Handcross Park vs Ardingly College

[Sussex1972]

Hi there

We are in the process of making probably one if the hardest decisions. Taking our DS1 (8) out of a very lovely village school and putting him in a prep school. There are lots of reasons why which I will not bore you with. However, we think we have narrowed it down to the above 2 and it would be great to get some feedback on other peoples experiences of the above 2 schools. We are not looking for a hot house. We want a school that will help him find his niche and what he is good at, will give him the confidence to thrive and be fun. Also at the same time ensuring that he is being pushed to the best of his abilities.

Any help would be most appreciated as this I have to say is a tough call.

Thanks

Handcross Park first. The school is now owned by Brighton College & I suspect the ethos may become more academic? Brighton are not taking new boarders at their prep & putting them in Handcross Park. My son who went to another local prep told me he enjoyed playing matches at HXP because apparently they provided a great tea & HXP pupils always made them feel welcome. Handcross must be doing something right as it has doubled its pupil numbers in the past few years. I see you're not looking for a hot house? The Brighton link would concern me as I prefer non-selective schools. I would need to ask further questions to ensure HXP was not going to be just a feeder for Brighton & was remaining all inclusive. The other prep owned by Brighton is St Christopher's in Hove which like Brighton, has always been academically aspirational.

Now Ardingly, a friend's daughter who is now 22, was a day pupil at the prep school after an unhappy time at her state primary. She loved it there & did not want to leave. I don't have any friends with children currently at Ardingly & DS only has one friend who has just finished sixth form. We know more parents & pupils from other schools in the area so not really of much help with personal insights. Academically, Ardingly College is supposedly more academic than Hurstpierpoint, but not as academic as Brighton. Ardingly prep is fortunate in that it has full use the facilities at the college. Would this suit your son or would he prefer a stand alone prep school? I preferred the ethos at Ardingly & if we lived closer we would have chosen it. It would have suited both my DCs different personalities.

Lets be honest, its a win win situation as you have the choice of two fabulous schools. Best of luck OP.

Hi there Mutteroo

Thank you for this information. Was aware of tge links with Hxp and Brighton and will ask the question that you suggest. He is going fir taster day next 2 days so we will see.

Husband off to see Ardingly next week to see if his thoughts reflect mine. Which were extremely positive hence the difficult decision.

As you say what a lovely position to be in. I have looked at other schoos too but have narrowed it down to these 2. Logistics also come into play here too!

Thank you

I have heard only good things about Handcross park since it linked with Brighton college . I have heard very mixed things about Ardingly college. Can I ask what are your reasons for taking your son out of his village primary? It may make a difference as to which schools suits your wish list if that makes sense. Either way I am not sure you can go wrong. Your son may come away with a strong feelingif he does taster days at both which is important as Im a big believer in the gut instinct too!