The Ashcombe School

What The Ashcombe School does

The Ashcombe School is a state-funded co-educational secondary school located on Ashcombe Road in Dorking, Surrey (RH4 1LY), operating under Surrey County Council and overseen by a Governing Body. It serves approximately 700+ students across Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9), GCSE (Years 10-11), and a Sixth Form (Years 12-13), with a recent Year 9 cohort of 240 students. The school's stated mission centres on academic achievement, pastoral care, and preparation for university and competitive courses (Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine). It is a member of the Dorking Schools Partnership and the SESSET educational consortium, and is associated with the separately constituted Ashcombe Trust.

The school's product portfolio comprises the core Secondary and Sixth Form curricula, plus a set of add-on programmes: the Dorking Wanderers Football Academy (a partnership with Dorking Wanderers FC allowing 16-19-year-olds to combine 3 A Levels with professional football coaching), the Competitive Courses Programme for Oxbridge/Medicine applicants, an Apprenticeship Programme, the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), Accelerated Reader for Years 7-8, Academic Intervention (Lexonik Leap, Wordshark, Reading/Maths Boosters), and Enrichment including Duke of Edinburgh, Young Enterprise, and international trips. Academic outcomes are strong by state-sector standards — 25% A*-A and 98% first-choice university placement in 2024-2025, plus 81% achieving 5 GCSEs at grades 9-4 in the Class of 2024.

The business model is dominated by recurrent government per-pupil funding (state education is free to families), with ancillary revenue from out-of-hours facility hire (sports hall, gym, main hall, classrooms) on a transaction basis and a 16-19 Bursary scheme supported by government-guideline funding. The technology stack is built entirely on third-party platforms: Greenhouse School Websites for the public site, Arbor for management/payments/attendance, RM Unify for student IT access, Libresoft for the library catalogue, Accelerated Reader (via Renaissance) for literacy, and TOOTOOT for student feedback. There is no evidence of proprietary technology, AI/ML capability, or external ownership — the school is a public educational institution.

Name

The Ashcombe School

Legal name

The Ashcombe School

Website

https://ashcombe.surrey.sch.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Ashcombe School is a state-funded secondary school in Dorking, Surrey, serving approximately 700+ students aged 11-19 across GCSE and Sixth Form, with a strong academic record and partnerships including the Dorking Wanderers Football Academy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• Sixth Form education
• GCSE programmes
• A-Level programmes
• State secondary school

Headquarters

HQ city

Dorking

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. State Education Funding: The Ashcombe School is a state-funded comprehensive school receiving government funding for education services based on student enrollment.
2. Facility Hire: The school generates additional revenue by hiring out facilities including the sports hall (33m x 27m with six badminton courts, volleyball courts, indoor football, basketball), gym, main hall, classrooms, and performance areas to external organizations and individuals out of school hours.
3. Dorking Wanderers Football Academy Partnership: Partnership with Dorking Wanderers Football Club for the DWFA programme, allowing students aged 16-19 to combine academic study with professional football coaching at Meadowbank stadium.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Ashcombe School is a state-funded comprehensive secondary school in Dorking, Surrey delivering Key Stage 3, GCSE and Sixth Form (A-Level) education to students aged 11-19. It complements core academic provision with enrichment programmes, an Accelerated Reader literacy scheme, SEND support, a Dorking Wanderers Football Academy partnership and out-of-hours facility hire.

Product overview

The Ashcombe School is a secondary school offering Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9), GCSE (Years 10-11), and Sixth Form (Years 12-13) education. The core educational offering comprises a comprehensive curriculum with standard GCSE subjects and a diverse Sixth Form programme. The product portfolio includes: the core Sixth Form Programme offering A Levels and enrichment; the Dorking Wanderers Football Academy (a specialist partnership programme for student-athletes); Academic Intervention Programmes (Lexonik, Wordshark, Reading/Maths Boosters); the Accelerated Reader Programme for literacy development; Library Services with online catalogue; the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ); the Competitive Courses Programme for Oxbridge/medicine applicants; the Apprenticeship Programme; and Facilities Hire services. The school integrates with Arbor (student management), UCAS and Unifrog (careers/university applications), Accelerated Reader (reading programme), and Libresoft (library catalogue).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dorking Wanderers Football Academy: Partnership with Dorking Wanderers Football Club offering students aged 16-19 professional football coaching combined with Sixth Form academic studies
• Chatterbox

Products and services

• Secondary School Education (Years 7-11)

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of Sixth Form students gained places at first choices of university (2024-2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dorking Wanderers Football Club (DWFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe school has teamed up with Dorking Wanderers Football Club to offer students aged 16-19 the opportunity to benefit from professional football coaching whilst studying in the Sixth Form. Based in the Meadowbank stadium in Dorking, students study 3 A Levels at The Ashcombe Sixth Form whilst receiving weekly training sessions with UEFA qualified coaches. One competitive league match takes place each week against other academies in the South of England.
• UCAScoreOthersPartnership for university application support. Students use UCAS during Pathway Day to register and apply to universities.
• UnifrogcoreOthersCareer and university planning platform used by students during Pathway Day for career exploration and university applications.
• The Ashcombe Dorkinians (Alumni Association)minorOthersAssociation representing past students and staff members of The Ashcombe School and its predecessor schools. Members participate in school events including Remembrance Day ceremonies.
• Brilliant ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear 10 students participate in the Brilliant Club Scholars Programme, culminating in a graduation event at University of Oxford.
• SATROminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness volunteers from SATRO engage with Year 8 students during business challenge games, providing real-world business experience and mentorship.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Howard of Effingham School: Local state secondary school serving Bookham and surrounding Mole Valley villages close to Dorking. Closest geographic direct peer in size and catchment, offering comparable comprehensive secondary and sixth form provision.
• Wilson's School: State-funded grammar school for boys in Wallington, Surrey, regularly among the UK's top state schools for attainment. Directly comparable to Ashcombe in being a Surrey-based, results-driven state secondary with strong sixth form progression.
• Esher College: Well-regarded state sixth form college in Surrey offering a broad A Level portfolio and strong university progression. Highly comparable to Ashcombe's Sixth Form programme in target student, curriculum structure, and outcome focus.
• Nonsuch High School for Girls: Selective state girls' grammar in Ewell, Surrey, with a long-standing reputation for outstanding GCSE and A Level outcomes. Comparable to Ashcombe's sixth form in serving ambitious Surrey students targeting Russell Group and Oxbridge places.
• Reigate College: Large state-funded sixth form college located just a few miles from Ashcombe in Reigate, Surrey. Directly comparable post-16 academic destination with overlapping Surrey catchment and similar A Level / university-preparation focus.
• Hills Road Sixth Form College: Large, high-performing state sixth form college in Cambridge widely regarded as a benchmark UK sixth form. Comparable to Ashcombe Sixth Form in scale, A Level breadth, Oxbridge/medicine preparation pathways, and university destination outcomes.
• Tiffin School: Selective state boys' secondary school in Kingston upon Thames consistently ranked among England's top-performing state schools for GCSE and A Level results. Comparable as a high-achieving Surrey-area state secondary that competes for the same high-attainment families.
• Sutton Grammar School: Selective state grammar school for boys in Sutton, Surrey, with consistent top-decile attainment and strong university progression. Comparable as a Surrey-area state secondary targeting similar high-achieving family demographics.
• Godalming College: Public sixth form college in Godalming, Surrey, offering A Levels and BTECs with strong university progression rates. Directly comparable to Ashcombe Sixth Form in mission, course breadth, and Surrey family demographic.
• Collyer's (Colleges of Further Education): Public sixth form college in Horsham, West Sussex, geographically adjacent to Dorking and serving a similar Surrey/Sussex catchment. Directly comparable in offering A Levels and vocational pathways to a comparable demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Ashcombe School