged two years ahead of entry, but the admissions team is open to approaches from those wanting to escape the London academic race later than that. Prospective pupils sit a computer test and have an interview – the prep-school reference is also important. The school is looking for potential and attitude rather than the finished product and are interested in what each girl can offer Heathfield.
There is a small intake at 13+ (Year 9) – particularly from overseas – and in the older years, Heathfield School is chosen particularly for its art. There has always been a sizeable sixth-form entry and, with the fabulous new sixth-form centre now in place, we expect this to continue.
Academics and university destinations
The key here is value-added, which the school piles on in spades: class sizes are small, the staff to pupil ratio is 1:4, there is setting in English and maths from the outset and subject clinics abound if a little extra help is needed. Assessments are thrice yearly to ensure everyone is on track, stretched or supported and academic standards are relative to each pupil. Girls thrive in this nurturing environment, and many blossom way beyond their initial expectations of themselves.
The brilliant STEM building, opened by Professor Robert Winston in 2016 and now complemented by a new art studio, has really inspired Heathfield’s pupils – and photography and textiles have also captured imaginations both at GCSE and A-level. Standards in art are impressive across the board, and the school has a partnership with Parsons Paris and the University of Falmouth. The girls work with tutors from both on design-led projects, and there is a designer in residence each year to inspire and guide the girls.
The stunning new sixth form centre plays host to A-level taster sessions for all fourth formers, and A-level choices have expanded to add sociology and computer science to an already extensive list including photography, psychology, economics, and politics alongside more traditional subjects. Sixth-form options also crucially include the immensely popular Leith’s cookery course and the EPQ.
Leavers head to a wide range of courses and destinations from the USA and Durham to Paris and Exeter – given that there’s no such thing as a typical pupil at Heathfield, it stands to reason that there’s no such thing as a typical course or destination either.
Co-curricular
Note that in sports, pupils play lacrosse and netball instead of hockey, with Saturday fixtures taking place in the mornings, before a timetable of extensive and age appropriate weekend activities in the afternoon (which day girls are welcome to join in with, and many do). There’s riding and tennis, cricket, a polo team (which has beaten Eton, Harrow and Marlborough), the Windsor swimming club, and swimming lessons from year 7 to year 9. Athletics is excellent, and several girls compete at county and national level. Lacrosse pitches, tennis courts, a fantastic six-lane indoor swimming pool, a sports hall, a dance studio and fitness suite are all on site.
Drama is ‘amazing’ according to pupil insiders, and the recent whole school production of Beauty and the Beast, The Musical received universal rave reviews. LAMDA lessons are on offer too and there’s plenty of choice in music (compulsory for the first three years), whether your tastes incline towards the drums or the ukulele. The sixth form are making good use of the recording studio to launch their own much-anticipated podcast in summer 2024.
Extracurricular and community are key: everyone is encouraged to sign up for the DofE Bronze award and community service – which might mean linking up with a house at Eton to look after disabled children, reading at local schools or visiting an old people’s home. This focus on giving back means there is also a new yearly charity ball, planned and organised by pupils, and a colour run planned for this term, inspiring the girls to rise to the challenge and think beyond the school bubble.
Boarding at Heathfield School
We are told that boarding has ‘dramatically shifted culturally’. Whilst full boarding is still popular, weekly boarding is increasingly common and the two lower years are now a 50/50 split with day pupils. In Form III (Year 9), many of the girls transition to some form of boarding. In September 2024, Heathfield introduced part-time boarding for pupils who would like to board for a couple of nights a week, and event boarding - which means that if, for example, there is a school trip, pupils can board the night before and after. Such arrangements can even be made on a week-by-week basis, offering huge flexibility to parents and pupils.
There are four exeats a term, with parents welcome to take their daughters out for supper or to pop in to celebrate birthdays (plus extra leniency for Years 7 and 8 as they settle in), and girls are also allowed to stay over during exeats, adding scope for day pupils to try out sleeping away from home, and more options for overseas parents.
We loved ‘the avalanche room’ where boarders’ trunks and suitcases are stored – now in an orderly fashion on custom-built shelving (the name has stuck from the days when removing one could bring the whole pile cascading down). Younger ones are in dorms in the main house (it speaks volumes when dorms are as lovingly decorated as they are here), and there is a big common room for the younger children and separate common rooms for the older years. GCSE-year pupils have single rooms in The Square (all girls can anonymously request three people they would like on their corridor, and change rooms every term). The new sixth-form centre connects the lower- and upper-sixth boarding areas and has created superb social and learning spaces.
Heathfield School community
Just as the boarding model is progressive, so too is the pastoral care. We met Lou Scott, the bright new deputy head pastoral who everyone thinks is making a real difference. She is keen to increase pupil voice, and to ensure that there are clear privileges for pupils as they move up the school and is firm that ‘nothing goes under the radar’. Heathfield was the first to follow the pioneering Flourishing at School pastoral system from
Australia, which promotes mental and physical wellbeing from the outset, rather than waiting until later to identify those in distress.
Girls are individually mentored by a teacher to ensure that they are indeed flourishing, plus they are assigned a form tutor (the frequency of one-to-one meetings increases as they go higher up the school) and a counsellor and nutritionist are on hand if needed. Every new girl has a ‘shadow’ in the year above, generally with similar interests, to help them settle in, and there are pupil mentors for older girls too, known delightfully as ‘crushes’.
There are four vertical houses, lively inter-house competitions and from what we can see, a lot of fun to be had – campfires, water fights and spa nights all feature with an emphasis on getting outdoors – phones are actively discouraged. This has been one of the many initiatives by the head girl’s team to ‘replace the hierarchy of the years with respect’, and it’s working, pupils we met said ‘older girls are really kind, and everyone looks out for everyone’. A merits award system promotes solid, traditional values and accountability, with the ultimate upper-sixth accolade being the Lily badge for consistently excellent behaviour.
Chapel takes place three times a week – a good time for quiet reflection and an opportunity for the entire Heathfield community to come together (everyone takes part in the ceremony, whatever their beliefs). We found it rather charming that each leaver has her name engraved on a pew, and many of the old girls like to sit by their names when visiting.
Girls get stuck into a number of well-being initiatives, from the fortnightly ‘Flourishing’ classes to encourage self-awareness and positivity, to the outdoor ‘Summer Sweat’ morning gym classes or the regular walk and talk sessions for those who prefer a gentler pace.
When pupils tell us a lot about their school meals it’s either because they’re great or because they’re awful – but reassuringly the chatter at Heathfield was unanimously more
Masterchef than mass catering and inspiring teenage girls to be so effusive about their ‘just delicious’ food is no mean feat. Girls also love ‘long dinner’ evenings, when they can have a more leisurely supper and stay and chat afterwards.
And finally....
Heathfield old girls (affectionately known as HOGs) are a strong and remarkable bunch of women and their ongoing links with each other is evidence that girls make lifelong friendships here. There's a lovely balance between learning to soar academically and socially (socials are an important part of life, with Papplewick and Sunningdale in younger years, then Eton and Harrow) and there are community outreach initiatives, mentoring schemes with local business leaders and alumni and a bespoke leadership programme helping to teach children how to be the catalysts for change and shape their own worlds. If you’re looking for a school where pupils are educated academically, personally, socially and emotionally in an environment that puts girls’ needs first, then look no further.