Ardingly College
Ardingly College is an independent school in Haywards Heath for boys and girls aged 2 to 20. It has 1,056 pupils and room for 1,130.
College Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, Haywards Heath, RH17 6SQ01444 893000ardingly.comMr Alastair Tighe headmasterAll details
Inspection
This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
270 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 270 | 144 | 146 | 130 | 111 | 108 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 7.0 | 12.1 | 12.5 | 11.4 | 13.7 | 14.2 | 46.6 | 46.8 |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 46% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 68% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.18 | 0.22 | 0.25 | 0.16 | 1.08 | 1.24 | 4.10 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 38% | 41% |
Subjects
Results came out for 10 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Education | 35 | 51% | 100% | 100% | 56% | – |
| Art and Design | 32 | 88% | 100% | 100% | 58% | – |
| Religious Studies | 30 | 70% | 97% | 97% | 60% | – |
| Computer Science | 29 | 69% | 90% | 100% | 56% | – |
| Drama | 24 | 63% | 100% | 100% | 60% | – |
| Design & Technology | 21 | 76% | 100% | 100% | 50% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 19 | 90% | 100% | 100% | 49% | – |
| Music | 12 | 75% | 100% | 100% | 61% | – |
| Latin | 12 | 83% | 100% | 100% | 82% | – |
| German | 8 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 63% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
129 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 129 | 140 | 139 | 128 | 254 | 254 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 43.68 | 45.17 | 46.06 | 48.02 | 44.43 | 42.52 |
| Average A level grade | B+ | A- | A- | A- | B+ | B+ |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 43.33 | 44.84 | 46.39 | 49.47 | 44.73 | 42.01 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 32% | 31% | 21% | 26% | 22% | 26% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.12 | +0.06 | – | – | +0.59 | +0.49 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 42.11 | 44.71 | 40.91 | 38.24 | – | – |
A level subjects
16 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.
Strongest A levels
Every A level subject against England, 2025
A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to West Sussex council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,056 | 1,048 | 1,046 | 1,072 | 1,082 | 1,068 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | – | – | – | – | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | – | – | – | – | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 8% | 10% | 12% | 2% | 2% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
What pupils do next
After sixth form
Where the 139 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 72% | 76% | 84% |
| Education | 63% | 67% | 77% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 9% | 9% | 7% |
| Not in education, work or training | 4% | 4% | 5% |
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 0.8 miles | 109 | Not inspected | 28 | Compare |
| Lindfield Primary Academy | Academy | 2.2 miles | 656 | Outstanding 2021 | 89 | Compare |
| Harlands Primary School | Academy | 2.2 miles | 453 | Good 2023 | 64 | Compare |
| Blackthorns Community Primary School | Academy | 2.3 miles | 203 | Not inspected | 93 | Compare |
| Balcombe Cofe Primary School | Academy | 2.3 miles | 140 | Good 2023 | 60 | Compare |
| Philpots Manor School | Independent | 2.3 miles | 61 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Oathall Community College | Council | 2.4 miles | 1,341 | Good 2023 | 70 | Compare |
| St Giles CofE Primary School | Church of England | 2.8 miles | 114 | Not inspected | 19 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Ardingly College a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score Ardingly College yet.
How good are Ardingly College's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 7.0, against 46.8 for England.
How many pupils does Ardingly College have?
1,056 pupils aged 2 to 20 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 1,130 places, so it is 93% full.
Does Ardingly College have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B+. 16 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- College Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, Haywards Heath, RH17 6SQ
- Telephone
- 01444 893000
- Website
- www.ardingly.com
- Headmaster
- Mr Alastair Tighe
- Type of school
- Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
- Phase
- Independent school, ages 2-20, with nursery, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Ward
- Ardingly, Balcombe & Turners Hill
- Constituency
- East Grinstead and Uckfield
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 January 1927
- URN
- 126133 · LAESTAB 9386200 · UKPRN 10014955
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.