Ashburton College

I loved this school it was kind and helpful

Fk this sh1tty ah school. Teachers are fking unproffessional. One of my teachers told me that he she will roast me infront of my parents in the upcoming teacher interviews.

Mentally ruins health, honestly wish I left earlier, be prepared to be contacted about bullying.

it has so many racist teachers. they don’t value the deputy principal at all he is so underestimated and the other teachers single him out and get him to do stuff as he’s coloured. it’s ridiculous. the amount of teachers who a verbally racist at this school is over the top. and this phone ban is ridiculous i understand during class no phones that’s a yes i get that but during break yes it’s great to see people connecting but a lot of people need there phone for various reasons we are getting older so we have jobs after school that we need to contact throughout the day we have whanau we need to contact for after school and so many more reason how am i meant to buy lunch if i can’t transfer money or check my balance. besides that the schools alright

I graduated Trashcoll last year. While I did have some wonderful experiences, especially with the drama department (the teachers are top notch, seriously, encourage your kids to keep up drama through NCEA if they enjoy it, it's insanely good for their mental health) I also cannot leave a genuine review without talking about the homophobia and transphobia that is pervasive and poorly dealt with. Any action the school has taken in the past year has been a result of queer students, not administration. With the exception of some members of SLT (senior leadership team), the administration is illequipped and unwilling to support LGBTQIA+ students in the ways that actually matter. Being allowed a note on your account with your name without parental consent is great, until older teachers deadname you and they are never offered or required to learn why that's a serious issue, and your deadname gets called out at prize giving before you walk onstage in front of the entire school. Sure, you can wear the feminine or masculine uniform regardless of your saab, but good luck getting it to fit you if you have any kind of hips or chest, that and it's rediculously expensive. And good luck having a lunchtime outside with your friends if you're visibly not-cis or known to be queer (you'll be physically safe, but I hope you don't mind getting called a few slurs most days.) Unfortunately, there's also some major issues with sexual harassment. While it is mandatory for all junior students to attend consent and harassment lessons in health, it's still a major issue. Catcalling is probably the most common, but I have been groped a couple times (both happen between classes in the hallways or on the chessboard where there's chokepoints for the crowds). However, I have still been harassed during class from older students sticking their head out the window to yell at me :/
However, there are some members of staff who will support and stand by you. I implore you to check out the pride club when orientation day comes around, if you find your people you can find a bit of a safety net.
As a final note to parents, especially if you know your kid is queer, all you can do is support them and be ready to take their word above the school's, they will most definitely try to minimize any bullying, harassment or assaults. Whatever you do, don't try and send them to Mt Hutt (it's worse). Ashcoll is unfortunately your only option unless you want to front up for private school.

Overall good faculty and great extracurriculars, but some teachers have serious problems and there's a massive smoking/drinking/drug problem amongst students, violence too.

I am a student at Ashcoll and I am really enjoying college life. I have had great experiences and have felt well supported by all teachers. Ashcoll offers heaps of sports, clubs and activities. There are many great leadership opportunities, especially for seniors.

It is exciting hearing about the rebuild that was announced recently. It will probably have began before I leave college, and it is great for those who will get to experience the complete rebuild.

I have seen the school culture improve since I started at Ashcoll. Student leaders and teachers have had a focus on school culture, promoting positive interactions among students. There have also been barely any fire alarms being pulled for a joke, and none this year at all.

Overall, Ashcoll is a great local school where there are endless opportunities and great people, if you are willing to push yourself and get involved. After all, you will always do well if you have the drive and determination.

very bad got rotten pumpkins thrown at me and jumped on and teacher threw a kid into a wall

Was in the upper band during my first years there, didn't experience much in terms of peer conflicts. Wasn't a lot in terms of student wellbeing support systems.

During my later years there I noticed a considerable increase in the number of peer conflicts between younger students. I personally had to break up a fight between students as a year 12, just as I was just trying to go into the library to study. Another incident occured where multiple senior girls were ganging up on another senior girl, which I also, as a year 13 myself, had to break up while a teacher took his time approaching the scene. Note that I generally tended to lay low with my close friend group and stayed away from most other students.

In 2017 and 2018, there were numerous incidents where the fire alarms were pulled almost daily. However, this seemed to die out in 2019 when I was in year 13.

As a whole, I did well academically at ashcoll despite these issues. Now in 2020 I'm a student at University of Canterbury, and I feel I have had sufficient academic support to get me started on my career path.

Even though there are certainly better high schools in new zealand as a whole, ashcoll is ok if you're the same kind of person as me and you don't wish to stay at a boarding school, and live in the mid Canterbury region. I've met multiple ex-mt hutt students who preferred ashcoll over mt hutt.

However, the rise in peer conflicts in my senior years is certainly of concern. Naturally I cannot confirm whether these conflicts are ongoing. I'd certainly ask current students about the social environment prior to attending ashcoll, especially if you are a prospective younger student.