Aysgarth School

Aysgarth School
Established 1877
Type Independent preparatory
Day and boarding
Religion Christian
Headmaster Rob Morse
Chairman of Governors J.M.P.D. Stroyan, Esq.
Location Newton-le-Willows
Bedale
North Yorkshire
DL8 1TF
England
Coordinates: 54°17′47″N 1°40′51″W / 54.296450°N 1.680840°W / 54.296450; -1.680840
Local authority North Yorkshire
DfE URN 815/6009 Tables
Students 150+
Gender Boys
Ages 8–13
Website www.aysgarthschool.com

Aysgarth School is a day and boarding preparatory school for boys located in the foothills of the Yorkshire Dales near Bedale, North Yorkshire, England and is the only all-boys boarding and day prep school in the north of England. It also has a Pre-Prep and Nursery for boys and girls aged 3-8 years.

History

Aysgarth was founded in 1877 to prepare boys aged 8 to 13 years to go on to national public schools. The school suffered a severe fire in the 1930s. It has a good track record of sending pupils to top public schools around the country including Harrow School, Radley College and Eton College and to Sedbergh School and Ampleforth College nearby.

Initially founded as a traditional boarding preparatory school, it now welcomes day boys as well. Oak House, the pre-prep and nursery day school, founded in 1993, caters for boys and girls from 2½ to 8. Pupils are housed in an attractive building within the grounds of the prep school and they have access to prep school facilities such as the games fields, sports hall, swimming pool, computer suite, music school, library and chapel.

Boarding & pastoral care

Although conveniently local to areas such as Catterick, the school also has boys from all over the country and overseas enrol due to their reputation and willingness to arrange for children to be escorted on the train by staff to London and Edinburgh.

The key pastoral care team includes the headmaster and his wife, the housemaster, the matrons and school nurse, and the form tutors, almost all of whom live on site. Close contact is maintained with parents and all boys have access to e-mail and telephones.[1]

Notable former pupils

Terms

The school year is divided into three terms: Lent (January to Easter), Summer (after Easter until June) and Michaelmas (autumn through to Christmas). Each term has a sporting tradition; Lent is the term for football, Summer for cricket and Michaelmas for rugby.

Houses

In an emulation of public school houses, (and possibly to encourage British military style camaraderie) the boys are grouped together into houses. Each boy is added to a house when they join the school and will remain in that set until he leaves. The sets are named after ancient Greek city states: Athens, Corinth, Sparta and Thebes. Therefore naming the houses: Athenians, Corinthians, Spartans and Thebans. During the terms each boy can accumulate credits or demerits which are publicly displayed. Each set has a colour that can be worn to identify set members during sporting events. The colour for Spartans is red, Athenians are blue, Corinthians green and Thebans yellow. This should not be confused with the school colours of the school tie, which are blue and black.

References

  1. ↑ Boarding & Pastoral Archived 29 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine.

External links

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