Staff

Ben Figgis has been the Headmaster at Ardingly since September 2014. After graduating in Modern History from Cambridge University in 1990, his early career was spent in advertising and then television news.

At 30 he decided to follow his passion for History, and took up his first teaching job at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire. After four years he was appointed to run a boarding house, a role he describes as ‘the best and most demanding in education.’ During his time at Abingdon he coached senior rugby, football and tennis teams, as well as directing several plays.

In 2004, Ben moved to Oakham School as the Deputy Head, and became a strong advocate of learning beyond the classroom, co-education and the IB Diploma as an alternative to A Levels.

Ben and his wife, Joanna, have three children: George, Clemmie and Rosabel, all of whom have been educated at Ardingly. Ben’s interests include theatre, fly fishing, tennis and road cycling, as well as the literature and history of America and Russia.

Nicola Burns joined Ardingly College in 2008 from Tonbridge Grammar School, where she taught Mathematics to all ages and was the Assistant Head of Mathematics. She read Mathematics at Queen’s University in Belfast, studied for a PGCE in Secondary Mathematics at the University of Brighton and more recently completed her Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at University of Sussex.

Nicola has enjoyed many roles within the College. She joined as a teacher of maths, became second in department, had a year as an assistant Housemistress, was appointed as the head of the Maths department, then moved into Senior Management with five years as Head of Middle School leading to her current role as Senior Deputy Head.

“There is a very good reason why I have been at the College so long, and that is because it has a constantly evolving and outward-looking desire to improve. The students and staff are a real pleasure to work with and the international diversity is a rare find in such a beautifully set ‘traditional’ British School.”

Laura joined Ardingly Prep in September 2024. After graduating with a first-class degree in Art History from Bristol University, Laura spent two years travelling the world on luxury cruise ships, giving lectures to international audiences on 19th century American and European Art. Returning to her native Scotland, she worked in her childhood primary school on the Isle of Mull before relocating to London to undertake teacher training and an MA in Education. Laura joined City of London School for Girls’ in 2012 and was appointed Deputy Head of the Prep in 2016, before taking on her first headship at Queen’s College Preparatory School in 2020. While at Queen’s, Laura gained her NPQH from UCL and established QCPS’ reputation as one of the leading preparatory schools in London. She and her partner George are delighted to join the Ardingly community and are especially looking forward to their daughter, Imogen, joining the nursery in 2025!

Having spent 13 years living overseas, she joined Ardingly in September 2014 as a Chemistry teacher and was appointed Director of Activities in 2015 and Head of Boarding in 2018.

Her previous experience includes being a Housemistress at Queen Anne’s, Caversham, Head of Department at Tormead School and teaching at the British School of Houston. She has a BSc in Biotechnology and another passion is Jazzercise – her classes can often be heard around the College campus!

Arabella Crook began her role as Academic Deputy Head at Ardingly College in September 2024. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a BSc in Mathematics and initially worked at a corporate law firm in the City of London. Her passion for Maths and education led her to complete a Master’s Degree in Mathematical Modelling at the University of Bristol and then achieved her Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Arabella’s teaching career has taken her to several esteemed schools, including Haileybury College, City of London School, and Tonbridge School. She spent eleven years at Reigate Grammar School, where she started as Head of Mathematics, was promoted to Assistant Head, and then advanced to Education Director of RGS International. In this latter role, she contributed to the launch of RGS schools in China and Vietnam, including a one-year tenure at RGS Vietnam.

Arabella is dedicated to providing outstanding education for all students, believing in a personalised approach that supports individual needs, both academically and in terms of wellbeing.

Suzanne Pendlebury-Bowe joined Ardingly College Prep School in September 2016 from Derwent Lodge where she was Head of Juniors. She has a degree in Computer Science from Greenwich University and a PGCE from Canterbury University. Her early career was spent in the banking industry, latterly as a Risk Manager, before she decided to follow her dream to be a teacher.

Suzanne is married to Les and has two children, Alexander and William, who both attended the College.

Suzanne loves her role and says “It’s a privilege to be able to watch the children develop and grow from Year 3 through to Year 6, ensuring they are ready for the next part of their educational journey”​

Tom joined Ardingly College in 2023 as Chief Operating Officer, and is responsible for its day to day running from a non teaching perspective. He is a chartered accountant, having qualified with Deloitte in his native Yorkshire whilst working as an auditor across a range of industries. He has since worked extensively in the education sector, in organisations ranging from government departments and sector representative bodies, to universities, schools, and academy trusts.

He has two young children, Benjamin and Isabella, and enjoys cooking, travelling, and most competitive sport.

Sophie joined Ardingly College in 2016 as a Senior Accountant. She became the Clerk to the Governors in 2019 and Head of Strategic Projects in 2021. Sophie has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Birmingham and is an ACA qualified Chartered Accountant having trained with PricewaterhouseCoopers. At PwC she worked in audit for Entertainment, Media and Energy Clients, before moving into Learning and Development, where she led the Student Development team and also worked in Leadership Development.

She then took a career break, during which she had three lovely children, Lauren, James and Charlotte and was the Chair of the Preschool Parent Management Committee at St Peter’s Preschool in Ardingly.

Alex Horner joined Ardingly in September 2023 as Director of Communications & Marketing, having previously worked at Queen’s College, London as Director of Communications, Admissions & Development. Prior to moving into the independent school sector, she worked for 12 years for one of the world’s largest PR agencies. During her time there she acted as Managing Director of the UK, based in London, having previously been Global Marketing Director, based in New York, and Marketing & Business Development Manager for Asia, based in Hong Kong. Alex started her career in politics, working for a member of the Shadow Cabinet and then as Head of the Leader’s office at Westminster City Council. She read English at Jesus College, Cambridge. Alex relocated to Sussex in the summer of 2023 and can’t believe it took her so long to move out of London!

Laura joined Ardingly Prep in September 2024. After graduating with a first-class degree in Art History from Bristol University, Laura spent two years travelling the world on luxury cruise ships, giving lectures to international audiences on 19th century American and European Art. Returning to her native Scotland, she worked in her childhood primary school on the Isle of Mull before relocating to London to undertake teacher training and an MA in Education. Laura joined City of London School for Girls’ in 2012 and was appointed Deputy Head of the Prep in 2016, before taking on her first headship at Queen’s College Preparatory School in 2020. While at Queen’s, Laura gained her NPQH from UCL and established QCPS’ reputation as one of the leading preparatory schools in London. She and her partner George are delighted to join the Ardingly community and are especially looking forward to their daughter, Imogen, joining the nursery in 2025!

Suzanne Pendlebury-Bowe joined Ardingly College Prep School in September 2016 from Derwent Lodge where she was Head of Juniors. She has a degree in Computer Science from Greenwich University and a PGCE from Canterbury University. Her early career was spent in the banking industry, latterly as a Risk Manager, before she decided to follow her dream to be a teacher.

Suzanne is married to Les and has two children, Alexander and William, who both attended the College.

Suzanne loves her role and says “It’s a privilege to be able to watch the children develop and grow from Year 3 through to Year 6, ensuring they are ready for the next part of their educational journey”​

Georgina Sayers joined Ardingly in 2017. She has been the Year 3 & 4 Coordinator since 2018, overseeing the academic and pastoral wellbeing of children in these year groups. She runs the school Gardening Club and has organised the Prep School Camp and Teambuilding event for a number of years. Her husband, Tim, teaches Physics in the Senior School and their three children have all attended the College.

Eddie has been at Ardingly College since 2012 having moved over f rom Australia. He has been the Head of Prep Boarding for the last 3 years as well as the Shaping My World programme coordinator.

Eddie is also a primary mathematics specialist teacher and has many years experience supporting upper KS2 and lower KS3 pupils, both academically and pastorally. When not teaching, he loves to play football, go on runs through the English countryside, spend time with his three young children, and watch as much sport as possible.

William has been at Ardingly College since 2016 having previously worked in the state sector as a Primary Teacher and Head of P.E. He has been coordinating the academic and pastoral aspects of Year 5 & 6 for two years and has great experience teaching Core and Foundation subjects across Key Stage 2. When not in the classroom, William enjoys playing 6 a side football, shouting ‘fore right’ on a golf course, and spending time with his family.

Amy Venables-Kyrke joined Ardingly College in 2016. Prior to her role at the College, she previously worked as the Head of Dorset House Pre-Prep in Bury, and was their Year 2 teacher for six years.

Before that, she enjoyed living and teaching in Malaysia for two years. Amy’s passion is in reading, particularly reading for pleasure, as this was the focus of her Master’s degree. She is also passionate about the humanities and understanding the world we live in, accepting and encouraging our differences.

Sarah is Nursery Manager at the College’s Farmhouse Nursery and has more than a decade of experience leading nurseries. Her passion for childcare began when she was studying for her degree in Psychology, which she then further explored when studying for her MSc in Applied Child Psychology. The knowledge she gained in these studies has shaped how she supports the children in her care throughout her career working with nursery age children.

Her favourite part of the role is really getting to know the children and their families, while working with the Farmhouse team to give the children the very best start in their educational journey at the College.

Chris joined Ardingly in September 2022, after spending five years working as a safeguarding lead in the state sector and a year working within the local authority multi-agency safeguarding hub.

With over 15 years of non-teaching pastoral experience, Chris can often be found within college having 1:1 discussions with students, or leading whole class, house or cohort sessions. Assisting students to become World Ready, for life both in and out of Ardingly.

Chris attended university as a mature student in 2018 to attain a degree in Working with Children and Young People, furthering his experience in supporting students.

Outside of Ardingly, Chris is an avid Liverpool fan and can often be found on the football field refereeing local and county-level football.

Tom joined Ardingly College in 2023 as Chief Operating Officer, and is responsible for its day to day running from a non teaching perspective. He is a chartered accountant, having qualified with Deloitte in his native Yorkshire whilst working as an auditor across a range of industries. He has since worked extensively in the education sector, in organisations ranging from government departments and sector representative bodies, to universities, schools, and academy trusts.

He has two young children, Benjamin and Isabella, and enjoys cooking, travelling, and most competitive sport.

Alex Horner joined Ardingly in September 2023 as Director of Communications & Marketing, having previously worked at Queen’s College, London as Director of Communications, Admissions & Development. Prior to moving into the independent school sector, she worked for 12 years for one of the world’s largest PR agencies. During her time there she acted as Managing Director of the UK, based in London, having previously been Global Marketing Director, based in New York, and Marketing & Business Development Manager for Asia, based in Hong Kong. Alex started her career in politics, working for a member of the Shadow Cabinet and then as Head of the Leader’s office at Westminster City Council. She read English at Jesus College, Cambridge. Alex relocated to Sussex in the summer of 2023 and can’t believe it took her so long to move out of London!