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One month, fully residential
multinational English Language Summer School: Courses for 11-17s during
the summer holidays - every summer since 1973... |
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Mary Hare
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5 July - 2 August
2009 (4 weeks) |
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| Cheam |
11 July - 8 August 2009 (4 weeks) |
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Latest News:
(Updated:
01/07/2009 by Ian Mucklejohn - Director, Vacational
Studies)
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This section
is now the main notice board for our 2009
students and parents. Our
e-mail address is
vacstuds@vacstuds.com -
I have (26
June) sent everyone a hard copy of 'Last-Minute
Information' with a 'Statement Supporting Entry to the
UK'. It should be included in the passport, but
should not be needed. Britain is not
a signatory to the Schengen Agreement so everyone
coming here should possess a passport. In
addition, we suggest that non EU students bring our receipt (a copy or the
original) to further confirm the reason for entry
in case this is queried at Immigration. -
The duly completed and signed
'Agreement and Travel Details' form should have
been received by 6 June if
our services at Heathrow were needed. If this
form has not been sent (and acknowledged by us),
collection has not been arranged. Terminal 3 is added to the Terminals at which our
staff will meet students. Some airlines will
change their Terminals in July. TAP has changed
to Terminal 1. Click on this link to
BA's website to find out which Terminals are being
used:-
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/routedest/public/en_gb
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All unpaid Invoices have been
cancelled under section 29 and the places re-allocated.
Don't book travel unless I have confirmed the place. -
Today's £:€
exchange rate is £1 = €1.2200. -
The 'Last-Minute Information' letter
has been sent out by e-mail. It can also be
downloaded
here. -
The 'Theatre Visits' form
has been sent out by e-mail. It can also be
downloaded
here. -
Photos and film-clips of
Mary Hare and Cheam 2009 will be updated
here. -
The 2009 T-shirt designs
chosen by those students who responded are
'Mary
Hare 1' and 'Cheam
1'. The vote was overwhelming.
We shall ask students to give us the size they prefer
on the day they arrive. -
We have a new
tennis coach this summer - Ash Taylor. He is an LTA
Club Coach, qualified to teach all players up to
junior county and adult team standard. He will
give tennis lessons to beginners and near-beginners
who have already chosen this option. Traditionally, we
have offered lessons only to beginners or
near-beginners. Proficient players can play
tennis when they wish on the schools' many excellent
tennis courts. We can now offer proficient players
the chance to improve their game. Ash is keen to start
a 'Developing Skills Programme' for those who already
have tennis skills. A course of 6 lessons will
be provided in groups of no more than 4 to
intermediate and advanced tennis players who would
like to take advantage of this facility. The
cost will be £40 for the course of 6 lessons, payable
from pocket money.
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Although we are full, a
place may become available suddenly. Please see
Places Available or just e-mail
vacstuds@vacstuds.com.
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'Notes
for Staff Helpers 2009'
can
be downloaded by those considering applying for a SH
place in 2010.
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'Vacational Studies 2008 All Over
Again' DVDs for Mary Hare and Cheam were air-mailed on 15 September. There
are a few spare copies. Click for the
memo.
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All the 2008 class film projects
are on our Facebook page.
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Click Facebook for film clips of
the 2008 Courses.
- In 2007 we passed our four-yearly
British Council Inspection and our Accreditation
continues for another four years. Read the 'Publishable
Statement' online ('Publishable
Statements L-Z').
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Vacational Studies Residential English Language Summer School 2009
Summer Boarding Schools in England in 2009 for Boys and Girls aged 11-17
Residential UK English Language Course - Holiday Summer Camp
in Great Britain
In 1973,
Ian Mucklejohn founded Vacational
Studies Junior Vacation Courses which have been running for 36 years under
his ownership. In this time Vacational Studies has developed a
balance between vacation and study to make this 'the investment that
can never lose its value'. Here is our British Council Accredited
Residential English Language Course
(Summer School) programme in the United Kingdom for Summer 2009.
English Language Summer School Accredited by The British Council
Vacational Studies is a UK English Language Course
Accredited by
The British Council. It is a residential Summer School in England in which young people have an enjoyable time both learning
the world's language - English - and
growing
up. For children,
a residential English Summer Course is a developmental experience and it
is important to make an informed choice. As Vacational Studies is ‘Accredited
by The British Council’, it qualifies as for membership of English UK - formerly ARELS (The Association of Recognised English Language Services)
- a professional body, membership of which is granted only after
rigorous inspection by The British Council and re-inspection every
four years. Vacational Studies was last inspected in 2007 and is Accredited as
an English Language School until
March 2012. Vacational Studies is an Educational Establishment on the UK
Government's DfES (Department for Education and Science) Education Providers' Register.
It is also authorised by the UK Borders Agency to request visas.About this website
In this site we describe our English Language Course;
our English Boarding Summer School; our United Kingdom 'summer camp' for 11 to 17 year-olds. We also have a
new Course
for 2009 (Pre-VacStuds) for 7 to 10 year-olds - a junior Vacational Studies. The photos show many of
the summer activities, fun, friendship, sports and enjoyable learning
experiences that are part of our Summer English Course. There is an
overview of the work we do, in English, French, German, Italian
and Spanish, so you can decide if our English Language Course
in Great Britain is right for
your child. We also include a description of what happened in the
summer of 2008. It is written in a different style so you have an
idea of the Director, Ian Mucklejohn, and his personality which necessarily influences
the atmosphere on the Courses. It gives a more detailed rationale
of the 2009 Courses and what has shaped them, so you and your son
or daughter will be fully informed and can prepare for the experience.
If your application is accepted, both sections are essential reading.
Our Courses at The Mary Hare School and
Cheam School are English
Language Courses for teenagers from all over the world so the later section ('Unrealisable Expectations') is important
as it deals with fundamental issues. Take a look at 'IGM's
page', too.What we try to do
More than a respected, accredited and
well-established Junior Vacation Summer English Course for youngsters
to learn the English language, Vacational Studies tries to create a
totally international Summer School with young people from as many
different countries as possible. We avoid accepting a large number
from any particular country. In this way we try to ensure that English
is the main medium of communication among the students. The teaching
is special, too. It is designed to be quite different from the
teaching in the student's own school. Our 2009 teaching
programme exploits the international nature of the Course. We use a 'task-based' system in which
students and their teacher create a film script. This is the basis for
the written work. The students then take parts as actors and film crew
and film the script. They then work as a team to edit the film and
upload it onto YouTube. By working together in English and using
English as a living language, we hope our students will realise
better its importance and value. Our students want to use English
to make friends. This element of self-motivation greatly increases
their fluency. To learn English, summer activities, sports, social
events and fun happen all the time. The emphasis on the practical
use of English is combined with a full sports, entertainment and
excursion programme helping youngsters to learn English internationally
in an exciting and lively English Summer School.
Residence
Our English Language Summer Courses for young people are fully residential. Students
eat, sleep and have classes in the Schools. We use Cheam
School, Headley, near Newbury and The Mary Hare School, Chieveley,
near Newbury. Newbury is about one hour from London and 30
minutes from Oxford in the centre of the south of England. We do not use host families.
All our staff are checked for suitability.The Students
We accept boys and girls near-beginners, intermediate and more advanced
students aged 11 to 17 worldwide. Complete beginners are not accepted because
they cannot participate in an international community. The Courses
are sports-orientated and encourage good social development for
teenagers in a
community situation.Pre-Vacational Studies
On Pre-VacStuds, we accept boys and girls -
from beginners upwards - aged 7 to 10. This Course is available at
Howard House at The Mary Hare School and is described separately.
Students who will benefit from our Summer School
The information on this site will help you make sure that our special
English Language Course is suitable for your child. Those who will
benefit and we enjoy having with us will be internationally-minded,
interested in English, outgoing, gregarious and able to function
independently. They will also be willing to accept the constraints
of community living.
How they will benefit
We hope that our students will learn a great deal of English, make
good friendships and develop a positive international feeling. As
well as formal study, we concentrate on the holiday aspect of the
Course. While we try to involve students in all activities, we naturally
respect the wishes of those who like to read quietly or be with
friends. Over the years, we have built up an excellent reputation
with parents and young people all over the world. We have a list
of parental references. Many boys and girls spend several summers
with us renewing old friendships and making new ones. Most students
come to us on personal recommendation. The numbers on each of our
English Language Courses are deliberately kept quite small so that
the staff can get to know everybody and treat each young person
as an individual. Many of the children who came to us in the 1970s
are now sending their own children so they can have the same international
experience with the feeling of independence in a safe and secure environment.
Former students of any age can keep in contact via 'Giotto'
or our Facebook site.
Those aged 19-22 may consider becoming a 'Staff
Helper' in the summer of 2009. |
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VacBlog - VacStuds Blog Page 
