Sussex


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<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-where">WHAT? WHERE?</h4>



<p>A few miles from Haywards Heath and East Grinstead, Ardingly lies within easy reach of Gatwick Airport and a doddle to get to from London making it a highly appealing prospect for local, London and international pupils. The village-like campus of top-notch facilities is surrounded by 230 acres of glorious Sussex countryside and wouldn’t look out of place on a postcard. Given the academic excellence, strong pastoral support, plethora of opportunities and inclusive, holistic feel of the place, you’ll definitely wish you (or rather, your child) were here.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">FACILITIES</h4>



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<p>Ardingly has a generous amount of land and facilities at the disposal of its 1,100 pupils and they’re intuitively arranged. The littlies – nursery to year 2 – are housed within a truly delightful farmyard of sympathetically-converted buildings, known as the Farmhouse and including an actual former pigsty, barn and cowshed. With plenty of outdoor space, including small sports pitches and forest school, and lovely airy buildings it’s a magical self contained space devoted to childhood, although qualified teachers work here alongside early years professionals to give the children a head start.</p>



<p>The little ones also use plenty of the rest of the school’s very grown-up facilities including the indoor swimming pool, sports hall and also visit the science labs and chapel.</p>



<p>Year 3-6 prep students are housed in the main school block with their own library, drama studios and light and airy art department. The senior school facilities tick all boxes – spacious, well-designed, user-friendly and kitted out with all mod cons, from the professional-looking science labs to the drama rehearsal studios and music school complete with rehearsal room and peripatetic teaching spaces.</p>



<p>The sizeable chapel has a reflective and reverential feel, and the acoustics are wonderful, as ably demonstrated by a group of prep pupils belting out a number from The Lion King when Muddy visited. The library is reassuringly packed with books and pretty much free of screens &#8211; all senior school pupils have their own Surface laptop as part of the school&#8217;s digital learning strategy.</p>



<p>The school has plenty of space for drama and performances, including The Under, a beautiful vaulted performance space. Long-term, there are plans for a theatre.</p>



<p>We’ll get to sport shortly, but suffice to say there are pitches, fields and courts aplenty spread about the site. As befits a rural college, green space abounds and as well as a Forest School in the woods, the college campus features beautiful pathways through unspoiled woodlands, a stunning pond which is used by pupils for various fun and team-building activities, landscaped gardens (the headmaster’s garden is a sight to behold) a lovely wellbeing garden and plenty of other spaces for the pupils to use for study, socialising or just relaxing. Just down the road is Ardingly Reservoir which is a hotbed of watersport activities.</p>



<p>The Upper Sixth have their own dedicated building, Godwin Hall, which has a really grown-up, hall-of-residence feel to it and has study spaces as well as common room complete with pool and table tennis tables and (sssshhh) a bar for responsible Upper Sixth fun.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">SPORT</h4>



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<p>The large and picturesque cricket pitch in front of the main school building gives the entrance to the college something of a village green feel. There’s no shortage of sports facilities here, from the two all-weather hockey pitches, dance studios, swimming pool and six tennis courts to the acres of football, rugby and cricket fields, some of which are a decent walk away so pupils will certainly get fit! A new state of the art strength and conditioning centre has gone down a storm with pupils and staff alike.</p>



<p>Traditionally Ardingly excels in hockey and football, for girls and boys, and there are plenty of clubs and activities on top of the usual footie, netball, athletics and cricket so that students can have a crack at equestrianism, sailing, rowing, fencing, golf, climbing and plenty more.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">CREATIVE ARTS</h4>



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<p>Muddy loves an art studio and the ones at Ardingly do not disappoint. Light and airy spaces packed full of top-quality work and shelves stacked with enticing materials for all manner of arty pursuits and a darkroom for photography.</p>



<p>Drama lovers will be happy with the opportunities on offer, which include LAMDA exams and a range of performances throughout the year including a whole-school performance which alternates yearly between a musical and a play. Recent productions have included 9 to 5, Matilda and Dracula.</p>



<p>Music is a real strength, whether students are bursting with musical talent or just interested in trying something new. There are choirs, orchestras and ensembles galore as well as opportunities to learn instruments and masterclasses from professional musicians ranging from local rock bands to national opera singers and ensembles throughout the year. The music school features a whizzy tech suite and music library as well as recording studio, practice and ensemble rooms and a recital space. Musicians also get the opportunity to perform at prestigious venues including St Johns Smith Square and Westminster Abbey.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">ACADEMIC</h4>



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<p>This year was yet another record year for GCSEs at Ardingly and at Sixth Form where A Levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications are on offer. Results were once again, outstanding, 90% of entries were graded at A*-B and for the IB 7-5 with 58%&nbsp;gaining A*-A at A Level. As many as 31% of pupils achieved only A*s and As and at GCSE almost half of pupils gained a Grade 9 or 8 with a third achieving a Grade 9. Most sixth form leavers go on to study at Russell Group universities.</p>



<p>Alongside the academic curriculum, Ardingly runs an enrichment programme that offers students more than 100 activities a week, ranging from life skills to academic, arts and crafts, wellbeing, sport and much more.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">BOARDING AND PASTORAL CARE</h4>



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<p>Ardingly offers flexi, weekly and full boarding for pupils from year 7 all the way through to sixth form and boarders are a mix of UK and international. Boarding houses are separate, fully-staffed buildings with a cosy but grown-up feel, and there is a full range of activities on offer for boarders as well as day pupils, who can stay at school until 8pm if needs be. Day pupils in the senior school also have their own day houses. All the houses, day and boarding, have cosy common rooms with facilities like games consoles, pool tables and decent-sized TVs, as well as kitchens for making snacks in between the three meals a day on offer and studies for all pupils.</p>



<p>A 24-hour health and wellbeing centre offers onsite support for all pupils and each house has its own support team including a housemaster or mistress and a deputy, a matron, nursing staff, tutors and house prefects.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">THE HEAD</h4>



<p>Head of College Ben Figgis has been at Ardingly for eight happy years. The Cambridge graduate and former ad-man joined from Oakham School where he was deputy head and his own children have been educated at Ardingly. He’s demonstrably and deservedly very proud of his school and the opportunities and support it offers to pupils, and says the student body is a good mix of local families, London pupils and international boarders who mainly come from European markets.</p>



<p>The school’s mantra is ‘Nobody excels at everything, but everybody can excel at something’ and this is embodied through the World Ready ethos in which pupils are supported to develop attributes that will prepare them for an ever-changing fast-paced world. He acknowledges that the pace of change is such that it’s impossible to predict the future, and that equipping pupils with life skills, a global outlook, confidence and a sense of community is the best way to help them succeed in life.</p>



<p>With the school in such great shape his plans for the future don’t include huge developments onsite, although he muses over the lack of theatre and the potential to create one, with the full admission that it’s not on the immediate horizon as the school manages so well without one.</p>



<p>Mr Figgis is supported by Harry Hastings as head of prep, a passionate character who enthuses about the Shaping My World ethos of the prep, an age-appropriate version of World Ready. Within prep, this is encompassed by the values of Adventurous, Curious, Ingenious and Generous which permeate all areas of learning and development.</p>



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<h4 class="wp-block-heading">QUIRKS</h4>



<p>Ardingly has a superb onsite barista-run café which has the look and feel of your favourite independent coffee shop. It’s a fantastic addition to the site and beloved by pupils, staff and parents alike.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">WORD ON THE GROUND</h4>



<p>At prep level, the food gets a big thumbs up from pupils and they also love the sport, their teachers and the friendships they make. Senior school pupils rave about the opportunities on offer, the support from staff and boarders feel Ardingly is a home from home where they can make friends and have fun. It’s important to the pupils that they feel listened to and have the opportunity to make suggestions for changes and improvements, and they report back that this is a strength of the school.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/07/Ardingly-College-1-resized.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-65021" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/07/Ardingly-College-1-resized.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/07/Ardingly-College-1-resized-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/07/Ardingly-College-1-resized-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/07/Ardingly-College-1-resized-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">TRANSPORT</h4>



<p>Smart branded school minibuses cover a wide radius of the local area including Hove, Horsham, Lewes, Tunbridge Wells, Reigate, Bletchingley and Maresfield. There’s also a Monday morning bus service to Clapham Junction and a rail chaperone return service on Friday nights.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">MOBILE PHONE POLICY</h4>



<p>Phones are allowed, but they mustn&#8217;t interfere with the working day and pupils can&#8217;t carry them around school with them. Pupils are only allowed to use phones in their houses for things like communicating with parents and arranging transport. </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">FEES</h4>



<p>Nursery is £55 for a morning (including lunch), £70 a day and £80 for an extended day of 8am-6pm. For pre-prep, reception starts at £3,670 a term and rises yearly to £3,883 a term in Year 2. Prep starts at £5,197 a term in Year 3 and rises yearly to £6,522 per term in Year 6.</p>



<p>For the senior school and sixth form, day fees start at £6,885 per term for Year 7 and rise year by year to £9,625 per term in the sixth form. Full boarding starts at £10,250 a term for Year 7 and rises again year by year to £14,737 in the sixth form. Flexi-boarding is also available.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h4>



<p><strong>Good for:</strong> Families who want academic excellence without hothousing as well as a rounded education for their children that focuses on preparing them for the future. It’s hard to imagine a child who wouldn’t thrive here.</p>



<p><strong>Not for:</strong> Those seeking a city-centre campus. Ardingly is fairly self-contained, and the local area is pretty rural.</p>



<p><strong>Dare to disagree?</strong> Register for a virtual or in-person Open Morning in 2024, there&#8217;s a range of dates <a href="https://www.ardingly.com/admissions/open-morning-dates-2/">here</a>.</p>



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<p><em><a href="https://www.ardingly.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ardingly College</a>, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6SQ, 01444 893000</em></p>


Ardingly College, Ardingly

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