Ardingly College A GSG School

What the school says...

Ardingly College is an independent co-education school for pupils aged 2 – 18 offering both A level and IB.  Founded in 1858, Ardingly College is a school of over 1050 pupils, including those in the Prep and Pre-Prep. Located in the beautiful Sussex countryside nestled in 230 acres, Ardingly College also benefits from being twelve minutes by train from the vibrant university city of Brighton, while London is 45 minutes away by train and Gatwick airport 20 minutes by car.

The Senior School is a co-educational day and boarding school with approximately 630 pupils aged 13 – 18. The Senior School provides an all-round education centred on a strong academic core with excellent academic results. Recent success has seen the school rise to a top 10 position in the global IB rankings with an IB average of 39 in 2020 and 38 in 2019. In 2019 the school became a top 50 school for A Levels in the Telegraph league table for sixth form results. The most recent ISI report judged the College to be excellent in both pupil achievement and personal development. GCSE and A level outcomes continued an upward trajectory in 2020 reflecting the growing strength of our cohorts, albeit in very unusual circumstances.

College life is based on a strong boarding provision with a progressive ethos around preparing the students to be ready for the world, and all staff are expected to contribute to the pastoral and co-curricular life and duties in this busy and successful school.  The school offers an outstanding range of co-curricular activities and has a proud tradition of sporting achievement, particularly in football, where the school won the U18 ISFA cup for two consecutive seasons in 2015 and 2016, and girls’ hockey where the team reached the national finals in 2015 and 2017. Music and Drama are particularly strong, with a vibrant extra-curricular provision including international music tours, concerts held at a range of venues across the South East including St John’s Smith Square London, while the Drama department frequently takes productions to Chequer Mead Theatre in Sussex and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Students also participate in the exciting Solar Car Project which saw Ardingly College enter the recent 2019 World Solar Race in Australia, beating famous global university teams.

Over the past ten years, the College has built a Sports Hall and fitness suite, three new boarding houses, including a £6 million co-educational Upper Sixth house, and most recent additions include a new £5m STEM building opened in 2019, and a new girls’ day house which opened in September 2020. A new eco-café, situated in the heart of the College, and dance studio will be completed by the end of the academic year.

Ardingly College celebrates diversity and approximately 25% of the students are from overseas. Around thirty nationalities are represented at the college, giving the school a genuinely global outlook. The school also offers many opportunities and workshops, giving students a range of life skills to prepare them for successful transition to university and beyond.

We are delighted to attract both top performers and also late bloomers who have a strong work ethic and apply a good attitude to school. We work together to nurture both academic ability and outstanding life skills to build future success beyond school and nearly every student seeking a place at university is successful.

We prepare our students to be 'World Ready' ...Read more

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