SBC Eton College Academy (Ages 13-16)

“Nevermind the slick brochures and sales pitches of other schools. The EL Gazette and British Council have said it all about this one—Summer Boarding Courses, who offers this program at Eton College, is the number one provider of programs for children and teenagers in all of the United Kingdom. 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 in 2019, Summer Boarding Courses received 15 out of a possible 15, only one of five schools ever achieve the maximum number of strengths possible, and the only one for children and teenagers to do so (the other four schools are for adults).

Of the various programs offered by Summer Boarding Courses, there are several reasons that I like this one at Eton College. First of all, the location of the program in the UK is almost unbeatable. It is housed in Eton College, one of the most famous, prestigious and historic boarding schools in the world. It is also close to London, a city which students like to visit on excursion, and is very close to Heathrow airport, making the arrival and departure from there uncomplicated. Summer Boarding Courses have long been a favorite of mine for the fantastic nationality mix of their programs (they do not accept more than 10% of students of a single mother tongue in any given period, whereas most programs, even good quality ones, limit theirs to 15, 20, or even 25%). The program at Eton College in particular gives students who do not need English language training the opportunity to study academic subjects, and also includes 10 hours per week of valuable leadership training. For students who do need more English lessons, they are also available. With a maximum of 70 participants, the program is intimate, offering a high level of individual attention from instructors, and even more introverted students will have the possibility of getting to know their classmates well. All of the Summer Boarding Courses programs are full of high quality extracurricular activities for ambitious students, but at the same time offer a wide variety of activities that are also fun for children that age. The one at Eton College is no exception to this, and for parents who want the very best summer program for their children, this one is among the top to choose from.”