Ardmay House International Summer School and Camp (ages 8-16)
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Ardmay House International Summer School is an independent, award-winning, family-run summer camp for British and International students aged from 8 – 16 years old. Set in the stunning Scottish countryside in the heart of Scotland’s most important National Park, Ardmay House International Summer School gives students a truly unique experience – trying out new activities, exploring new environments and meeting new friends from around the world.
Located at the head of Loch Long, Arrochar is one of the main gateways to the Argyll Forest Park, which stretches from the western shores of Loch Lomond south as far as Holy Loch. The village is set amongst some of the most beautiful scenery on the Cowal peninsula and serves as a convenient base for exploring the northern section of the park. It is easily reached by road and rail, as Arrochar lies on the West Highland Line.
The park includes the Arrochar Alps, north of Glen Croe and Glen Kinglas, whose Munros offer some of the best climbing in Argyll: Ben Ime is the tallest of the range, while Ben Arthur (also known as “The Cobbler”) is easily the most distinctive. There are also several gentle forest walks throughout the park clearly laid out by the Forestry Commission.
Arrochar offers accommodation, places to eat and drink, and local amenities such as a convenience shop. It is located one hour from Glasgow and two hours by train or car from Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital.
ARDMAY HOUSE SUMMER SCHOOL AT A GLANCE
- Location: Arrochar, West Coast of Scotland
- Age Range: 8 – 16
- Maximum number of students per session: 65
- Ratio of staff to students: 1 : 4
- Number of full day excursions per week: 2 full days (Sat and Sun) and 1 half day (Wednesday)
Ardmay House International Summer School and Camp: Ardmay House, Arrochar G83 7AH, United Kingdom
“The Ardmay House International Summer School was recommended to me by a foreign colleague who specializes in the highest quality summer camps in the world, and I had the pleasure of meeting the director of Ardmay House in person as well. This camp offers students a fairly unusual setting—the west coast of Scotland—and it is particularly suited to lovers of the outdoors. The camp’s program is filled with adventure activities, including boating and rock climbing. Visits to Scotland’s “traditional” cities like Edinburgh are also included. Students on this camp have the dual possibility of studying English in the morning at all levels (numerous levels are not always possible on a fairly small program) and doing the adventure activities in the afternoon, of if they already have a sufficient level of English and/or do not want formal language lessons, can only do the adventure activities. It is also possible to mix the English/activity weeks with the activity-only weeks during a child’s stay.
One very notable characteristic of the Ardmay House International Summer School is the mix of international students for its size. A program of 65 students could be very easily filled with by just two school groups, but as with all high quality programs, the director limits the participants to 20% of a single mother tongue, and as the nationality breakdown shows, there are many more in attendance at this camp. Parents will also appreciate the high level of supervision and care offered to their children. At 1 to 4, the camper-to-staff ratio is one of the highest of the programs that I deal with.”
Ardmay House International Summer School and Camp
Why choose the Ardmay House International Summer School programs?
- Ardmay House is located on the shores of Loch Long, just outside the village of Arrochar on the West Coast of Scotland, less than an hour’s drive from Glasgow.
- Ardmay House is privileged to have a fantastic location surrounded by stunning countryside and its own private beach.
- The Ardmay House building dates back to 1854 and manages to retain its distinctive Victorian character.
- Ardmay House Summer School and Camp offers excellent programs combining academics and adventures for children and teenagers with all levels of English.
- Ardmay House guarantees small class sizes in the English lessons to ensure individual attention.
- Ardmay House’s excellent standards of welfare and supervision have been highlighted in their recent inspection from the British Council.
- Ardmay House’s staff are all police checked, first aid qualified and experienced in working in their designated roles with children and teenagers.
The facilities
ARDMAY HOUSE FACILITIES AT A GLANCE
- Well-equipped bright classrooms
- Spacious common room
- Computer area with supervised internet access
- Private beach and garden
- Dining room
- Attractive grounds for a variety of on-site activities
- Shop for small items
MORE ON THE ARDMAY HOUSE FACILITIES AND SERVICES
Student Welfare
The safety and welfare of students is of prime importance to all staff at Ardmay House International Summer School. The staff provide 24-hour supervision and each student has their own dedicated Group Leader who makes sure that students feel a home away from home.
Airport Transfers
Airport transfers from Glasgow or Edinburgh airports are included in the program fees. The arrival day must be on a Sunday and the departure day must be on a Saturday. In order to qualify for the free airport transfers, travel information must be submitted by June 1st. To organize the transfers, Marshall Language Services will need to furnish the participant’s flight information to Ardmay House. If children are travelling as unaccompanied minors, Ardmay House staff will receive them from the airline personnel, and when the program is over, accompany the participants back to the airport and hand over the children to airline staff.
The courses
COURSE CONTENT AND SAMPLE TIMETABLES
Ardmay Adventure Camp
The Ardmay Adventure camp program is ideal for native English speakers or those who already have a high level of English. Students will be immersed in English as they participate in exciting activities throughout the day with a total of 8 activity sessions each week. Ardmay Adventure is open to students aged 12-16 years old with a minimum requirement of an Intermediate (B1) level of English. Ardmay Adventure can be booked for 1 or 2 weeks.
Each week the Ardmay Adventure program includes:
- Two half-day sessions per day (or one full day adventure)
- 30 hours of adventure activities include canoeing, kayaking, rock-climbing, abseiling, mountaineering, forest walks, mountain adventure days, gorge walking and weaseling
- One half-day project-based lesson on British culture
- One half-day excursion
- Two full-day excursions
- Exciting evening activity program
A sample timetable:
Adventure English
Adventure English gives students the best of both worlds! Half the day is spent in English lessons, improving students’ language skills in a fun environment while the other half is spent in the Great Outdoors doing exciting adventure activities. The Adventure English program includes 4 sessions of activities each week and is open to students of all levels (beginner – advanced) from 8 – 16 years old. Students may add a week of Ardmay Adventure to the Adventure English program.
Each week the Adventure English program includes:
- 15 hours of English lessons
- 15 hours of Adventure Activities
- One half-day project-based lesson on British culture
- One half-day excursion
- Two full-day excursions
- Exciting evening activity program
A sample timetable:
RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION
Ardmay House students stay in large dormitory-style rooms for 2 – 10 people of the same age. Girls and boys stay in different areas of the house, each with their own toilets and showers. Ardmay House has a relaxed, cozy feel so that students feel happy, settled and safe at all times. There are bedrooms for on-duty staff in the girls and boys sections of the house, allowing for 24-hour supervision.
Meals
Residential accommodation includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks every day. The school can also cater for all dietary requirements.
Laundry
Bed linens and towels are provided. Weekly laundry service is included in the cost of the program.
Insurance
Insurance covering medical and travel assistance, personal liability and trip cancellation is not included in the price of the program. Marshall Language Services has a policy available through Guard.Me that covers these elements, as well as an additional policy through CareMed that covers cancellation under a wider range of circumstances, including the need to repeat school exams. A summary of these policies may be downloaded below.
Dates and Fees
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