When you first join Ardingly College, you can do so as a day student, a weekly boarder or a full boarder.  Day students are encouraged to spend as much time as possible at school and often don’t go home until 9.00pm on week nights.  Weekly boarders, as the name implies, spend their week living and working at school and then go home for most, if not all weekends.  Full boarders come from further afield, either in this country or from overseas, and will spend most of their weekends at school.

Boarding

With at least half of the boarders here each weekend, there is always lots going on around the school.  Activities are organised for Saturday morning and there is a full programme of sport for all Ardingly students each Saturday afternoon.  Saturdays evenings at Ardingly are quite special, with an “a la carte” meal followed by various activities or house outings.

Sundays are a relaxed time at Ardingly, and students can have a “sleep in” if they wish before they tuck into the “Big Brunch”.  After brunch, there is a packed programme of trips and events designed to give our boarders a taste of what London and the surrounding areas in Sussex have to offer.  Boarders may, of course, go out on leave with local families or relatives any weekend they wish, as long as they have permission from their parents and from their Housemaster or Housemistress.

Flexi Boarding

Day students may, if they wish, stay overnight whenever it suits them or their parents. With comfortable, modern facilities and friendly surroundings in the boarding houses, we offer a real “home away from home” for every student.

For many of our boarding students, Ardingly really is their home for a good portion of the year. That’s why we always ensure that the boarding facilities here are up to date and offer all the comforts that boarders might need. We constantly update and improve our facilities to ensure that students have adequate privacy, space to study and areas in which to relax.

There is always something going on at Ardingly and the informal, family atmosphere of the Houses, whether day or boarding, makes living and learning here a really exciting prospect.

A Christian Base     

At the heart of Ardingly College lies our wonderful Chapel, where once a week, the entire school gathers for a Eucharistic service.  This is the only service we expect everybody to attend, but as we are an Anglican school, there are other optional services throughout the week too. All students may, if they wish, become involved in the spiritual side of life at Ardingly, and discover more about themselves as they do so.

Pastoral Care

Ardingly College is a friendly, happy school where each and every one of our students is treated as an individual. On arrival, each student is allocated a tutor by their Housemaster or Housemistress and once they get to know the school better, students are free to choose any member of staff as their tutor for the remainder of their time at Ardingly. Students meet individually with their tutors on a regular basis to discuss their progress and, if necessary, their problems. 

As well as their Housemaster or Housemistress and their tutor, students may approach any member of the staff to discuss matters that concern them. The Chaplain, the nursing Sisters in the Sanatorium and the School Counsellor are all on hand to offer confidential advice and support when required.