Sussex


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/2-16.jpg" alt="Solomiia bursary student at Ardingly College " class="wp-image-65969" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/2-16.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/2-16-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/2-16-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/2-16-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/2-16-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>As a new school term gets underway, there’s one local student who deserves special congratulations after this summer’s GCSE results. Solomiia H, a refugee from Ukraine joined <a href="https://sussex.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/ardingly-college-sussex/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ardingly College</a> &#8211; a spacious and impressive co-ed day and boarding school near Haywards Heath on a full bursary following the outbreak of the war in 2022.  </p>



<p>Considering the circumstances and the challenges, remarkably she went on to achieve all GCSE grades at either 9s or 8s. She says, “I managed to get excellent results in one year thanks to hard work, the support of my parents, the faith in me from my sponsors, as well as the wonderful teachers from Ardingly College who helped and motivated me throughout the entire educational process.&#8221;<br><br>Keen to hear more about her incredible educational journey and how the school supported her, Muddy spoke to head teacher, Ben Figgis, and Solomiia shared her experiences.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-did-solomiia-come-to-your-attention-and-how-was-the-bursary-awarded"><strong>How did Solomiia come to your attention and how was the bursary awarded?&nbsp;</strong></h3>



<p>Ben says, “When Solomiia left Ukraine, after the outbreak of the war, she was sponsored by a host family in Sussex whose own two children had previously been students at Ardingly. Her host parents got in touch with us and asked if there was any possibility of a bursary for her. We had recently welcomed a refugee from Afghanistan on a full bursary, so were well-placed to process the application quickly and were delighted to be able to offer Solomiia a place at Ardingly at what was obviously an incredibly difficult time for her and her family.”</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-was-solomiia-was-doing-before-the-outbreak-of-the-war"><strong>What was Solomiia was doing before the outbreak of the war?</strong></h3>



<p>Solomiia says, &#8220;Before the outbreak of the war, I had a life as an ordinary teenager who didn’t always want to get up in the morning to go to school, do my homework and write tests. Only now, looking back at these days, I understand that I had an amazing carefree life, full of fun and wonderful moments.&nbsp;I attended a public school in Ukraine and studied 15 subjects of which my favourites were English as a foreign language, maths and, later on, geography. I planned to continue my education at a Ukrainian university, even though I wasn&#8217;t quite sure which faculty I wanted to choose. However, the outbreak of the war has changed my plans since it became dangerous not only to study in Ukraine, but to live there in general.”</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-has-the-school-supported-solomiia-in-adjusting-to-life-in-the-uk"><strong>How has the school supported Solomiia in adjusting to life in the UK?</strong></h3>



<p>Ben says, “Luckily, Solomiia’s English was already at a pretty good standard. Initially we provided her with extra English as an Additional Language (EAL) classes to help her achieve full fluency quickly.&nbsp; Our School Partnerships &amp; Bursaries Coordinator worked closely with her tutor to make sure she received all the pastoral support she needed to settle in. They also carefully monitored her timetable and workload, during the first term in particular, to make sure she was managing academically.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/1-16.jpg" alt="Ardingly College" class="wp-image-65970" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/1-16.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/1-16-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/1-16-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/1-16-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/09/1-16-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-solomiia-excel-in-and-what-is-she-planning-to-do-next"><strong>What does Solomiia excel in and what is she planning to do next?&nbsp;</strong></h3>



<p>Ben says, “She was awarded all 9s and 8s for her GCSEs, which is a fantastic achievement given she had only been at Ardingly (and in the UK) for one year. She gained 9s in Maths, Physics and Russian and managed to achieve 8s in both English Language and English Literature.”</p>



<p>Solomiia says, &#8220;As I&#8217;m currently living and studying in the UK, after Ardingly College I would like to continue my education here. After Ardingly offered me so many opportunities to try new things, I decided to study Economics as this subject and Maths really appeal to me. Moreover, I have a dream to receive a grant to study at a British university, after which I will be able to return to Ukraine and use the skills and abilities that I’m acquiring in the UK to help restore the economic situation after the war.&#8221;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-have-the-staff-and-students-supported-her">How have the staff and students supported her?</h3>



<p>Ben says, “We’re extremely proud of our strong pastoral support system at Ardingly, including small pastoral groups in our Houses, which ensure every pupil is known as an individual and no one can be overlooked. Solomiia benefited from the buddy system in her House and she was able to make friends quickly. We also matched her with another Russian-speaking girl in the House, who really helped her feel at home quickly by enabling her to still speak her own language. Solomiia became a keen participant in lots of House activities, including House Song (she was thrilled that her House won!) and she has really enjoyed trying out lots of new activities and hobbies as part of our Enrichment Programme.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next-how-does-the-school-continue-to-support-pupils-once-they-leave"><strong>What&#8217;s next? How does the school continue to support pupils once they leave?&nbsp;</strong></h3>



<p>Ben says, “Solomiia is now in our Lower Sixth and studying for the IB Diploma. Her chosen subjects are Economics, Business, Environmental Systems &amp; Social Societies, English, Maths and Russian. When she leaves Ardingly at the end of Year 13 she will become part of our Old Ardinian community, with all the mentoring and networking opportunities which that provides. Our School Partnerships &amp; Bursaries Coordinator also ensures that she keeps in touch with all our former bursary students so we can provide any extra support or advice they need as they enter the world beyond school.”</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-would-the-school-like-to-do-more-of-this"><strong>Would the school like to do more of this?</strong></h3>



<p>Ben says, “We’re proud of our transformational bursary programme, which widens access to Ardingly to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. As well as the small number of refugees such as Solomiia, who we’ve welcomed in the last couple of years, we’re also proud partners of&nbsp;Springboard, a charity which does amazing work in this area. Currently we have two boarders who were referred to us by Springboard and both are thriving at Ardingly. We do have a (fairly modest) endowment which we use to fund these and other transformational bursaries, including some fully funded places for day pupils from the local area. We believe our bursary programme also benefits our fee-paying students as we don’t want them to live in a bubble of privilege. After all, it is important for all our pupils to be able to collaborate and work with people from a wide range of backgrounds; this is a fundamental part of our mission to equip our pupils to be World Ready.</p>



<p>“In addition, it’s fantastic to see what a great influence students like Solomiia and other full bursaries have on the school culture; it is humbling for all of us brought up in comfortable and stable environments to see their determination and resilience.&nbsp; It is noticeable how much more appreciative students are of their own opportunities when they realise how much children like Solomiia value the same opportunities and succeed against the odds.&#8221;<br><br><em>Find out more about <a href="https://sussex.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/ardingly-college-sussex/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ardingly College with Muddy’s school review</a>.&nbsp;</em></p>


Muddy meets: Ukrainian refugee whose life was transformed by local school, Ardingly College

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