Views on common entrance exam at Ardingly

[Fernie2]

Moving to area and thinking of Ardingly for Yr8 DD. This means she would have to sit common entrance to enter senior school next year. Have no experience of independent system (expat, kids been in international schools)and no idea how rigorous these exams are. Want to avoid situation that DD has Yr 8 at one school only to fail and have to enter state school in Yr 9. No places at decent state schools in area or else would choose that now. Really need some advice on this - can anyone help please?

Main thing to do is visit the prep school - and decide if it is the school for your DD and also have a tour of the senior school. Then DD can sit an entrance and base line test to get into the the prep. This is a measure of potential and then the Senior School and prep school Heads will discuss. If DD is offered a place in the prep school it will be on the understanding that she will cope and do well in the Senior School. Common entrance will be marked with this in mind. From my experience (three children there), Ardingly is very used to dealing with boys and girls who have followed an alternative path to CE.

I would definitely recommend going. My daughter moved to the prep school from a primary school where she waas not doing well and she is now doing brilliantly in year 9. Ardingly prep was absolutelyy great and they guide everyone through CE. I think at year 8 they will only take on pupils who they know can succeed - so go and look!

I would be surprised given the background if they insist on taking the full CE - would they not treat the applicant as if from the State sector? CE syllabus covers Yrs 6-8 so even if you have a year's run up you still wouldn't cover the whole syllabus.

I imagine that they would be more flexible given your daughter's international background. My son sat an alterantive entrance paper in Y8 while he was still at his international school in Portugal and, on the basis of this, he was offered a place at Haileybury. Ardingly will surely have experience of processing these non-mainstream applications.

Most independent secondary schools offer their own entrance exam for pupils who have not been prepared for the CE - don't be afraid to ask the school for their entrance criteria or see if it is published on their website.

Thanks for this. Asked Ardingly about CE and they didn't say that she would be offered an alternative cos of her background. Sounds even tougher than I thought if it covers yrs 6-8 and her present curriculum is not the same.

Might be worth you looking at Hurstpierpoint which is not that far from Ardingly. They take a lot of overseas borders there so are used to a different curriculum.

good luck

Ardingly has a reputation for being less stringent wrt CE results and with inatke into Prep. The CE exams are tough (ds does it next year) and there are different levels of paper in some subjects. The curriculum is fairly specific and differs to KS3. However without having previously attended a private school in UK some of it will be a shock and pretty much impossible (ie there is a project for RS) so good if there is an alternative. Ardingly are now offer IB in secondary iirc so presumably are inclusive of kids from a more international background too. Another alternative might be Christ's Hospital or Lingfield Notre Dame , depending whereabouts you are in the area.

I asked Ardingly about your query. They said that your daughter would sit an entrance and base line test to get into the the prep school in Yr 8. This is a measure of potential. If she is offered a place in the prep school it will be on the understanding that she will cope well with the transition to Yr 9 Senior School and do well. Common entrance will be marked with this in mind.
Ardingly has loads of ex pat students and from all sorts of non-common entrance backgrounds - so am sure it's worth a go.
Hope that helps.

Thanks for your comments. Hurst is not an option as elder DD is doing IB which is why we chose Ardingly. Haven't heard of christ's Hospital or Notre Dame -where are they? Suppose Notre Dame is Catholic which would rule that one out for us.

Notre Dame is in Lingfield, Surrey. Very good school as lots of DD's old friends from prep school went there. Don't think its catholic, think its a mixture.

Christs hospital is just outside Horsham. Apparently very good but thought it was just boarding? Also they have a very odd uniform

LND used to be a Catholic Girls school but it changed to co-ed and non denominational about 10 years ago. Compared to Ardingly et al it is cheap !

oh and another in the area is Worth, just outside Crawley, which started to take girls last year and is an IB school. Catholic basis though.

Christ's Hospital doesn't do IB yet but are planning to introduce it.

The fees are means-tested and based on a sliding scale of affordability. It does mean competition to get in is huge.

I have a relative who teaches there now and a friend who used to so can get you general info if you need it.

Christ's sounds good but shame not doing IB til next year - too late for my older daughter. If you can afford full fees they have direct entry which is selective but not competitive. A private school with a good social mix. shame they don't do spanish too -that's important for my kids.