Ackworth School

About the School

Ackworth has always been a co-educational, boarding and day school. For nearly 250 years, we have maintained a passion for teaching and learning. We are proud of our traditions and family values, but equally proud of our innovative approach to co-education.

Ackworth is a dynamic and forward-thinking school. We strive to develop resilient individuals who not only think creatively, but also act ethically and with responsibility. We encourage our students to express themselves with confidence, to embody the Quaker value of speaking respectfully to others, but also in a way that is true to themselves and their beliefs.

Located in a beautiful rural setting in Yorkshire, we offer broad educational opportunities from nursery age to sixth form, for day pupils and boarders.

Some of these opportunities are:

• proven academic performance
• a safe and supportive atmosphere
• the strength of quiet reflection
• excellent sport, music, drama, visual arts and recreational facilities

School Values

Simplicity: We believe in living simply and adventurously, placing charity and concern for others at the centre of what we do.

Truth: We cherish the truth which enables our pupils and staff to develop integrity in what they do and what they think, helping them to build meaningful, lasting relationships.

Equality and Community: We believe all people are of equal worth and our diverse international community values all individuals and answers the good in everyone.

Peace and Respect: We encourage our pupils and staff to adopt peaceful methods of dealing with conflict in all its forms, taking both individual and collective responsibility in resolving differences.

Sustainability: We believe it is our responsibility to protect the Earth and to encourage our pupils and staff to treasure and preserve it across the generations.

Character is tremendously important for all our Schools, and we value and instil integrity in our students, which is reflective of an establishment founded over 475 years ago by the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Aims & ethos

At Ackworth School, we aim to:

• Develop a well integrated and self-disciplined community, with an international dimension, in which the values of Quakers are seen to underpin the school.
• Help all pupils to progress at a pace appropriate to their age, aptitude, interests and ability, to achieve the best external examination results of which they are capable and to leave school equipped to lead a full and responsible life in the adult world.
• Provide, and encourage the use of, the widest possible range of opportunities, e.g. sporting, creative and recreational, outside the formal curriculum.
• To help pupils to grow in self-respect and to appreciate and enjoy the benefits of good health.
• Encourage pupils to consider others before self, to look for the good in people and to be honest and trustworthy at all times.
• Encourage service to others within and beyond school.
• Provide, in conjunction with parents and guardians, care and support for pupils as they develop and mature.
• Help pupils to value their fine surroundings and the work of those who maintain them and to extend their appreciation to an understanding of wider environmental issues.