Ardingly College
A World Ready Education
Founded in 1858, Ardingly College is a co-educational boarding and day school set in 240 acres of West Sussex countryside. At its heart is a World Ready education, one that sets real academic ambition alongside the character, curiosity, and confidence to flourish in a changing world. Ardingly is well known for the breadth of its academic pathways, offering A Levels, the International Baccalaureate, and BTECs at Sixth Form, and enjoys a strong reputation as an established IB school.
Key Facts
Location : Haywards Heath, West Sussex
Type : Co-educational, boarding and day
Age Range : 11 to 18
Pupil Numbers : Approx. 850 pupils
Founded : 1858
Values : Engagement, compassion, resilience, and collaboration
Academic Profile
Pupils at Ardingly follow a comprehensive IGCSE curriculum, undertaking independent research through the Higher Project Qualification, before choosing A Levels, the International Baccalaureate, or BTECs in the Sixth Form. Old Ardinians proceed to Oxford and Cambridge, alongside leading universities in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe.
Co-Curricular Life
Music and drama are a real strength at Ardingly, from the elite chamber choir Schola Cantorum, which has performed at Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral, to a thriving drama and LAMDA tradition that takes full advantage of the College's easy reach of London's theatres. Sport is played to a high level across football, hockey, cricket, netball, swimming, and athletics, supported by a football partnership with Brighton & Hove Albion, and the College's Sussex setting, beside a reservoir, opens up watersports and outdoor pursuits alongside the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and a wide range of clubs.
Admissions Essentials
Pupils join Ardingly's Senior School at three main points, at 11+ into Year 7, at 13+ into Year 9, and at 16+ into the Sixth Form. For 11+ entry, families are asked to visit the College in Year 5 or early in Year 6 before registering, and candidates attend an Engagement and Assessment Day of short academic tests and activities, alongside an interview, school reports, and a reference. For 13+ entry, candidates sit the ISEB online Pre-Test in the Michaelmas term of Year 6, with an individual visit, a school report, and a reference, and selected candidates are invited to an Engagement Day of short written tests and lessons the following spring. Sixth Form candidates attend an Assessment Day in the autumn of Year 11, sitting an online reasoning test and subject papers, with offers made against GCSE grades. At 11+ and 13+ entry, scholarships are available across academic, art, music, drama, dance, and sport.
In Essence
For a pupil with curiosity to develop and character to build, Ardingly combines a distinctive breadth of academic pathways with its World Ready values of engagement, compassion, resilience, and collaboration, preparing each one to flourish in a changing world.