Vacational Studies International English Summer Schools

One month, fully residential multinational English Language Courses for 11-17s during the summer holidays - every summer since 1973...

Mary Hare

10 July - 7 August 2008 (4 weeks)

Cheam

12 July - 9 August 2008 (4 weeks)


	Apply for 2008 now!

	What life is like on our Courses:
	Two videos: one on social life; one on our new teaching style. Click here to view the videos.

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Vacational Studies English Language Summer School 2008

2008 Summer Schools in England for Boys and Girls aged 11-17

Residential English Language Course - Summer Camp

Ian Mucklejohn founded Vacational Studies Junior Vacation Courses which have been running for 35 years under his ownership. In this time we have developed an enjoyable balance between vacation and study to make this 'the investment that can never lose its value'. Here is our British Council Accredited English Language Course (Summer School) programme for Summer 2008.

English Language Summer School Accredited by The British Council

Vacational Studies is an English Language Course Accredited by The British Council. It is a residential Summer School in which young people have a great time both learning English and also 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. We were last inspected in 2007 and are Accredited as an English Language School until March 2012.

About this website

In this site we describe our English Language Course; our Summer School for 11 to 17 year-olds. The photos show many of the summer activities, fun, friendship, sports and enjoyable learning experiences that are part of our Summer English Course. It is an overview of the work we do, so you can decide if our summer camp in England is right for your child. We also include a description of what happened in the summer of 2007. 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 2008 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 English Course, 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. By 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 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.

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.