Staff and pupils at Ashford School and Ashford Friars Prep School are celebrating after being named “Independent School of the Year 2010” at the Independent Schools Awards last week in Oxford.

The School became eligible for the top award after winning the Outstanding Strategic Initiative Award earlier in the evening.  This was in recognition of the school’s highly successful introduction of Adventurous Learning which has led to a 30% increase in pupil numbers in the last few years.  In winning the awards, Ashford School and Ashford Friars Prep School beat off competition from a strong field of high-performing independent schools from across the UK including Giggleswick School, Beachborough School, University College School, King Edward's School, Birmingham, The Portsmouth Grammar School, Bolton School, Royal Grammar School, Guildford, The Manchester Grammar School, Sheffield High School, Stamford Endowed Schools and Vinehall Preparatory School.