At Ardingly our international students greatly enrich our College community and around 25% of our Senior School are full boarders from overseas, who come from 30 different countries.
International students are often attracted to Ardingly because we are one of the Top 10 Schools in the UK for the IB Diploma and by our reputation as one of the best boarding schools in the country. The latter was clearly demonstrated when we were the first school in the UK to be awarded a ‘significant strength’ in boarding by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, which is the highest accolade available under the inspection regime.
There are around 150-200 students at the College every weekend in term-time and we run a fantastic weekend programme for our full boarders.
International Students’ Entry Points & Requirements
The main entry points for international students into our Senior School are the same as for those based in the UK; 11+ (Year 7), 13+ (Year 9) and 16+ (Year 13).
It is imperative that prospective applicants have an excellent command of English in order to access and cope with the rigours of the curriculum. As a guide, we require an IELTS score of 6.5 or above for Sixth Form applications. We can provide some EAL tuition, for which there is an additional charge.
We do, however, also offer a small number of places on two programmes which are specifically designed for international students to ease their transition into the College:
Year 8: International Academic Pathway (IAP)
The International Academic Pathway (IAP) is a one-year transition programme, carefully designed for Year 8 students from outside the UK, aged 12 or 13 at entry, who are academically able but whose level of English is below the level needed for entry into the mainstream Year 8 curriculum at Ardingly College. Approximately 12 students will join the IAP each year. The IAP is for students:
• with an English level between CEFR high A2 to low B2
• who will do the entire Year 8 set of subjects, games, trips and enrichment programmes but will have separate World Studies and English classes 11 times a week instead of joining the mainstream History, Geography, Drama and English classes.
• would enjoy a highly supportive and carefully staged integration into an Ardingly College education with World Studies and English having a smaller class size to promote language learning.
Successful completion of the IAP automatically leads to entry into the mainstream Year 9 at the College and, if successful IGCSE results are attained at Year 11, the opportunity to progress to IB or A Level in Years 12 and 13 (Sixth Form).
Year 10 and Year 11: Pre-Sixth Form Entry
Every year we accept a small number of academically able overseas students into Year 10 and Year 11 in preparation for studying the IB Diploma in Ardingly’s Sixth Form. This programme aims to enable a smooth transition into our Sixth Form by:
- Improving students’ fluency in English and acquiring basic technical vocabulary in the subjects they want to study as part of the full IB Diploma
- Strengthening the students’ knowledge in the ‘core’ subjects of Maths, English and Science
- Providing the opportunity for students to sit GCSE and IGCSE examinations in key subjects, to assist with university entry
- Supporting students so they adapt to living away from home in a boarding environment through facilitating their social integration into the College
Students joining the College into Year 11 for our Pre-Sixth Form Programme study the core subjects of English Language, Mathematics and Science (Biology and Physics are core subjects, Chemistry is available as an optional subject.) Students then select two or three optional subjects. These are chosen and discussed with the Head of Middle School.
Pre-Sixth Form programmes for Year 11 joiners are bespoke and tailored to the needs of students sitting GCSEs and IGCSEs following one year of study.
International Application Process
There is a separate registration process for students who are based overseas, so please contact our admissions team on registration@ardingly.com who will ask you for some further information, before providing access to our overseas registration link.
We are proud to be accredited with membership of AEGIS
