Excel English Juniors, London (Ages 14 – 17)

I got to know the owner of the school, Judy Loren, about 10 years ago, and since then have seen the school enter the IALC and Quality English associations that I know well. I visited the school in 2016, have sent students there since then, and can attest to how present and involved Judy is in the everyday management of the school and in her relationships with agents.  I was also very pleased to see how highly this school has been ranked by the EL Gazette and British Council. I’ll explain a bit how this ranking works:  every four years, the British Council carries out an inspection of its 500 + member schools in the UK (nearly all reputable language schools in the UK are accredited by the British Council). During the inspection, in which two examiners inspect the school for days, they grade a school in 13 areas like teaching, care of students, accommodation, etc., and in 15 areas if the school also has programs for young learners. For each area, a school can receive a grade of “acceptable,” or it can exceed the expectations of the examiner. When the latter is the case, the school receives what’s called a “strength” in that area. As a result of these inspections, language schools typically receive about 3.5 strengths. On its last inspection, Excel English received 12 out of a possible 15, placing it among the top 5 schools in London!
As for the area of the school, Muswell Hill is located in zone 3 of London, and is very well-connected to the center of the city. The area itself is beautiful, with all the conveniences of a good neighborhood, and is a place to see many original Londoners and their families. When a student books a school in the center of the city with host family accommodation (as I always recommend for learning the language), most likely he or she will be traveling 45 minutes to an hour to get to school. This school has more than half of its host families and one very good student residence within walking distance of the school. When a student does an intensive English course, much of the day will be spent in class or doing homework, so in turn for much of the week the student will be staying in the local area, and being close to the accommodation is important for that. However, for the weekends and some evenings, all of the attractions of London are still just half an hour away. In that sense, the school offers the best of both worlds—and at a reasonable price for the London market.

A few years ago, Excel English introduced a new, very high quality program for teenagers. This program sets itself apart from other teenage homestay programs in London, first of all for the excellent location, and then for the intensive English course, the university “tasters” not found in other homestay programs, and the activity calendar filled with visits to the city. It also offers students the choice of staying in a residence if they prefer, and all students will have a hot lunch in neighborhood cafés rather than the packed lunches that most teenagers don’t eat. The price of the program also offers an excellent value for the quality of the school, and for how much it contains.
Additional note for ice skating fans: Excel English is a ten-minute walk from the famous and historic Alexandra Palace, which contains a high-level ice skating rink, coaches and instructors. Teenagers who practice this sport can do a combined program of English plus ice skating training while they are there. I have organized this customized program for a few clients, and am happy to talk about how it can be done.”