The Course for 2012

Residential English Language Courses

Vacational Studies Courses have been running for 39 to develop an enjoyable balance between ‘vacation’ and ‘study’.

Dates for 2012

Wednesday 11 July – Wednesday 8 August 2012 (4 weeks)

Accredited by The British Council

Vacational Studies is ‘Accredited by The British Council’ and is a member of English UK – formerly ARELS (The Association of Recognised English Language Services) -a professional body, membership of which is granted only after thorough inspection by The British Council and re-inspection every four years. We were last inspected in 2007 and are Accredited until March 2012.

The ‘House’ system

Youngsters love competition. It stimulates and motivates them. Our Course is divided into 4 small Houses of about 50 students for sports and events. The Houses are named Mary Hare, Cheam, Hawtreys and Douai-Elstree to preserve the traditions of the last few decades. There will be a Sports/Social Organiser in charge of each and each will have its own identity. Their colours will be blue (Mary Hare), red (Cheam), yellow (Douai-Elstree) and green (Hawtreys). Each will have its own traditional song. All of them will be on the same campus- The Mary Hare School campus.

Returning students and friends will be able to be in the same House and the same dormitory area, if they apply early enough. New students will be allocated to a House of our choice to ensure a good mix of ages and nationalities. While students will have a competitive loyalty to their own School, they will integrate socially. Classes will be integrated as will the main evening activities. Each House will have its own table for some dinners. Breakfast and lunch tables will be integrated.

Sports Day will be a four-cornered event with competitive sports, and will showcase dancing and singing from each House.

What we try to do

Vacational Studies tries to create a totally international Course with students from as many different countries as possible, including Britain. We avoid accepting a large number of students 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 not just as a school subject but as a living and working language, we hope our students will realise its importance and value. Our students want to use English to make friends. This greatly increases their fluency. The emphasis on the practical use of English is combined with a full sports, entertainment and excursion programme helping young people to learn ‘English internationally’. But it is more than this….

Residence

The Courses are all fully residential.Students eat, sleep and receive classes in the Schools.

The Students

We accept boys and girls – near-beginners,intermediate and more advanced students – aged 10 to 17. The Courses are sports-orientated and encourage good social development in a community situation.

Video – Day 1 – Games to get students interacting

Students who will benefit

Please make sure that our Course is suitable for your child and that he/she wants to come. 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. We consider it so important that our standards and expectations are understood and accepted that we ask parents to confirm that they and their children have read the rules and that they agree to abide by them. A slip sent with the rules is provided for this purpose.

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. Many boys and girls spend several summers with us renewing old friendships and making new ones. Students from the ’70s and ’80s are now sending their children. Most students come to us on personal recommendation. The numbers are deliberately kept quite small so that the staff can get to know everybody and treat each young person as an individual.