Lancing College Review: Fees, Rankings And More

Lancing College, situated in the picturesque South Downs, is a self-contained campus that has been in existence since 1848. The institution takes great pride in housing the largest school chapel globally, a remarkable testament to its historical significance. The campus exudes an exceptional and inviting atmosphere, promoting a progressive, relaxed, and friendly environment, making it an ideal haven for all academically inclined students.

lancing college review

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Table of Contents

Summary Of School

  • Type of school: co-educational
  • Age range: 13-18
  • Pupils: 600; sixth formers: 260
  • Fees: Full boarding – £14,850 per term (Senior Year)
  • 2023 A-Level Results: 54% A*/A
  • 2023 GCSE Results: 56% 9-7

Overview

Lancing school provides holistic care and a nurturing environment for active, bold yet introspective and caring young adults. Pupils who strive in an academically stimulating environment will love Lancing College’s selective environment. While the Headmaster steers away from an exam-oriented approach, Lancing College pupils have always achieved its well-known academic excellence.

Lancing College is particularly outstanding in the fields of science and medicine, thanks to the college’s specialist Medics Group. Future medics have their own dedicated Sixth-Form medical programme which starts from the Firth Form/Year 11. Outside of STEM, the school is also strong in music.

Many Lancing College graduates enrol at some of the most prestigious universities in the UK such as the Oxbridge and the Russell Group universities of Durham University, Imperial College London, University of Exeter, King’s College London, UCL, Bath and Bristol. The US and other top European countries are also popular destinations outside of the UK for some school leavers. In 2023, 10% of Lancing College graduates chose to study overseas.

Lancing College Courses And Programmes

Lancing College offers GCSE and A-Levels with BTECs available in business or sport.

For Senior years and the GCSE programme, pupils will take core subjects which consist of English, English Literature, Mathematics, Dual Award Science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics can be taken as three separate GCSEs options) and Religious Studies as a Short Course GCSE. There are also four optional subjects, among them is a mandatory Language (French, Spanish, German or Latin) and a course of PE or PSHE.

For A-Level options, there are over 20 different A-Level subjects to choose from. Pupils can also do an Extended Project (EPQ) to invest more deeply into a subject of their interest. This EPQ will add weight to their university application. 

Lancing College Application Deadline

Here are the updated key dates for entry into Lancing College.

Key Dates on Third Form/Year 9 Entry (13 Years)

2024

Places for 2024 are limited. Please contact us to enquire about availability.

2025

Our Year 7 Route assessments will take place on Tuesday 14 November 2023.
The deadline for registration for the Year 7 Route is 20 October 2023.

2026

The Advance Pre-Test Programme Assessment Day will take place on Tuesday 16 January 2024. The deadline for registration for the Advance Pre-Test Programme is 31 October 2023. 

The deadline for registration for the Year 7 Route is 18 October 2024. The Year 7 Route assessments will take place on Tuesday 12 November 2024.

2027

The deadline for registration for the Advance Pre-Test Programme is 29 October 2024. The Advance Pre-Test Assessment Day will take place on Tuesday 14 January 2025.

 

Key Dates on Sixth Form (A Level) Entry (16 years)

2024

Assessments for Sixth Form entry in 2024 will take place on Friday 10 November 2023 (International students – remotely) and on Saturday 11 November 2023 (UK students). The deadline for registration for Sixth Form entry in 2024 is 20 October 2023.

2025

The deadline for registration for Sixth Form entry in 2025 is 18 October 2024. Assessments for Sixth Form entry in 2025 will take place on Friday 8 November 2024 (for International students – remotely) and on Saturda 9 November 2024 (UK students)

Lancing College Results

Lancing College shines in terms of its pupils’ academic outcomes. 

In 2022, Lancing College’s students managed to achieve the following results in standardised tests:

  • 2022 A-Level Results: 55% A*/B
  • 2022 GCSE Results: 36% 9/8

In 2023, Lancing College achieved outstanding results, showing a marked improvement over the previous year.

  • 2023 A-Level Results: 54% A*/A
  • 2023 GCSE Results: 56% 9/7

Lancing College Fees

Senior School Fees for the 2023/2024 school year:

  • Full boarding: £14,850/term
  • Flexi-boarding £12,480/term (for incoming Year 9, 10 and 11 pupils)
  • Day school: £10,150/term with occasional overnight stays at £64/night.

Each younger sibling will receive a 10% discount whilst the older sibling is at the College or the prep schools.

The termly fees include: 

  1. Academic books and provision of an iPad
  2. All meals
  3. Usual laundry (excluding dry cleaning)
  4. Personal accident insurance.

Additional charges

  • The Lancing Society – This gives pupils and parents lifetime membership of the Lancing Society and OL Club (with its membership of over 5,500 individuals worldwide)
  • The Nathaniel Woodard Bursary Fund 
  • Examination Fees  
  • Visa compliance – those pupils who attend College requiring a Child Student Visa will pay a termly fee to cover the cost of our external administration/compliance agency
  • SEN/EAL lessons 
  • Transport – the school currently runs bus services for day pupils from the surrounding area. Transport is also available to and from airports at the start and end of each term
  • House Accounts 
  • Design & Technology – pupils are charged for materials and consumables used in connection with their own projects 
  • Combined Cadet Force (CCF), Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme or Explorer Scouts 
  • School trips – the cost of trips will be kept to a minimum particularly if they are compulsory
  • School Shop – uniform can be purchased from the School Shop website. However, on occasion charges may be added to the termly invoice
  • Library – for items that are not renewed or returned by the due date
  • Extra laundry.

Lancing College Entry Requirements

For Third Form/Year 9 Entry (13 years)

International pupils from outside of the UK will attend an appropriate entry test and an informal interview in person with the Director of Admission (or via Zoom).

They are also required to provide a satisfactory report and reference from their current school.  

For Sixth Form (A-Level) Entry (16 years)

Applicants from UK Senior Schools will be accessed based on:

  • References from the current school
  • Academic interviews
  • Computerised Cognitive Ability Test
  • A personal statement

They are expected to meet the normal GCSE qualifications for Sixth Form entry with a minimum of five grade 6s, usually including English and Mathematics. Some subjects will require a grade 7 or above. Please refer to the school’s Sixth Form course guide for more information.

International senior pupils looking to attend Lancing College will need to sit for an examination, the UKiset and attend an informal interview in person with the Registrar (or via Skype).

International applicants from a UK prep school will generally follow the ISEB Common Entrance (minimum of 55% on Level 2 papers) or the Common Academic Scholarship Examination route. 

The applicant is also required to submit a satisfactory report and reference from their current school.

Lancing College Reviews

Parent of new pupil
5/5

“My daughter chose it and fell in love with it when we visited. When she got home she said ‘I’m going to Lancing’, she just loved the whole place and the vibe of it.”

Parent of new pupil
5/5

The warmth of the staff and teachers and the passion with which they teach; the feel and essence of Lancing College which is hard to put into words. It was the perfect school for my child and I felt very very reassured that he was going to be well looked after, which after his first year I can say that he was.”

Sixth Form leaver
5/5

Preparation for life after Lancing is very good. The College encourages individual growth in pupils, both emotionally and intellectually, and to stretch and move you beyond your comfort zone.

Current Pupil
5/5

“As a musician, there are many different groups to be part of and such a variety of activities that I feel I can try out everything; I can play a broad range of music, and also get to know other students I wouldn’t otherwise have met.”

Current Pupil
5/5

“Lancing has prepared me very well for my next steps. The UCAS preparation has been brilliant, particularly Oxbridge support; my tutor has helped me hugely with university choices. Every teacher is here for you 24/7.”

Current Pupil
5/5

“Lancing has given me insight into what the real world is like, the confidence to express myself without fear and to deal with relationships in a mature way.”

Current Pupil
5/5

“Lancing has prepared me well academically. It has been good to be surrounded by motivated people, not just staff but students too.”

Lancing College Accommodation

Lancing College offers seven Boarding Houses for both full boarding and flexi boarding pupils. 

Boarding houses are single-sex and span all five year-groups. Among them, Sixth Form boarding is particularly popular for female pupils, especially for those who come from all-girl schools to prepare for a co-ed environment in university.

All boarding houses have a similar set of facilities from bedrooms, study areas, a kitchen and a friendly common room. All students will have meals in the dining room with the option of a pizza truck at weekends. 

Boarders will have lessons on Saturday mornings then spend the afternoons playing sports. Sundays are packed with various activities. Full boarders have three options: to stay over the weekends in school and return home on holidays, go home or go to guardians on most weekends. There are five exeats a year where the school is closed to pupils and five short weekends where all boarders are required to be in school. Day pupils can stay overnight occasionally depending on the houses’ vacancies and with 24-hour advance notice and extra charges per night. 60% of pupils board weekly or are day pupils.

Lancing College Student Services and Extracurricular Activities

Pastoral Care

All boarding houses have housemasters or mistresses who live on-site with their families, as well as matrons and tutors to best take care of the pupils. There is also a dedicated health centre with school doctors, a counsellor and the Chaplain for extra support. Pupils in Sixth Form can choose to undergo training to become peer supporters and all new pupils are assigned a buddy to help them settle in and find their way around.

Pupils have limited access to mobile phones and social media. They can also participate as Digital Ambassadors to help their friends of the same year navigate the online world.

Extracurricular Activities

The school is reputable in sports, drama and music. There are more than 100 unique activities offered every week to cater to all interests. The daily co-curricular programme includes sports, creative and academic clubs. Clubs are ranging from traditional debating and chess clubs to contemporary esports. 

Music and Drama

Music is the school’s strongest department. There are various types of orchestras, choirs, bands and ensembles as well as numerous concerts, recitals and opera trips. The grand chapel also has three organs and a chapel choir. Pupils are encouraged to study musical instruments and the Music School hosts around 300 lessons per week. The pupils are kept busy with up to 40 concerts per year.

The current Headmaster used to teach Shakespeare at Oxford and the school has made sure to invest in the performing arts. The drama department produces plays and at least one musical every year, along with playwriting competitions and student-led workshops. Pupils get to act in productions such as the modern Legally Blonde and even the Shakespearean classics. Dance options also vary from ballet to tap, street and contemporary as well as yoga and Pilates. 

Sports

Lancing College’s main sports are football, hockey, netball and tennis. There is an elite programme with an Olympic-standard swimming pool that focuses on training national and international swimming athletes. Horse riding enthusiasts have an equestrian centre with acres of gorgeous trails for hacking on the Downs. The school is also developing a reputation in women’s cricket thanks to the recent participation of their first female cricket scholar.

The school also owns a farm where pupils can practice delivering their own lambs to prepare for a veterinary route in the future.

Lancing College Contact Information

  • Official website: https://www.lancingcollege.co.uk/
  • Phone call: 01903 201123
  • Email: [email protected] 
  • Location: Broadwater Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 8HU

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