Inside Ashfold: Carly & Laura sit down with Head Mike Rickner

Choosing a school is one of those decisions that can feel both hugely exciting and slightly overwhelming. There can be so much to think about: academics, sport, co-curricular opportunities, senior-school destinations, pastoral care, SEND provision, boarding, school culture – and, perhaps most importantly, whether your child will genuinely feel happy and at home there.

So, rather than simply asking what makes a good school on paper, we sat down with Mike Rickner, Head of Ashfold, to talk about what really matters.

Mike joined Ashfold in September 2025, following 15 years at Stowe, where he held a variety of roles including Religious Studies teacher, Head of EPQ, HouseParent of a girls’ boarding house alongside his wife Sophie, Deputy Head Pastoral and Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Now in his second year at Ashfold, Mike is already overseeing an exciting period of development. During his first year, the school refurbished its Sports Hall and Sports Court, while current plans include a new Year 7 and 8 curriculum designed to move away from Common Entrance, alongside the development of a whole-school Outdoor Education curriculum and the implementation of 10 core skills across the curriculum.

But perhaps the best way to understand Ashfold is not through its facilities or curriculum alone. It is through the experience of the children who live and learn there.

Set within a 30-acre estate and the beautiful Jacobean Dorton House, Ashfold is a school with a strong sense of identity – something Mike describes as an almost unquantifiable “Ashfoldness”.

How would you describe the personality of Ashfold?

There is an unquantifiable Ashfoldness that needs to be experienced to be believed. Creating Days of Wonder, preparing pupils to be Change Makers, grounded in the 7 Core Ashfold Values.

What type of child tends to thrive at Ashfold?

We cater for all pupils with all interests. Every child will find their voice at Ashfold.

What are you most proud of at the school right now?

Most proud of how the community cares for each other and their desire to work each day on being the best version of themselves.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing children today?

The need to be able to think critically about almost everything they see online, in the news etc. to ensure they can judge what is true and what is not.

What advice would you give parents when considering which school is right for their child?

Trust your ‘gut’ – you’ll know when you know.

How important are sport and co-curricular life within your school culture?

Hugely important – our pupils are fortunate to have four games and one PE lesson a week and have the opportunity for a huge breadth of activities every day of the week.

That breadth is a big part of Ashfold life. The school offers a wide range of opportunities alongside the academic curriculum, giving pupils plenty of opportunities to discover interests, develop confidence and find the things that make them tick.

How is Ashfold evolving around SEN, neurodiversity and different learning styles?

We have a dedicated Learning Support Team and a highly trained comprehensive Pastoral Team. We are well placed to support pupils through their school and learning journey from Nursery to Year 8.

What qualities do you believe children will need most in the future?

The ability to think critically, adapt to ever-changing situations, think creatively and be empathetic.

Those qualities are increasingly central to the way Ashfold is thinking about its curriculum too, with the school currently introducing 10 core skills across the whole-school curriculum.

What’s one thing you wish more parents worried less about?

They’re parents – it is their job to worry and they only worry because they care about their children. It is our job to allay those concerns as and when they arise.

What do you love most about the local community surrounding your school?

How deeply they care about Ashfold and wanting it to succeed and everyone to thrive.

What has been a favourite memory from your time as Head?

Probably the Pre-Prep Easter Bonnet Parade.

What do you feel you personally bring to Ashfold as Head?

Hopefully, approachability, a deep care for and pride in the school and wanting everyone – staff, pupils and parents – to enjoy Ashfold and all it has to offer.

When pupils leave Ashfold, what do you hope they take with them into the world?

An established sense of self, trust of self and others.

Where do Ashfold pupils typically go on to?

As a member of the Stowe Group, a large majority move on to Stowe. But pupils also go on to Abingdon, Headington Rye, St Edward’s and St Helen and St Katherine’s.

Pupils leave with scholarship success across a broad range of areas including Sport, Academics, Music, Art & DT.

That breadth is important to Mike. While senior-school destinations are naturally part of the conversation for prep-school parents, Ashfold’s current focus is also on ensuring that pupils develop the skills, confidence and sense of self they need for whatever comes next.

The Ashfold quick-fire

We couldn’t sit down with Mike without finishing with a few quicker questions.

The most unique thing about Ashfold?

Being set in a 30-acre estate and 400-year-old Jacobean Mansion.

Favourite school tradition?

Pre-Prep Easter Bonnet Parade!

Favourite local coffee spot or hidden gem?

Pointer in Brill.

Something people may not know about you?

I played for Exeter Chiefs in their very first game at Sandy Park Stadium in 2006.

Notable Ashfold alumni?

Ashfold has a fascinating list of former pupils, spanning the worlds of film, sport, journalism, the arts, business and public life.

Among them are actor brothers Edward Fox and James Fox; film director Matthew Vaughn; former BBC journalist Mick Higham; former England cricketer Jamie Dalrymple; Great Britain Olympic hockey player Rupert Shipperley; world-renowned sports photographer David Cannon; Framestore founder Mike Milne; barrister Charles Miskin KC; Mustique Managing Director Roger Pritchard; academic and political and military adviser Emma Sky; and Hannah Catchpole, Head of High Performance Operations for Gymnastics Australia.

So, what did we take away?

There is plenty to catch a parent’s eye about Ashfold right now.

There is the setting – a 30-acre estate centred around the historic Jacobean Dorton House. There is the breadth of sport and co-curricular opportunities, the strong pastoral ethos and the school's connection with the Stowe Group. There is also a period of genuine development underway, from the refurbishment of the Sports Hall and Sports Court to the planned evolution of the Year 7 and 8 curriculum and the introduction of a whole-school Outdoor Education programme.

But talking to Mike, what comes across most strongly is that the ambition at Ashfold goes beyond simply preparing children for their next school.

There is a real emphasis on helping children understand themselves, find their voice and develop the ability to think critically, creatively and empathetically.

Mike talks about “Days of Wonder”, about preparing pupils to be “Change Makers”, and about the importance of the 7 Core Ashfold Values. Underneath all of that is something rather simple: a school community that wants children to enjoy their childhood while becoming increasingly confident in who they are.

And perhaps that is the “Ashfoldness” Mike talks about – something that is difficult to define on paper, but which you understand by being there.

For parents navigating the independent-school world, that is an important reminder. Prospectuses and results can tell you a lot, but they cannot always tell you how a school feels.

Sometimes, as Mike says, you simply have to trust your gut.

We hope you found our insight into Ashfold and its Head helpful. If you have a school you’d like us to find out more about, please let us know and we will be delighted to do so!

Laura & Carly x