What are English Country Schools?
'English Country Schools' is a summer school organisation for children and teenagers aged 7 – 17. English Language teaching is combined with a fully inclusive programme of sports, social activities and excursions in some of Britain’s most beautiful and interesting locations.
What makes your courses special? (Why should I send my child to your school?)
Beautiful countryside locations; highly organised and personal administration; a friendly, safe and well-supervised environment; separate courses for 7 - 10, 11 - 14 and 14 - 17 year olds enabling us to provide better for the needs and interests of each age group; excellent communications and feedback to parents; a maximum of 5 boys and 5 girls on each course who share the same mother tongue; a clear mission statement - ‘fun, friendship and learning in a healthy natural environment’ – to provide an enjoyable and worthwhile experience for all our students.
Where are the schools?
We have 2 residential centres, both situated in beautiful countryside locations. Our centre for teenagers (Sibford, for 14 - 17 year olds) is situated in the Oxfordshire countryside with easy access to London, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon. Our centre for children (Port Regis, for 7 – 13 year olds) is situated near Shaftesbury in Dorset in southern England, about 2 hours from London.
Who are the students?
Children and teenagers from 25+ different countries from all races, religions and cultures, typically attending international school in their own countries. In order to encourage the use of English on each course we accept a maximum of 5 boys and 5 girls who share the same mother tongue.
Will my child need a visa?
In brief, if your child is a non-EU citizen he or she may need a Child Visitor Visa to attend English Country Schools. This is for children attending a short course in the UK. Do not apply for a Tier 4 (Child) Student Visa: this is much more complicated and is for children who will be staying in the UK for over 6 months. For further information please see our page at http://www.countryschools.co.uk/visas.php
My child already has good English. Will he/she benefit from attending?
Yes. Often students who speak good English still need to improve their writing: spelling, grammar, etc. The workshop choices on our course for teenagers (drama, digital photography, grammar and pronunciation, creating a course journal, poetry) are highly motivating and allow students to concentrate on particular interests and areas of weakness. All students benefit by participating in a variety of sports and activities with their peers from other countries and cultures. They have a lot of fun and become more internationally minded, self-confident and independent.
Can my child attend as a day student?
No. Experience suggests that students who do this do not integrate fully into the life of the course.
Can my child arrive or depart outside your official course dates?
Our courses are normally completely full. If we accept some students for less than the full course (see course dates) this leaves places empty which would otherwise be filled by full fee-paying students. This is not economical for us. Furthermore, the course is conceived as a whole, with a beginning, a middle and an end. For example, a lot of the work that students do in the morning classes and workshops comes together in the end-of-course Revue. This helps to make sense of the whole experience for the students. Finally, students on a residential course make very close friendships: when they leave early this can have a demoralising effect on the other students. For these reasons I'm afraid we do not accept students for less than the full period of each course.
How do you decide which class my child will join?
At each centre we organise classes for a variety of levels ranging from Beginner to Advanced. We ask parents to estimate their child's ability in the Booking Form. This gives us an initial idea of placement. We also assess each child's level of English on the first teaching day of the course (after they have had time to rest from travelling). There is generally a correlation between age and ability: the younger students tend to be in the lower ability classes, older students tend to be in the higher ability classes. Where this is not the case - for example a young student with very good English, or an older student with limited English - we ask parents to decide whether they wish their child to be placed by age or by ability. Even so, we aim for each class to contain students with no more than 3 years between the youngest and the oldest. This is made possible because we organise separate courses for children aged 7 - 10, 11 - 14 and 14 - 17.
Can I stay near my child?
We have some limited, simple but sylish self-catering accommodation at Port Regis for parents of the youngest children (7 - 10 year olds) who want to stay near their child. This accommodation is available for a minimum of one week. We will be happy to provide details of other local accommodation for parents dropping off or collecting children from the schools. Unless you intend to live at Port Regis we *do not recommend* that you live locally while your child is at the school: experience suggests that this is counterproductive. For further information, please read our document Homesickness: Advice for Parents.
Can parents learn English too?
Our expertise is in working with children and teenagers. We do not teach adults. We can however help with finding places for adults at British Council Accredited schools in Dorset and Oxfordshire.
How do children benefit?
In addition to learning and improving their English, children and young people have a great time, become more independent and develop socially. They meet and make friends with children and teenagers from different countries and cultures. This helps them to broaden their horizons, develop an understanding of others and further practise their English. We expect children to return home healthy and refreshed and return to their studies with renewed enthusiasm and determination.
How much does it cost?
Approximately 850 Pounds Sterling (see currency converter) per week. See here for further info.
What does the cost include?
Just about everything except pocket money, optional extra sports lessons and the cost of air fares. more information
Is it worth it?
We think so – and so do the approximately 50% of students who return to us each summer. Compare the cost of taking your child on holiday to a hotel: in addition we provide English Lessons, excursions, excellent social company, a full sports and social programme, 3 meals a day and 24-hour supervision!
Do you offer discounts?
We don't offer discounts for siblings, returnees, friends, relatives or any other reason: we prefer instead to provide value for money for everyone. We are sure that you will find our courses offer excellent value for money compared to other similar organisations.
How can I be sure?
We have been organising summer courses for over 20 years. Both of our centres are inspected and accredited by The British Council under the Accreditation UK scheme. Any of the parents on our list of Parental Contacts will be happy to talk with you about their child’s experience of our courses. See also What Parents Say.
How will my child get there?
You can bring your child personally to the school or we can provide free airport transfers from selected local airports on the first and last day of each course. Where possible we put parents from the same country in contact with each other so that students can arrange to travel together. more information
What if my child gets homesick?
We will provide full support, helping your child to overcome any homesickness and becoming stronger and more self-assured in the process. It's not always easy to be sure which children will suffer from homesickness. If you are worried that your child might be homesick, please read our document: Homesickness: Advice for Parents
When do I need to book?
On each course we accept a maximum of 5 boys and 5 girls who share the same mother tongue and we give priority to returning students. Because of this, places for some nationalities are fully booked before April and sometimes earlier. You can check to see if a place is available by completing the first part of our booking form. We occasionally get cancellations so we operate a reserve list. If you need a visa this can take longer than expected so please allow plenty of time.
How do I book?
Complete our Booking Form. If we can accept your child we will send you full pre-course information (clothes, airport procedures, school rules, etc) and request your deposit payment (250 GBP) to secure the place. The balance of fees is payable six weeks before your child attends.
What if I can’t find the answers to my questions?
Please ask a question via our enquiry form. We aim to respond within 1 working day.
