Studio Cambridge Sir Michael Global Leaders and Creative Social Media (Ages 13 – 17)
THE DESTINATION | THE SCHOOL | MAP | RACHEL’S TAKE | WHY THIS SCHOOL? | FACILITIES | THE COURSES | FROM OUR CLIENTS | HOUSING | SOCIAL LIFE | INSURANCE AND PRICING | REQUEST AN ESTIMATE | OTHER PROGRAMS | SIMILAR PROGRAMS
Studio Cambridge’s Sir Michael program has been running since 1969 and is more popular now than ever. The Global Leaders, Creative Social Media and Coding Programs run in conjunction with it as intensive variations of the Sir Michael general English course.
The city of Cambridge was founded on the banks of the River Cam, 90 km northeast of London, and is located in the county of the same name (Cambridgeshire), of which it is the main cultural, commercial, and administrative center of Southwest England.
Cambridge dates back to pre-Roman times, and because of its strategic position on the river, it soon became one of the most important centers north of London, and at the beginning of the Thirteenth century, it was chosen as a university location in opposition to Oxford, Since then, it has rivaled Oxford for the title of the British capital of culture and study (as well as for the famous rowing title).
SIR MICHAEL PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE
- Location: Cambridge
- Age Range: 13 – 17 (for the homestay program the minimum age is 14)
- Capacity: 360 students
- Number of lessons per week: 28 = 21 clock hours (Global Leaders, Creative Social Media and Coding) or 20 = 15 clock hours (Standard Program)
- Maximum class size: 16
- Ratio of staff to students: 1 : 10
- Number of full-day excursions per week: 1
- Accommodation: Homestay or Student Residence
Studio Cambridge, 6 Salisbury Villas, Station Road, Cambridge CB1 2JF, United Kingdom
“I have been working steadily with Studio Cambridge for over ten years, in both their adult and junior programs, and in all those years, I have found the staff to be accommodating and flexible, but without sacrificing high standards of quality. As for their junior programs, if I were a student in this age range, this is the program I would want to attend. Cambridge itself is a safe, compact, and beautiful town with a pedestrian center, in which the school is located, and the students are allowed a bit of freedom to visit it, but not so much that parents need to be worried. Cambridge is also less than an hour from London, so the excursions there do not involve long travel times, and parents who accompany their children on this program can easily combine a visit to Cambridge and to London or just get to Cambridge quickly if they don’t want to see London. As an agent, even with all of the options of new junior programs available every year, invariably I find myself recommending these to my clients. I have large families who have booked them over the course of a decade for their children of different ages, and more than one parent whose children have been delighted with these programs after having been disappointed with those of the usual school group in the past. After their children attend a Studio Cambridge program, many parents come back to me again and again, for programs that are also at other schools in other destinations, for their faith in my recommendation. One year, after her daughter had attended the Sir Michael homestay program the previous year, a mother told me that the daughter specifically did not want to return to that program. I asked, “Did she not like that program in Cambridge?” to which the mother responded, ‘No, she loved it so much that she doesn’t want to go back there. Her memories of that experience were so perfect that she doesn’t want them ever to be ruined by anything else in that place.’ Need I say more?”
Studio Cambridge Sir Michael Program
Why study English on the Sir Michael Program?
The Studio Cambridge Sir Michael Program has it all for junior students. Studio Cambridge is the oldest school in Cambridge, and this particular program has been running for longer than many of the students’ parents have been alive. The newer Global Leaders, Creative Social Media and Coding elements of the program are relevant topics for today’s youth, and render this an intensive program for the same price of a semi-intensive program, in which the students just do more cultural and recreational activities. Students will have the opportunity to make many friends on the larger Sir Michael program (of approximately 300 students) in the morning General English classes, on the social activities, and in the accommodation, but with the smaller number of students on the Global Leaders and Social Media programs, they will be part of a more intimate group in the afternoon. All Studio Cambridge junior programs go from Sunday to Sunday, so students can take advantage of two full-day excursions, with respect to programs that go only from Sunday to Saturday. The school is located in the middle of beautiful Cambridge and students have a little free time to see the town without having to wait to be transported from the campus by bus, as can be the case with programs that are located in the countryside, far from towns or cities. At the same time, the students are supervised and well-cared for, and have plenty of activities to keep them busy within the program. This program is one of the few on the market that offers students the chance to stay with a host family or in a student residence (and in a single room with its own bathroom if the parents book in time), so if they should not be happy with one option, they can move to the other. Airport transfers are also flexible with Studio Cambridge programs—students can arrive and depart from the most important London airports at any time of the day (including Stansted, which is served by low-cost airlines and is closer to Cambridge than to London), without the scheduling limits that most other junior programs impose on their clients. Finally, this program also includes insurance, which most programs don’t (in those other cases, it has to be added on by the agency at an additional cost) so the price of the Sir Michael program overall is a very good value for everything that it offers.
The facilities
THE SCHOOL FACILITIES AT A GLANCE
- City center location
- Lovely Victorian school buildings
- 22 classrooms
- Studio Café for meals and social gatherings
- Computers with Internet access and Wi-Fi
- Lovely garden
- Arts and Crafts room
- Student common room
- Sports hall 10 minutes’ walk away
- Indoor swimming pool 10 minutes’ walk away
- Outdoor playing fields 10 minutes’ walk away
MORE ABOUT THE FACILITIES AND SERVICES
Program Registration
Marshall Language Services will reserve a space on the course, and if necessary, make a note to the school of any accommodation preferences such as the desire to share a room or to have a single, ensuite bathroom. Studio Cambridge uses several student residences for this program, and most rooms are single ensuite, but they are still subject to availability. For students who prefer homestay accommodation, it is possible to request that a room be shared with another student in particular, but bathrooms will be shared, sometimes only with other students in the house, or with the host family as well. Siblings or friends traveling together can request host families that are near to each other.
When the reservation is confirmed, parents will receive a profile and contact information for the host family if they have booked that form of accommodation, and if necessary, a letter for visa purposes.
Airport Transfers
Airport transfers to and from Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick airports on the days of arrival and departure are included in the program cost. Marshall Language Services will need to furnish the participant’s flight information to Studio Cambridge so that the airport transfers can be organized. Parents will receive detailed instructions on what the student should do when their flight arrives. It is also possible for parents to accompany their children to Cambridge personally. All students will receive a welcome pack when they arrive in Cambridge. When the program is over, Studio Cambridge staff will accompany the participants back to the airport and check them into their flights. If they are traveling as unaccompanied minors, they will hand over the children to airline staff.
Student Welfare
Studio Cambridge has a dedicated office and staff for student welfare, and an emergency 24-hour telephone number that will be provided to parents along with the enrolment confirmation. For students staying in residences, the program staff will be living on site with them to provide 24-hour supervision. There is one staff member for every ten students.
The courses
COURSE CONTENT AND SAMPLE TIMETABLES
The Global Leaders, Social Media and Coding courses are recommended for a duration of 2 weeks and for students of at least a pre-intermediate level. The Standard Program is available for a minimum of 2 weeks and is available at all levels.
English Language Studies
The English course includes:
• An entry test on the first Monday of the course
• 15 or 21 hours of lessons per week – 3 hours per morning of General English on 5 days, and 6 hours of afternoon lessons on Global Leadership or Social Media topics
• Mixed-nationality classes from Monday to Friday
• Course materials
• Academic report from your teachers at the end of the student’s stay
• Certificate of studies at the end of the student’s stay
Standard Program
The Standard Program includes:
- 15 hours of lessons per week on: reading, writing, listening and speaking skills – 3 hours per day on 5 days
- Mixed-nationality classes from Monday to Friday
Intensive Program
The Intensive Program includes:
- 28 English classes (21 hours) per week
- 9 activity sessions per week
Global Leaders Studies
The aim of the Global Leaders component is to develop personal and organizational skills in an international setting and to encourage understanding and empathy between young people of different countries and cultures. The afternoon lessons include topics such as:
- Leadership
- Teamwork
- Cultural awareness
- International understanding and respect
- Interview skills
- Building confidence
- Mini-UN debates
- Making decisions
- Creative solutions
- Preparing and giving presentations
- Negotiating and persuading
Creative Social Media Studies
The Creative Social Media part of the course is to develop media skills in an international setting using the technology currently available. These afternoon lessons include topics such as:
- Combining social media and English language skills
- Engaging with the online community
- Producing a weekly project through media channels
- Producing personal digital content
- Examining effective ways to build an online presence
- Studying online English language trends using authentic, digitally-sourced materials
Coding
The course’s aim is to develop coding skills using the technology currently available. These afternoon lessons include topics such as:
- The fundamentals of coding including variables, functions and objects
- Developing critical thinking and problem solving
- Engaging in hands-on explorations of coding concepts in the context of everyday situations
- Using visual-based coding puzzles to promote creativity
- Using an interactive web-based coding platform allowing students to see what they are creating as they write the code
Sample Timetables
A Global Leaders program sample timetable for students staying in a residence:
A Creative Social Media program sample timetable for students staying in a residence:
A Standard program sample timetable for students staying in a residence:
A Standard program sample timetable for students staying with a host family:
A Coding program sample timetable for students staying in a residence:
Note: the sample timetable for students staying in a host family contains blank spaces three evenings a week and on Sundays. Students are welcome to spend these times with their host family, on their own in Cambridge, or they may join the activities that are planned for the residential students (see that timetable).
From our clients
I contacted Ms. Marshall to organize vacation studies for my two daughters in three separate years. Our experiences were always very positive and they always fully satisfied our expectations. Rachel was always very effective in her search for the schools and accommodations that suited our needs, which naturally changed over the course of the years, as well as in the organization of the trip. We recommended Marshall Language Services both to our friends in Rome and in Milan, where we live, and they also had excellent experiences.
Two years ago, our daughter and a friend participated in the Global Leaders program. The girls were enthusiastic about the course because it was more interesting than a traditional summer English course. The topics of the afternoon lessons were related to current events, and were presented in an engaging fashion. The course was very well organized, the teachers were young and qualified, and the class was small and had a good mix of nationalities. The girls were also very satisfied with the accommodation. Not only was the building of very recent construction, but the rooms were single with their own bathrooms. More importantly, the staff who lived with them were university students who were very nice and available to them, and they became good friends.”
—Paola R.
Do you have a positive experience to share? Write to Rachel.
Residential or homestay accommodation is included in the price of the Sir Michael Global Leaders program.
RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION
The Sir Michael program has numerous residential sites, all of which are located between 5 and 15 minutes’ walk from the course centre and 5 to 20 minutes’ walk from the centre of Cambridge. Studio staff also live in the residences, providing 24-hour care. The staff-to-student ratio is approximately 1:10 and they are never far away if students have any questions or need help. They will also organise activities for the students every evening.
All the residences have modern facilities, with showers and bathrooms. Students live in comfortable, fully furnished, single or shared rooms. Most bedrooms are singles with en-suite bathrooms.
Residential accommodation is recommended only to independent students who are mature and responsible. Please add a note to your enrolment if you prefer a certain room type.
Meals
Breakfast is provided at the residences. Lunches on class days are provided at the school. Dinner is taken either at the residence itself or in the large cafeteria, 5 to 15 minutes walk from the residence.
There is a wide choice of hot and cold food and a vegetarian and non-pork option for every meal. Please inform us if you have special dietary requirements. At weekends, packed lunches are provided.
Evenings
Each evening, residential students must return to the residence for registration after dinner. Residential students on the Sir Michael camp will have activities organized for them by the Studio staff after this. Residential students must return by 23:00 at the latest. Students who fail to return on time will be spoken to by Studio staff. This is an important rule and returning late is considered serious misconduct, and action will be taken.
All of the student residences are situated in quiet residential areas, so students and staff are asked to respect the privacy of the neighbors and avoid excessive noise in the evenings.
Free time
It is important to note that students in residence on the Sir Michael course will have some free time and independence – especially on Sundays which are free days. There are always things to do in Cambridge and the Studio staff are there to help and supervise in case of problems. Common Rooms are also available in most of our residences.
Laundry
Laundry facilities are available on site. Students are required to do their own clothes laundry. One wash per week may be done free of charge. Bed linen is provided at the residence and will be changed and washed once each week. Students should bring their own towels.
Keys
Students will be given keys to their room and to the entrance to the residences. A small deposit of £20 will be taken when the keys are issued, in case the keys are lost.
HOMESTAY ACCOMMODATION
Homestay accommodation is provided in homes located within the city of Cambridge. Studio Cambridge cannot guarantee the distance away from the school, but it is likely to be no more than 30 minutes by bus, bicycle or on foot. Students taking the homestay option should be prepared to travel independently to and from the school. There is a bus stop directly in front of the school.
The bedrooms will be shared by two Studio Cambridge students of the same gender who do not speak the same language. The bathroom will be shared by only the students in the house, or also with the host family, depending on the number of bathrooms in the house.
Meals
Breakfast and dinner is provided by the host family. Lunches on class days are provided at the school. At weekends packed lunches are provided. Parents can inform Marshall Language Services if the student has special dietary requirements.
Evenings
On the Sir Michael Homestay course there are evening activities organized for students on three nights of the week. Students can go out in the evenings, but must return home by 23:00 at the latest. Students who fail to return on time will be reported to the school by their hosts. This is an important rule and returning late is considered serious misconduct and action will be taken.
Free time
It is important to note that Homestay students on the Sir Michael course will have some free time and independence – especially on Sundays, which are free days, and on some evenings.
Laundry
The host will wash the students’ clothes at least once each week. Bed linen is provided, and will also be changed and washed once each week. Students should bring their own towels.
Bicycle Rental
Students may wish to rent bicycles while they are staying in Cambridge, especially those who want to use them to travel to and from a homestay. On the first Monday of the course, staff from the school will take students to a nearby company who offers them for rental. Bicycles are in fact Cambridge’s primary form of transportation, and the city is covered in bicycle lanes.
Dates and Fees
Other Programs by this School
Studio Cambridge also offers the following programs:
- The summer program Sir Laurence in Cambridge for students aged 13-16
- The summer program Sir Christopher in Cambridge for students aged 16-19
- English language courses year round at the Studio Cambridge adult school in Cambridge
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