Ardingly College, Haywards Heath | The Good Schools Guide

Ardingly College
College Road
Ardingly
Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH17 6SQ
Head: Ben Figgis
T 01444 893000
F 01444 893001
E registrar@ardingly.com
W www.ardingly.com
A mainstream independent school for pupils aged from 13 to 18 with a linked junior school
Boarding: Yes
Local authority: West Sussex
Pupils: 599; 299 weekly/full boarders ; sixth formers: 250
Religion: Church of England
Fees: Day £22,650 - £23,610; Boarding £31,950 - £33,420 pa
Open days: Open Mornings take place each term.
Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
ISI report: View the ISI report
Linked schools: Ardingly College Prep School

What The Good Schools Guide says..

'There’s a section attack on the headmaster’s field this afternoon,’ she added enthusiastically, as a cannon was wheeled into the quad. ‘It just shoots blanks,’ she said cheerfully, ‘but it makes lots of noise.’ Feels a bit like a university campus, with boarding houses reached by a path through a tranquil bluebell-lined woodland glade. There’s no held breath tension in the corridors here: pupils are relaxed and happy, with an outward looking politeness. It’s not a leap to your feet school, but there was a…

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What the school says...

Ardingly College is an independent day and boarding school for boys and girls aged 2-18. Situated between London and Brighton on a beautiful 230-acre campus, in West Sussex, it is only 25 minutes from Gatwick Airport and there is a school bus to transport the weekly boarders from London.

Ardingly College is quintessentially English so one could be forgiven for thinking that it takes a traditional approach to teaching. However Ardingly College is forward thinking: pushing boundaries and offering unique enrichment opportunities. We finds in each child something they are good at, so they grow in confidence and in turn happiness. When they leave us they are comfortable in their own skin and able to say they are ‘World-Ready’.

And the results? Ardingly is ranked in the top ten UK IB schools in the UK, with 86% of pupils gaining A* to B at A Level (or IB equivalent) and 95% gaining their first or second choice of university. ...Read more

What the parents say...

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Curricula

International Baccalaureate: diploma - the diploma is the familiar A-level equivalent.

Other features

All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.

Sports

Rowing

Fencing

Shooting

Sailing

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since September 2014, Ben Figgis MA (Cantab). Previously deputy head at Oakham, where he also taught sixth form history and theory of knowledge. Has also been history teacher, housemaster and head of boarding at Abingdon. Before taking up teaching had a life in media, which he left after concerns about the ethical compromises involved in newsgathering. Keen to provide pupils with a modern education, and a world view. Enrichment is a word which comes up a lot – an interest and excitement in subjects is as important as achieving a particular grade.

Pupils are very enthusiastic about the head and say he’s ‘balanced’ (in comparison to his predecessor who was apparently more hard line). Described by a parent as ‘approachable’, though still finding his feet; but she said her children all...

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Special Education Needs

The Learning Support Department offers individual lessons for pupils who have a mild specific learning difficulty. All pupils however must be able to cope in the classroom without individual Learning Assistant support.

Condition	Provision for in school

ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Aspergers	Y
Aspergers Syndrome [archived]
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders	Y
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders [archived]
CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia
Delicate Medical Problems [archived]
Dyscalculia
Dysgraphia	Y
Dyslexia	Y
Dyspraxia	Y
English as an additional language (EAL)	Y
Epilepsy [archived]
Genetic
Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory
Has SEN unit or class	Y
HI - Hearing Impairment
Hospital School
Mental health
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Natspec Specialist Colleges
Not Applicable
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty	Y
PD - Physical Disability
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Special facilities for Visually Impaired
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
VI - Visual Impairment

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