Ardingly College Review: Fees, Courses, Ranking And More
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Table of Contents
Summary Of School
- Type of school: Co-educational
- Age range: 11-18
- Pupils: 1,052; sixth formers: 277
- Fees: (Full Boarding) £32,289 – £46,422 per annum
- 2024 A Level Results: 63% A*-A
- 2024 GCSE Results: 72% 9-7
- 2024 IB Results: 38.9 Point Average
Overview
Located in West Sussex, Ardingly College consists of Gothic revival buildings with the countryside as a backdrop. Just beyond the college, we can see the mesmerizing beauty of the Sussex countryside. The college is also situated near Brighton on the South Coast, with the Gatwick Airport located 13 miles away for the convenience of international students.
Ardingly is split into three autonomous schools: Prep School, Junior School and Senior School. The college is equipped with many facilities that are well maintained. They’ve also invested in different technologies so that teachers can use innovative techniques and tools in their teaching. Ardingly College constantly improves and upgrades their facilities throughout the years.
Recently, the state-of-the-art Strength and Conditioning Centre was built along with the refurbishment and extension of the Science Centre. They are currently planning to build a new theatre for the performing arts department. All these improvements are done to provide students a more comfortable yet efficient area to study in.
Ardingly College Courses / Programmes
Shell (Year 9)
All Year 9 students are required to study 8 core subjects: English, Mathematics, Sciences, Humanities & Languages, PSHE, Games, Individual Project (IP) and IT Skills. For the IP, students produce a personal project that they have to research on and present in any form. Pupils usually choose an additional three subjects varying from Art, Music, Drama, Latin, Sports Science, and Design & Technology.
GCSE (Year 10 & 11)
The compulsory subjects for students in Ardingly College are English Language, Mathematics and Science. They can then choose a combination of subjects according to their interests. GCSE students also follow a PSHE programme, where topics on social, health and economy are taught through a variety of workshops. This helps equip them with skills they need for the future.
Pre-IB
This Pre-IB course has been in Ardingly College since 2007. It’s main target audience are students from outside of the UK who intend to take IB Diploma. With 4 core subjects: English Language, Mathematics, Biology and Physics, students have the liberty of selecting an additional 3 subjects. For Pre-IB students, they complete a smaller number of IGCSEs in a year compared to GCSE students.
A Levels
Most students in this course will first choose four subjects of their choice before making the decision to fully pursue three out of four of these subjects. A Level pupils are required to participate in an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). This project is similar to the IB Extended Essay, where students have to complete a research essay and present it to the class.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
The IB programme is highly recognised due to its curriculum that is designed to develop critical skills and research skills. Students study six subjects plus the IB Core. The core subjects are English, Mathematics, a science, a language and a humanity subject.
BTEC
The BTEC programme provides a more practical approach in comparison to the traditional A Levels. Level 3 BTECs are equivalent to one A Level. The BTEC style of assessment is most suitable for those who find traditional exams difficult.
Ardingly College 2024 Ranking
The school’s performance at GCSEs and A-Levels are outstanding as well. Based on our 2024 A-Levels League Table and our 2024 GCSE League Table, Ardingly College was ranked 60th for the A-Levels and 122nd for GCSEs.
Ardingly College is most known for its IB programme and its excellent results places the college among the top in the UK and in the world. Ardingly College has consistently ranked among the top 20 IB schools in the UK. According to the 2024 IB Schools league table, Ardingly College is placed 5th in the UK for the programme. In 2024, Ardingly’s IB cohort managed to score an average of 38.9 points.
Ardingly College 2024 Results
Ardingly College 2024 A Level Result
63% of Ardingly College students managed to score A*-A at the 2024 A-Levels.
Ardingly College 2024 GCSE Result
Ardingly College’s 2024 GCSE cohort managed to achieve 72% 9-7 grades.
Ardingly College 2024 IB Result
In 2024, Ardingly College’s IB students managed to achieve a 38.9 point average.
Ardingly College Entry Requirements
Entry Points | Requirement(s) |
13+ (Year 9) | For candidates attending Prep School,
For other candidates,
|
14+ (Year 10) |
|
Sixth Form |
|
Overseas students |
|
Ardingly College Application Deadline
Parents have to register at least 2 years before the child’s entry year as space is limited.
Ardingly College 2024/25 Fees
Full boarding fees are as follows (per term):
- Year 7 £10,763 per term
- Year 8 £10,763 per term
- Year 9 £14,925 per term
- Year 10 £14,925 per term
- Year 11 £14,925 per term
- Sixth Form £15,474 per term
- IAP £14,525 per term
Registration fee: £150 (non-refundable)
Confirmation of Entry Deposit: For parents residing abroad, the deposit will be one term’s fees. This will be held for the duration of attendance at college and refunded in the October following the completion of studies, net of any outstanding charges.
Ardingly College Reviews
“Great School, Great environment, Great facilities!”
“As a parent of two children who have passed through the school, I have nothing but praise for their incredible work, which has, over the years, seen both of those children rise to senior and very responsible managerial positions in specialist care work, one of them now based in France managing a major centre for mentally and physically handicapped teenagers and adults and the other now with MENCAP. It is undoubtedly down, in no small measure, to the teaching and pastoral care provided by Ardingly College. Highly recommended.”
“Fantastic school. High sporting and academic results. Down to earth pupils.”
“They really care about their students, its an awesome college, I really loved it, people are very nice and kind and i could meet friends from all over the world through the exchange programs.”
Ardingly College Accommodation
Every pupil is assigned to a house upon arrival. Each House has a fully-equipped kitchen, a computer room, a quiet room along with facilities such as Wi-Fi, common rooms with satellite television, a DVD player, Apple TV, piano, game consoles, and a pool table. Students are actively encouraged to get involved in various inter-House competitions and social events. There is also a day house available for Day pupils. For each House, there is an assigned tutor for study groups . Each tutor is responsible for no more than 10 pupils. There are three boarding options from which parents can choose from: full boarding, weekly boarding and flexi boarding. Flexi boarding is highly recommended for parents who have late work commitments as this option allows students to board for three nights a week.
Boarding Houses:
Aberdeen Girls’ Boarding
Toynbee Girls’ Boarding
Burgess Girls’ Day
Neal Girls’ Day
Hilton Boys’ Boarding
Mertens Boys’ Boarding
Crosse Boys’ Day
Rhodes Boys’ Day
Woodard Boys Upper Sixth
Woodard Girls Upper Sixth
Ardingly College Co-Curricular Activities
Sports
Ardingly is known for their victories in hockey and football for both males’ and females’ games. In Ardingly, every student regardless of gender is encouraged to participate in a termly sport along with weekly games. Teams are assigned based on the different abilities of the players so that each team has an equal opportunity to win. Besides hockey and football, Ardingly College also offers other sports like swimming, netball, cricket, tennis and athletics.
Music
Ardingly has an outstanding Music Department. Ardingly’s Music School consists of a recital room, music classrooms and library, ICT suite, a recording studio and 11 practice teaching rooms. In this department, a group of 28 music teachers will coach and train students along with professional musicians who are invited to give masterclasses, workshops and concerts. The highest achievement obtained was by Abigail Horton who received a choral award from the Trinity College Choir, Cambridge.
Creative Arts
Creative Arts in Ardingly includes the Art & Photography and Drama department. The Art Department in Ardingly is a place where students have the freedom to express unique ideas through their artistic skills. In Ardingly, every student is encouraged to submit a personal piece for the Whole School Art Exhibition. This Department often takes trips to galleries in various countries such as Venice, Paris, New York and Amsterdam. Various artists in Ardingly have won prizes from The Royal Academy Online Student Art Competition and The New York Film School.
As for the Drama Department, Ardingly College has a team of LAMDA teachers who tutor students in speech and drama. A special event in this Department would be creating short pieces of interactive and educational theatre, which would then be presented to primary schools around the area.
Charity and Service
The school’s charity programmes are inspired by the Woodard ethos. The Charity Action Team is responsible for raising funds and awareness with regular activities such as youth work at Activity Days and in-house events for No Limits. The team aims to aid various charity organizations through their various youth activities. As for students in the IB programme, they are required to get involved in local community service projects in the Sussex area.
Ardingly College Contact Information
Official Website: https://www.ardingly.com
Phone: +44 (0) 1444 893000
Email address: [email protected]
Location: Ardingly College, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6SQ
Contact us for application assistance
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