Furley Park Primary Academy
The town of Ashford has expanded substantially in the last few years, particularly due to its position on the rail link between London and Europe. One particular area of growth has been the estate of Park Farm to the south of Ashford, near to the village of Kingsnorth.
Furley Park opted to convert to an Academy in November 2013 forming ACE Learning, a multi-academy trust in partnership with Hamstreet Primary.
The original single form entry school was opened in September 2000, the second phase soon followed in response to the growth in population in the area.
In September 2015, Furley Park expanded to a three-form entry school and opened a new two-story building equipped with a dance studio, learning bases and six new classrooms.
Why is the school named Furley Park?
Sir John Furley was born in Ashford in 1836. He was one of the earliest presidents of the Red Cross Society and a founder member of the St John’s Ambulance Association. When deciding on a name for the new school it was felt that a link with the town was important. As a result Furley was considered due to the local associations and Park to retain the belonging to the estate Park Farm. Whilst the estate itself is not very old, the woodland in front of the school has a path way which joins to the old roman road leading to Aldington and Lympne. Moreover, areas of the estate were traditionally part of a manor and moated. One remaining moat is to be found at the children’s play park in the centre of the development.
The School Logo
Furley Park Logo was introduced in 2004 when the school reached its original full capacity. It was designed to reflect the association with Sir John Furley and therefore it is representative of the Maltese Cross that features in the St Johns Ambulance logo. The figures in school house colours represent the children of Furley Park reaching and growing out from the school in the centre through the circles representing Park Farm, Ashford and the Wider World.
To find out more about the school please browse our website.