A weekend in the life

Tosin Afolabi, Lower Sixth 2011, Mertens House

"Everyone always says boarding at whatever school they go to is great fun, but I'm not going to tell you that, I'm going to give you the low-down and leave you to be the judge of whether Ardingly is as outstanding as Ofsted says it is.

You spend 80% of your time in school and a majority of that is spent in your Boarding House with a relatively diverse collection of people: Azerbaijan, German, Tanzanian, Kenyan, Mauritian, plus of course the locals! It is quite amazing how in our House we have bonded together quickly to form such a strong sense of community.

One night I had missed dinner, and was looking forward to some ham and cheese back at house. I was devastated to discover I was late. When my friends found out, no one hesitated to offer their ham or cheese or a whole pack of pot noodles. Needless to say, I didn't go to bed hungry that night.

Time passes here quickly because there's so much to do, even after school is finished. For example, swimming at the pool and indoor soccer at the sports hall. There are also clubs and societies to join such as supporting the Red Cross, Amnesty International and even bee-keeping ! A few years at Ardingly and you'll have a UCAS personal statement unlike any other. One that shows a hard working, independent individual, active in the community, with lots of friends.

Here student led projects are more than encouraged. We create pool competitions, FIFA tournaments. One event I really enjoyed was a 24 hour gaming marathon organized by our House for charity. Everyone pitched in at different hours to keep them awake and in the end we raised close to £500.

We do slow down once in a while, especially on Tuesday nights. We finish classes and order pizza with friends, 2 for the price of 1 and then relax in the social room with shows like Two and a Half Men, Chuck and Family guy which are easily streamed over the fast internet connection.

Weekends are the best balance of work and play here. In the morning, there are activities such as fencing, photography, swimming as well as the school-wide sports program. There is a nice quiet time in the early afternoon to finish any outstanding work before a barbecue later in the afternoon and some sporting activity against the rival house, Hilton. We can also visit local towns such as Brighton, Crawley or London.

Hopefully, by now you think boarding at Ardingly sounds fun and as good as we think it is. I encourage you to come and find out for yourself. You'll find us all warm and friendly. See you soon."