‘It feels more like a home than a school,’ says one of the girls here. And with just 245 pupils, 144 of them boarders, the family atmosphere is tangible at this white Italianate mansion on the outskirts of Ascot. ‘[We] intentionally get to know each child really well; they are not just numbers, it’s very individualised,’ says head Sarah Wilson. And confident, self-assured pupils attest to the great job the school is doing. On our visit we saw one creatively combining art and science by making a head cast with a computer motherboard inside it. But, as well as academics, the girls thrive in sports: Wilson is a former competitive gymnast and is very keen on ‘activity being pushed, for the sake of physical and mental wellbeing’. Speaking of which, the pandemic has inspired a new Flourishing programme, which sees positive psychology woven into the curriculum, teaching the girls strategies to regulate and understand their moods. And this holistic approach is also evidenced in the school’s outreach work with local state schools and a primary in Yemen. It’s small surprise then that Heathfield’s popularity is growing, with some four applicants for each place; and that number will no doubt soon increase when the state-of-the-art Sixth Form Centre opens. With facilities for pupils to cook and do their own laundry, it will prepare them for the wider world. Last year, all the girls gained places at their first-choice universities, with the Russell Group, the London College of Fashion and Parsons Paris among them.
Location: London Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 8BQ
Website: heathfieldschool.net
Head: Sarah Wilson, MA, since January 2021; previously Senior Deputy Head of Cranford House School
Pupils: 245 girls: 101 day, 144 boarding
Ages: 11–18
Term fees: Day: £8,160; boarding: £13,200
Oxbridge: Occasional
Admission: Online CEM test and interview
Alumnae: Princess Alexandra, Lady Ogilvy
