Intensive residential summer courses for Young learners in England

2012 Brochure

At Absolutely English we are committed to creating a stimulating, tolerant and safe learning

environment for young learners to develop, practise, progress and enjoy their adventure in the

English language and culture.

The prestigious Sherborne Girls school in Dorset, one of the country’s top academic boarding schools, has been home to the Absolutely English Young Learners programme since 2006.

Absolutely English

Sherborne, Dorset

BristolLondon

Owned and managed by the very experienced husband and wife team, Siân and Petro Choma, Absolutely English Young Learners welcomes young people from all over the world.

We provide one of the most intensive combinations of lessons, supervised sports and leisure activities and excursions. The intensity of our programme means constant practice in a variety of situations, helping your child to gain confidence and skill in communicating in English.

The mix of nationalities, the immersion environment and the warm friendly atmosphere of the school combine to create a stimulating and rewarding intercultural experience for young people beginning to explore the wider world.

Absolutely English is accredited by the British Council, the owners personally oversee all aspects of the programme and many of our staff return year after year. You can therefore be assured of high quality and exceptional customer service.

Detailed individual assessment for maximum progress

In order to ensure that students are in the right class and that we are meeting their needs, we ask each student to complete the Oxford Online Placement Test before they arrive. The test is aligned to the CEFR and gives us an indication of each student’s knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and also their ability to communicate in English.

On arrival, our teachers will assess your child’s active language skills. Our academic programme is designed to ensure that students receive ongoing evaluation and feedback throughout the course and our final academic report highlights how they can continue their learning when they leave.

Active Communication

In the Active Communication lessons, topical role plays, presentations and debates get students talking from the start. They may find themselves acting as school council representatives to design the end of year celebrations, giving a presentation on London to prepare their classmates for their excursion or delivering an Academy Award style thank you speech just before they leave.

Our teachers will give your child individual feedback on their language and will then help them progress by working on relevant grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary and functional language points. We enable students to say what they want to say!

Core Language Skills

This lesson complements the Active Communication lesson by focussing on listening, reading and writing skills. We use a wide variety of authentic, up-to-date material such as film trailers, news clips and social media to stretch and engage each student.

As part of this programme, students learn how to adapt their language for both formal and informal purposes. They may, for example, learn how to write a covering letter and CV to apply for a job or how to write emails and SMS messages to their friends. We will give your child listening, reading and writing strategies to build on in the future.

Case Study

Teamwork is an essential part of the Case Study lesson. Each week students are given a task to accomplish in English. They could be asked to create a fashion show using recycled materials, design a marketing campaign to attract more visitors to Sherborne, draw up plans for a music festival or publish an anthology of poems. At the end of the week, they develop their presentation skills by delivering their work to an audience.

Essential English

From ordering food in a café and asking for information at the Tourist Office to asking to try on shoes in a shoe shop, Essential English gives students the practical language they need to deal with everyday situations in English. We help students use natural language and work intensively on their pronunciation. Whenever possible, we get students out and about in Sherborne with their teachers to use the language they have learned in real-life situations and encourage them to do the same on excursions.

Study English ✓ Practise English ✓ Use English ✓

To complement the academic programme, each day students take part in a performance workshop to practise what they have learned in class and to build confidence in their spoken English.

Students work on a different theme each week to develop their cultural and linguistic awareness.

They are divided into House Groups for this activity, which gives them another opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. This workshop is a bridge between the academic and sports and leisure programmes with strong input from our Academic Manager.

The culmination of the week is the highly entertaining extravaganza in which students showcase their performances on stage in the school theatre.

Study English ✓ Practise English ✓ Use English ✓

23 full hours of lessons per week

Excursions on Wednesday afternoon and all day Saturday and Sunday

15 hours of sports and leisure activities per week

6 hours of performance workshops per week

A typical week at Absolutely English Young Learners MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

Wake-up 07.45

08.00 - 08.40 BREAKFAST BREAKFAST BREAKFAST BREAKFAST BREAKFAST BREAKFAST BREAKFAST

until 08.30 followed by Assembly

08.45 - 09.30 Active Active Active Active Active Communication Communication Communication Communication Communication

09.30 - 10.15 Active Active Active Active Active Communication Communication Communication Communication Communication

10.15 - 10.30 BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK EXCURSION EXCURSION

10.30 - 11.15 Core Language Skills Core Language Skills Core Language Skills Core Language Skills Core Language Skills

11.15 - 12.00 Core Language Skills Core Language Skills Core Language Skills Core Language Skills Core Language Skills

12.00 - 12.45 LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH PACKED PACKED LUNCH LUNCH

12.45 - 13.00 BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK

13.00 - 14.00 Case Study Case Study Case Study Case Study

14.00 - 14.15 BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK

14.15 - 15.15 Essential English Essential English Essential English Essential English

15.15 - 15.30 changeover changeover EXCURSION changeover changeover EXCURSION EXCURSION

15.30 - 16.30 Sports and Leisure Sports and Leisure Sports and Leisure Sports and Leisure Activities Activities Activities Activities

16.30 - 16.45 changeover changeover changeover changeover

16.45 - 17.45 Sports and Leisure Sports and Leisure Sports and Leisure Sports and Leisure Activities Activities Activities Activities

17.45 - 18.15 changeover changeover changeover changeover

18.15 - 19.00 DINNER DINNER DINNER DINNER DINNER BBQ

DINNER

19.00 - 19.15 BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK

19.15 - 20.15 Performance Performance Performance Performance Performance Performance Workshop Workshop Workshop Workshop Workshop Workshop

Sports and 20.15 - 20.30 changeover changeover changeover changeover Leisure changeover

Farewell Activities

20.30 - 21.30 Sports and Leisure Sports and Leisure Sports and Leisure Evening Sports and Leisure Activities Activities Disco/ Activities Extravaganza Activities

21.30 - 22.00 BREAK BREAK Talent Show

BREAK BREAK BREAK

22.00 Students to house Students to house Students to house Students to house Students to house

Students Students to house to house

22.30 Students lights out Students lights out Students lights out Students lights out Students lights out

Students Students lights out lights out

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In addition to the intensive academic course, we provide a varied and structured sports and leisure programme. This means that students can continue practising their English through a variety of fun and challenging activities.

Sherborne Girls school has outstanding sports and leisure facilities, including:

• A purpose built sports centre with squash courts, indoor climbing wall, 25 metre swimming pool and fitness suite• A dance studio• Music centre• Football, rugby and field hockey pitches including an all-weather pitch• 20 tennis courts including grass and hard surfaces• 2 outdoor volleyball courts• Three I.T. suites

At the beginning of each week students can choose from a wide range of different activities such as tennis, badminton, volleyball, basketball, dance, table tennis, football, swimming and squash. They can also discover a new activity like fencing or rock climbing, both taught by specialised instructors. Or why not try out a traditional English sport such as rugby, netball, field hockey or cricket? In addition to our sporting programme we offer drama, music, I.T. and film evenings. Arts and crafts, which is again taught by a qualified teacher, is another popular activity.

Our enthusiastic team of activity organisers, led by our experienced Sports and Leisure Manager, will guide your child through all aspects of their time outside the classroom. Whether it is during the activity sessions, out on excursion or at the airport, our activity organisers are always on hand to ensure your child has a fun and safe stay and to encourage them to continue practising their English

Excursions are an opportunity to use English in real situations. Excursion destinations are researched in group lessons and relevant language taught. There is one half-day excursion each week and two one-day excursions for those staying over the weekend. For half-day excursions we choose more local destinations such as Weymouth, Salisbury, Glastonbury and Exeter. For the weekend excursions possible destinations include London, Bath and Bristol.

The safety of your child and the quality of our programme are paramount. That’s why we have an average of at least 1 staff member to 3 children on site – probably the highest staff ratio of all English language summer schools.

We operate a 24 hour emergency number and students are never allowed off campus unsupervised. Our experienced welfare team is always at hand and are based in our comfortable, well-equipped medical centre.

Keep in touch with what your child is doing during their stay with us by visiting our blog at www.absenglish.co.uk/blog.

Safe location

The prestigious Sherborne Girls school is located in the charming town of Sherborne in Dorset. Sherborne is a safe, picturesque location of historical interest in one of England’s most beautiful counties. Sherborne is home to Sherborne Abbey and Sherborne Castle.

Accommodation

Accommodation is provided on-site at the School. Boys and girls are in separate accommodation in their age groups. Juniors are accommodated in single cubicles, single rooms or double rooms. Please note that we only have a very limited number of double rooms. Seniors are accommodated in single rooms.

Each boarding house has its own comfortable lounge area for socialising and relaxation.All our managers live on site and our activities staff are accommodated in the same boarding houses to ensure supervision.

Meals

We provide a variety of British and international dishes. Meals are cooked on site and there is always plenty of choice including vegetarian options. As well as breakfast, lunch and dinner we provide an evening snack at the end of the activities programme.

Airport transfers

Our trained staff will meet your child at the airport and see them safely through passport control on departure. They will always wait if a flight is delayed. We recommend arriving at London Heathrow or Bristol airports but can arrange transfers from other UK airports/locations on request.

A ratio of at least 1 staff member to 3 children on campus

A strong academic focus with qualified teachers committed to improving your child’s English language skills

A maximum of 8 students per class grouped according to level

23 full hours of tuition per week as well as 6 hours of performance workshops

An experienced management team who work for us year round

Our summer staff return year after year (90% in 2011) ensuring continuity and quality

15 hours of supervised and structured sports and leisure activities per week

Opportunities to continue practising English during excursions on Wednesday afternoons, Saturdays and Sundays

Discos, talent show and Friday evening extravaganzas

No hidden costs. Our package includes:

• Oxford Online Placement Test before the stay

• Initial evaluation on arrival

• Lessons and performance workshops

• All learning materials

• Academic report and leaving certificate

• Structured sports and leisure programme

• Excursions (including all entrance fees)

• All meals and accommodation

• Laundry once a week

Our price includes everything except your child’s pocket money during the stay and transport to the centre

And finally, an international atmosphere of tolerance, respect and courtesy leading to a fun, intercultural experience that your child will never forget.

www.absenglish.co.uk