Ardingly College — Term Dates & Travel Guide

Academic Year 2026–2027

Michaelmas (Autumn), Lent (Spring) & Trinity (Summer) terms with finish times and boarder return deadlines.

Michaelmas Term 2026 · Autumn

~14 weeks

Start of term Wed 2 Sep — First full teaching day
Mon 31 Aug — Welcome events (new students)
Tue 1 Sep — Induction. Boarders return by 16:00 (Lower School) / 20:00 (Senior)

Exeat Fri 25 Sep (16:30 finish) – Sun 27 Sep (return by 21:00) Short weekend — host family/guardian, no flight needed

Half term Fri 16 Oct (16:30 finish) → Sun 1 Nov (boarders return by 21:00)

End of term Fri 11 Dec (16:30 finish)

Lent Term 2027 · Spring

~11.5 weeks

Start of term Mon 4 Jan — Inset day. Boarders return by 21:00
Tue 5 Jan — First full teaching day

Half term Thu 11 Feb (17:30 finish) → Sun 21 Feb (boarders return by 21:00)

End of term Thu 25 Mar (17:30 finish)

Trinity Term 2027 · Summer

~10.5 weeks

Start of term Mon 19 Apr — Inset day. Boarders return by 21:00
Tue 20 Apr — First full teaching day

Half term Fri 28 May (16:30 finish) → Sun 6 Jun (boarders return by 21:00)

End of term Thu 1 Jul (17:30 finish) — All except U6
Fri 2 Jul — Commemoration Day (U6 only)

CX Flight Schedule & Timing

Cathay Pacific's HKG↔LHR schedule for planning only. Timing rule: 3h school→LHR + 2h check-in = 5h minimum buffer from school finish to flight departure. Always verify the exact travel date before booking.

HKG → LHR Outbound — going to school

Flight	Depart HKG	Arrive LHR	Aircraft	Operating Days	Notes for School Travel
CX239	~11:05	~18:10	A350-900	Varies by date; shown as 5x/week in summer 2026	✗ Arr 18:10 → school ~21:10 — misses the 21:00 curfew. Avoid for school returns unless arriving one day early. Monday 4 Jan 2027 is not a reliable CX239 option.
CX253	~13:25	~20:35	B777-300ER	Daily	✗ Same-day school return does not work. Arrival is too late for a 21:00 curfew. Only use if arriving a day early.
CX255	~23:15	~06:20+1	B777-300ER	Daily	✓ Overnight — arrives early morning, at school by ~09:30. Comfortable option, student can rest on board.
CX251	~22:45	~05:40+1	B777-300ER	Daily	✓ Overnight — arrives early morning, at school by ~08:40. Usually the best alternative to CX255; verify the date-specific departure.

LHR → HKG Return — leaving school

Flight	Depart LHR	Arrive HKG	Aircraft	Operating Days	Notes for School Travel
CX250	~18:20	~14:10+1 summer / ~14:35+1 winter	B777-300ER	Daily	13:20 at LHR needed for 18:20 departure → only works if leaving school by lunch. Not viable for standard term finish times.
CX238	~17:00	~12:35+1 summer / ~13:20+1 winter	A350-900	Daily	✗ Departs around 17:00 — need at LHR by 15:00. Can't make from any standard finish.
CX252	~12:20	~07:50+1	B777-300ER	Daily	✗ Departs 12:20 — daytime flight, not viable from any standard school finish time. Only works if leaving school by 09:00 the same morning, or as a next-day flight after overnight stay near LHR.
CX254	~22:15 summer / ~22:05 winter	~18:00+1 summer / ~18:45+1 winter	B777-300ER	Daily	✓ 16:30 finish → LHR 19:30 → about 2½h before departure. 17:30 finish → LHR 20:30. Winter 22:05 departure is tight; summer 22:15 gives a little more margin.
CX256	~20:15	~15:45+1 summer / ~16:55+1 winter	A350-900	Daily	✗ 17:30 finish → at LHR ~20:30 — too tight, misses departure. Not a viable same-day option.

⏱ Quick reference:
16:30 finish → at LHR by 19:30 → CX254 works in both summer (~22:15) and winter (~22:05). CX252 departs 12:20 and is not a same-day option.
17:30 finish → at LHR by 20:30 → CX254 is the only practical same-day CX option, but winter departures around 22:05 are tight. If preferring more margin, stay overnight near LHR and take a next-day flight.
Returning to school: CX255 (23:15→06:20+1) or CX251 (22:45→05:40+1) are the practical overnight arrivals. CX239 (11:05→18:10) does not make the 21:00 curfew on a same-day arrival and may not operate on the needed date.

Travel Pattern Summary

Every journey mapped out with the recommended CX flight.

Journey	Outbound (HKG→LHR)	Depart HKG	Arr School	Return (LHR→HKG)	Depart LHR
Summer → Michaelmas 26	CX255Arr 31 Aug / 1 Sep	23:15	~09:30	CX25411 Dec, 16:30 finish	22:05
Oct Half Term	CX2551 Nov, return by 21:00	23:15	~09:30	CX25416 Oct, 16:30 finish	22:15
Christmas → Lent 27	CX255 / CX251Take overnight flight on 3 Jan for 4 Jan return by 21:00	23:15 / 22:45	~08:40-09:30	CX25425 Mar, 17:30 finish (tight)	22:05
Feb Half Term	CX25521 Feb, return by 21:00	23:15	~09:30	CX25411 Feb, 17:30 finish (tight)	22:05
Easter → Trinity 27	CX255 / CX251Take overnight flight on 18 Apr for 19 Apr return by 21:00	23:15 / 22:45	~08:40-09:30	CX2541 Jul, 17:30 finish (tight)	22:15
May Half Term	CX2556 Jun, return by 21:00	23:15	~09:30	CX25428 May, 16:30 finish	22:05

⚠️ Important: Times are planning guidance based on published schedules observed during fact-checking. Summer and winter schedules differ, especially around late October and late March. Re-check the exact flight date on Cathay Pacific before booking.

Parent Booking Tracker

Enter the booked flight, booking reference, and any transfer notes for each school travel date. Entries are saved to Cloudflare using a family access code and included when printing.

Family access code Use Aldingly on another device to load these booking details. Keep the page link within the family.

Journey	Travel Date	Direction
Summer → Michaelmas 26	31 Aug / 1 Sep 2026	HKG → LHR
Michaelmas End	11 Dec 2026	LHR → HKG
Oct Half Term Out	16 Oct 2026	LHR → HKG
Oct Half Term Return	1 Nov 2026	HKG → LHR
Christmas → Lent 27	3 / 4 Jan 2027	HKG → LHR
Lent End	25 Mar 2027	LHR → HKG
Feb Half Term Out	11 Feb 2027	LHR → HKG
Feb Half Term Return	21 Feb 2027	HKG → LHR
Easter → Trinity 27	18 / 19 Apr 2027	HKG → LHR
Trinity End	1 Jul 2027	LHR → HKG
May Half Term Out	28 May 2027	LHR → HKG
May Half Term Return	6 Jun 2027	HKG → LHR

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