Ardingly College

Ardingly College is an independent boarding and day school near Ardingly, West Sussex, England. The school is a member of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference and of the Woodard Corporation of independent schools and as such has a strong Anglo-Catholic tradition.[3] It was originally a boarding school for boys, and became fully co-educational in 1982.[4] For the academic year 2015/16, Ardingly charged day pupils up to £7,710 per term, making it the 29th most expensive Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) day school.[5] It is a public school in the British sense of the term (i.e. fee-paying). As of 2017, there are about 416 pupils enrolled at the school, aged between 13 and 18. Additionally, there are about 520 pupils aged from 2½ to 13 at the Ardingly College Preparatory school, with which it shares some grounds.[6][7][8][9]

The school is regularly positioned amongst the top ten International Baccalaureate (IB) schools in the United Kingdom, and has won the Royal Society of Chemistry Top of the Bench Competition.[10]

Ardingly played an important role in providing infantry throughout the 20th century conflicts, with around 1,200 Ardingly pupils going on to fight in the First World War, 146 of whom were killed, along with two former members of staff.[11] In addition, 88 Old Ardinians died in World War II; their names being recorded in a book of remembrance.[12]

The school’s former pupils – or “Old Ardinians” – include four Conservative MP’s;[13] satirist Ian Hislop;[14] actor Terry-Thomas;[15] Formula One World Champion Mike Hawthorn;[16] author Neil Gaiman;[17] Interscan inventor John Paul Wild;[18] and Allard Motor Company founder Sydney Allard.[19]

Address: Ardingly College, College Rd, Ardingly, Haywards Heath RH17 6SQ, United Kingdom