ECM Recommended Sussex Senior Schools 2024

EAST SUSSEX:

Beacon Academy (maintained)

Age: 11-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Crowborough

Parent Comment: “Excellent school with good facilities, caring and helpful teachers and staff.” www.beacon-academy.org

Bede’s School (independent)

Age: 3 months - 18 years

Co-educational

Location: Eastbourne

Parent Comment: “Bede’s has been very good at bringing out the best in my son.” www.bedes.org

Brighton College (independent)

Age: 3-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Brighton

Parent Comment: “Brighton College provides my children with a safe and stimulating learning environment.” www.brightoncollege.org.uk

Brighton Girls GDST (independent)

Age: 3-18 years

Single-sex: all-girls

Location: Brighton

Parent Comment: “We are really happy at Brighton Girls.” www.brightongirls.gdst.net

Eastbourne College (independent)

Age: 13-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Eastbourne

Parent Comment: “We love the feel of the school and the amazing facilities.” www.eastbourne-college.co.uk

Lewes Old Grammar School (independent)

Age: 3-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Lewes

Parent Comment: “Both my children have had a great time at LOGS.” www.logs.uk.com

Mayfield School (independent)

Age: 11-18 years

Single-sex: all-girls

Location: Mayfield

Parent Comment: “The staff are great, pastoral care is amazing and our daughter loves it.” www.mayfieldgirls.org

Roedean School (independent)

Age: 11-18 years

Single-sex: all-girls

Location: Brighton

Parent Comment: “My daughter is being nurtured and challenged in all the right ways.” www.roedean.co.uk

Seaford Head School (maintained)

Age: 11-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Seaford

Parent Comment: “This is an outstanding school.” www.seafordhead.org

Uckfield College (maintained)

Age: 11-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Uckfield

Parent Comment: “Overall a great school.” www.uckfield.college

WEST SUSSEX:

Ardingly College (independent)

Age: 2-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Ardingly

Parent Comment: “My sons are thriving!” www.ardingly.com

Burgess Hill Girls’ School (independent)

Age: 2½ -18 years

Single-sex: all-girls

Location: Burgess Hill

Parent Comment: “Both my daughters are very happy at Burgess Hill Girls and are achieving highly.” www.burgesshillgirls.com

Christ’s Hospital School (independent)

Age: 11-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Horsham

Parent Comment: “Great school with excellent facilities.” www.christs-hospital.org.uk

Farlington School (independent)

Age: 6 months - 18 years

Co-educational

Location: Horsham

Parent Comment: “I have children there and have been completely thrilled with it.” www.farlingtonschool.com

Hurstpierpoint College (independent)

Age: 4-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Hurstpierpoint

Parent Comment: “The teaching was fantastic and teachers were very approachable and enthusiastic. Great atmosphere.” www.hppc.co.uk

Lancing College (independent)

Age: 13-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Lancing

Parent Comment: “Our son is very, very happy there, nothing but positive experiences.” www.lancingcollege.co.uk

Seaford College (independent)

Age: 5-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Seaford

Parent Comment: “I would 100% recommend Seaford College, it has been a great school experience for my son.” www.seaford.org

Shoreham Academy (maintained)

Age: 11-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Petworth

Parent Comment: “Fantastic sixth form with great facilities” www.shoreham-academy.org

Tanbridge House School (maintained)

Age: 11-16 years

Co-educational

Location: Horsham

Parent Comment: “It’s a great school!” www.tanbridge-house-sch.co.uk

Worth School (independent)

Age: 11-18 years

Co-educational

Location: Crawley

Parent Comment: “My two children are at Worth & we are extremely happy with the choice we made to send them there.” www.worthschool.org.uk

TURN TO PAGES 74 - 77 to find out about properties in Sussex

EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST WITH

Mr. Tom Rogerson

HEADMASTER OF COTTESMORE SCHOOL

Mrs. Sarah Sutherland

Senior Deputy Head Of Windlesham House School

Mr. Dominic Oliver

HEAD MASTER AT LANCING COLLEGE AND

Mrs. Niamh Green

HEAD AT ROEDEAN SCHOOL

In this episode of Education Corner Podcast, we welcome Heads from leading Sussex independent schools to discuss the benefits of choosing a school in Sussex and the range of options available in the area.

All of our guests are passionate about the many benefits of choosing a Sussex school. “We literally have it all,” Mrs. Sarah Sutherland, Senior Deputy Head of Windlesham House School, believes, “We benefit from having that countryside, being in the South Downs, but we are also close enough to London that it’s not too long a commute.” Mr. Dominic Oliver, Head Master at Lancing College, echoed this: “We’ve got the sea on one side and the Downs behind us, you can ride a horse into the Downs from the Lancing Equestrian Centre. [...] It’s that sense, not just of physical space, but of intellectual and creative space.” Mrs. Niamh Green, Head at Roedean School, told us about how this setting benefits pupils of all ages: “They have that kind of idyllic childhood with all that space, and then when they become teenagers, they’ve got that balance between the space and access to the city as well.”

For families interested in Sussex schools, our guests shared more about their entrance processes, emphasising the informality and desire to get to know prospective students, not just relying on exam results for admissions. “‘Empathetic’ is the word that I would use to describe how we help the children to enter Cottesmore,” Tom told us. Sarah echoed this, describing Windlesham House School’s entrance process as: “Varied and tailored

Lancing College, Roedean School, Windlesham House School and Cottesmore School

to the individual age and stage of the pupils that we welcome to our school community. So we look very carefully at pupils who are committed, enthusiastic, creative and willing to embrace everything that Windlesham has to offer.” Dominic also emphasised the relaxed interview style at Lancing College: “They’re called interviews, but they’re more conversational than that [...] We’re not all operating a machine, we’re talking about young people and their futures.” Whilst Niamh told us they look for “Girls [who] really want to make the most of everything that’s on offer and … families [that] really get stuck into our community.”

With the world and our communities becoming increasingly diverse and global, all schools are conscientious about incorporating this into school life. All our guests described the diverse mix of local students, those who live elsewhere in the country and international families: “Our pupils are from across the world from China, Korea, Nigeria, Russia, Spain and everywhere in between.” Sarah told us: “We currently have pupils from just over twenty different countries as part of our school community.” Similar is true at Roedean, with over forty countries represented in the student body. In addition to this, each school runs a range of local bus services across Sussex, with about half of each school’s pupils being classed as local students. Dominic told us of how this diversity is deliberate and celebrated at Lancing: “It’s a really good mixture, it’s eclectic and actually, that’s what we want from the community. We don’t want homogeneity. We want that variety and difference, we want something that’s reflective of the world.”

Our guests also told us about how they incorporate and celebrate this diversity. At Windlesham, their new Languages, Culture and Linguistics department: “Actually goes one step further than just learning an additional language, we look at the culture of our different backgrounds [...] It’s a cultural immersion programme, so they will understand the geography, the festivities and the celebrations.” Both Dominic and Tom also described the importance of food and celebrations in celebrating the diversity of their school communities. At Cottesmore, World Awareness Week is an opportunity to try food, dances and games from around the world, whilst at Lancing College, holidays such as Day of The Dead and Chinese New Year are celebrated by the whole school community. At Roedean, they make the most of the diverse community in nearby Brighton: “We do quite a lot of partnership work within the local community where we’re going out to the local community, whether it be with charities or with the local schools.”

At Cottesmore School, pupils leave at thirteen years old, rather than eleven, allowing children more time at the prep stage: “the 13 plus leaving has a huge amount of benefits to it.” When it comes time to progress to senior school, Cottesmore does not feed to particular senior schools, but many pupils go on to Lancing College and Roedean and Tom added: “These fantastic senior schools we have here, Lancing and Roedean, where the child is going to thrive.” At Windlesham House School, many pupils