St. Edmund’s College Summer School (Ages 9-17)
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St. Edmund’s College Summer School was established in 1996, and is one of the top accredited Summer Schools in the UK. The summer school takes place in the historic College campus which offers a magnificent country setting in rural Hertfordshire. The education program is creatively designed to make the most of the English speaking environment, with educational trips and activities supporting classroom learning.
Ware is a town of around 18,800 people in Hertfordshire, England. It has been occupied since at least the Mesolithic period, which ended about 4000 BC. The Romans had a sizable settlement there and foundations of several buildings, including a temple, and two cemeteries have been found. Ware was on Ermine Street, the Roman road from London to Lincoln, and is thought to be one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in Europe.
Ware has several listed buildings by Historic England, many timber-framed. They include the remains of a fourteenth-century friary, which is now the local council office and a conference centre called The Priory and Fletcher’s Lea. Opposite the priory is the large fourteenth-century parish church of St. Mary. It is known for its elaborate font with large carved stone figures. The town is also famous for its many 18th-century riverside gazebos, several of which have been restored recently.
Of interest to visitors are the Ware Museum, Ventura Wildlife’s Zoological Gardens, Scott’s Grotto, Bluecoat Yard, and the Maltmaker statue.
Founded by Cardinal William Allen in 1568, St. Edmund’s College is the oldest Catholic school in England, with a distinguished alumni of 20 canonised saints and 133 martyrs. Originally located in Douai, France, and intended as a seminary to train priests, it also became a Catholic school for boys. During the French Revolution, the College transferred to England and found its present home on the beautiful site of Old Hall Green in 1793.
Ware and St. Edmund’s college are located just 35 miles north of London.
THE PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
- Location: Ware, Hertfordshire
- Age Range: 9 – 17
- Maximum number of students: 200
- Number of hours of lessons per week: 20
- Maximum number of students per class: 14
- Ratio of staff to students: 1 : 4
- Number of full-day excursions per week course: 2
St. Edmund’s College: Farm Lane, Old Hall Green, Ware SG11 1DS, United Kingdom
“St. Edmund’s Summer School was first introduced to me by a colleague specialized in high-quality summer programs for children and teenagers, and I later had the opportunity to meet the director in person. There are several things that I especially find valuable in this program: one, it is currently the top-ranked Boarding School Summer program in all of the UK, based on British Council inspection reports (out of hundreds of similar, and also good quality programs); two, the course is intensive, and in the afternoon, students can continue their English learning by choosing a subject that interests them, offering them more motivation than might be the case with just having additional language lessons; and three, the program also includes the participation of English children, allowing students to socialize and make long-lasting friendships with native speakers. In addition to the local children, the program also has an excellent nationality mix, and Italian parents will appreciate that this is one of the very few summer programs in England that does not reach even the 10% mark of enrolments from that country. The program is also notable for the fact that it is set in three-week cycles, the ideal length of time for a junior summer program abroad, permitting students to have a more structured course, with a beginning and an end, and the same classmates throughout. The price of the program is overall an excellent value; it not only includes a staff-to-student ratio of 1:4, which is almost the highest ratio available among these types of programs, but also airport transfers, IELTS preparation, and if desired, free optional horseback riding and scuba diving lessons, all of which would normally be offered at a considerable additional cost. Finally, St. Edmund’s is located just thirty minutes from the north of London, making it easily reachable from the airports, and allowing for visits to that city on excursions, as most children and teenagers would like (there are almost two full-day excursions per week, more than most programs that only offer one).”
St Edmund’s College Summer School
Why choose the St. Edmund’s College Summer School program?
- Edmund’s College Summer School was established in 1996 and is currently the “Top Boarding School Summer School” and the “Joint Top Young Learner Specialist” according to the El Gazette, who ranks English language schools and programs in the United Kingdom based on inspection reports by the British Council.
- The summer school takes place in the historic 400-acre college campus just 35 miles away from London, in rural Hertfordshire.
- The St. Edmund’s College Summer School program hosts both native speakers and international students, allowing students to study and socialize for accelerated language learning and cultural insight.
- A unique feature of the summer school is the afternoon elective program which allows students to choose a subject from arts, sports, academics, and vocational classes every week.
- Edmund’s College Summer School has a staff to student ratio of 1 : 4, guaranteeing individual attention to each and every student.
- The summer school is fully residential and students will be accommodated according to their age, gender and nationality.
- Airport transfers are included in the course price—students can arrive and depart from London airports Heathrow, Stansted and Luton.
The facilities
ST. EDMUND’S COLLEGE FACILITIES AT A GLANCE
- 400-acre historic campus
- 30 classrooms
- Food Technology classroom
- 4 student common rooms
- Tuck shop open daily
- Free Wi-Fi
- Large student dining room
- State-of-the-art sports facilities
MORE ON THE FACILITIES AND SERVICES
Sports Facilities
The St. Edmund’s College campus boasts state-of-the-art sports facilities including halls for basketball, badminton, football, an indoor swimming pool for recreational swimming and water polo, 6 tennis courts, a table tennis room and plenty of outdoor fields.
Student Welfare
On the campus, there is a dedicated office and staff for student welfare. Residential staff will be living on site with students to provide 24-hour supervision.
Medical Facility
The school has an infirmary staffed by qualified nurses available 24 hours a day.
Airport Transfers
Transfers to and from Heathrow, Luton or Stansted airport are included in the price of the course. Arrival must be on Mondays and departures on Sundays. Marshall Language Services will need to furnish the participant’s flight information to St. Edmund’s College Summer School so that the airport transfers can be organized. Parents will received detailed instructions on what the student should do when their flight arrives. It is also possible for parents to accompany their children to the campus personally.
When the program is over, 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.
The courses
Course Content and Sample Timetables
The St. Edmund’s College Summer School divides students into 3 age groups, each of whom will have different course content.
- Junior School: 9 – 11 years
- Middle School: 12 – 14 years
- Senior School: 15 – 17 years
Global Skills in English Program
The Global Skills in English (GSE) program is designed to prepare children for global citizenship in the 21st century. English language teaching is integrated into all teaching sessions and each morning will be divided into three distinct areas of focus: Knowledge-based classes such History and Politics, Skills-based classes based on Task-Based-Learning and Values-based classes featuring activities such as debates and presentations.
The programs provide:
- International classes
- 20 hours of class-based teaching per week
- Maximum class size of 14
- Progress monitoring
- All educational materials
- Academic Report at the end of each course
In the afternoons students choose an Afternoon Elective Course running for one week each from a range of academic, art, sport and vocation-related subjects. Most Afternoon Elective Courses are included in the course price, but for some options there is an additional fee.
Afternoon Elective Courses offered:
- Academic electives: Cambridge FCE and CAE examination course and exam, IELTS course and exam
- Sports electives: Introduction to Golf, Horse riding, Outdoor Adventure Activities
- Arts electives: One-to-one private tuition
- Vocational electives: Food Technology
The GSE program includes 1 full day academic excursion and 1 full day sightseeing excursion every week.
A sample timetable:
RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION
St. Edmund’s College is a fully residential campus with approximately 200 student beds. Students are typically accommodated in twin study bedrooms with another student of a different nationality. Each floor has its own showers, toilets and gender of student. There are also common rooms, game rooms, computer rooms, free Wi-Fi.
Meals
The school provides 3 freshly-cooked meals a day. On days of excursions, the students will take packed lunches along with choices of snacks. The school can also cater to different dietary requirements.
Laundry
Laundry is done once a week and bed linen is provided. Students must bring their own towels.
Student Welfare
Residential House Parents live on the corridors with the children and are responsible for making sure that all students are well taken care of. Every day the house parents inform students about the day’s activities and go over any problems or concerns they may have.
Dates and Fees
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