Founded 1849 by Nathaniel Woodard, Canon of Manchester.
Hurstpierpoint College is a co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged between 4 and 18 years. There are currently 507 boys and 433 girls in the Senior School and Sixth Form, 50% of whom are boarders.
The school is truly co-educational throughout. Boarding is a particularly popular option. In their Upper Sixth year at Hurst, students join St John’s House—a co-educational day and boarding house where, appropriately supervised, they enjoy greater freedom and are encouraged to further develop their independent learning skills in preparation for university.
Buildings and Facilities. At the heart of the school’s large country campus lie the core school buildings and Chapel arranged around three attractive quadrangles built of traditional Sussex knapped flint. Key facilities nearby include three floodlit AstroTurfs, an art school, sports hall, music school, dance and drama studios, 320-seat theatre, indoor swimming pool, and Medical Centre. The extensive grounds are laid mainly to playing fields and include one of the largest and most attractive school cricket pitches in the country.
Chapel. As a Woodard School, Hurstpierpoint has a Christian foundation and underpinned by Christian values, although pupils of other faiths or of no faith are warmly welcomed. Pupils attend up to three assemblies during the week. The main Eucharist takes place early on Friday evenings. Pupils who wish to do so are prepared in small classes for the annual confirmation taken by one of the bishops of the diocese.
Curriculum. The five-day academic week is structured to allow pupils to study a variety of subject options that can be adapted to suit their natural ability. The Senior School entry year (Shell) provides students with the chance to experience most of our GCSE subjects before they choose their options. In the second year (Remove) and third year (Fifth), the curriculum is split into two parts: core subjects (English, Maths, three sciences) and optional subjects such as Art & Design, Classical Greek, Computer Science, Dance, Drama, Humanities, Modern Foreign Languages, Design Technology, and Latin.
Students entering the Sixth Form study A Levels, with the majority selecting three subjects, and many Sixth Form students take the EPQ as an extension of one of their A Level subjects. The subject choice is wide and in addition to traditional subjects you can choose Economics, Politics, Psychology, and Sociology.
All pupils’ work is overseen by academic tutors, and we take particular care to ensure that university applications are properly targeted to suit the students’ aspirations and talents.
Games. The College operates a “no-one on the bench” policy that seeks to place pupils in sporting activities most suited to their tastes and abilities. During the first two years they are expected to take part in at least some of the major sports, including rugby, netball, athletics, and hockey, but thereafter a greater element of choice occurs. A varied array of sporting activities makes up the wider programme, ranging from equestrian to swimming, mountain biking, and sailing. Recent tours for major sports include to Italy (rugby), Barbados (netball), Dubai (cricket), and South Africa (hockey).
Service Afternoons. From Remove (Year 10) onwards, pupils take part in service activities every week, including Combined Cadet Force (Army, RAF, and RN sections), Community Service, and Environmental Conservation.
Music. There has always been a strong musical tradition at Hurstpierpoint with an orchestra and other more specialised ensembles. A large proportion of the pupils take individual instrumental lessons and give frequent recitals. The Chapel Choir plays a major part in regular worship and there are several other choral groups.
Drama. The Shakespeare Society is the oldest such school society in the country and organises an annual production and an annual musical. Drama covers a wide range and varies from major musicals to more modest House plays and pupil-directed productions. The new 320-seat Bury Theatre also gives the more technically minded ample opportunity to develop stage management, lighting, and sound skills.
Other Activities. The afternoon activity programme includes Art, Climbing, Dance, Self-Defence, Car Maintenance, Girls’ Football, Hurst Farm, Robotics, Japanese, LAMDA, Ninjitsu, Shooting, Horse Riding, Polo, Karate, Golf Range, Squash, Clay Pigeon Shooting, Dinghy Sailing, and Surfing, alongside a variety of music clubs and literary clubs.
Fees per term (2024-2025). Senior School: Weekly Boarding £15,127 (Years 9–11), £14,965 (Sixth Form); Flexi Boarding £14,201 (Years 9–11), £14,039 (Sixth Form); Day £11,820 (Years 9–11), £11,657 (Sixth Form).
Scholarships and Bursaries. Awards available at 13+: Academic, Art, Dance, Drama, Music and Sports. Awards available at 16+: Academic, Art, Drama, Music, Sports, and Dance.
Means-tested bursaries may be available to pupils who hold an academic award.
Admission. For 13+ entry, pupils must be registered on the College’s list and will sit the Common ISEB Pre-Test in Year 6. Candidates are then invited to attend an assessment day and offers are made following this in March of Year 6.
To matriculate into the Sixth Form at Hurst, pupils require at least 4 Level 7 GCSEs. They should achieve a Level 7 or above in the subjects that they intend to study and, where a pupil wishes to start a new subject which they have not studied before, they need to have achieved a Level 7 or above in a GCSE subject closely related to it (i.e., for Economics, ideally a pupil should have a Level 7 in Maths GCSE). Students should also have a minimum of a Level 5 at GCSE in Mathematics and English.
Please contact the Senior School Admissions Office for further information.
Charitable status. Hurstpierpoint College is a Registered Charity, number 1076498. It aims to provide a Christian education to boys and girls between the ages of four and eighteen in the three schools on the campus.