A Guide to Choosing Summer Schools

Learning English, and More

Of course, when thinking about this, England or Switzerland are the first places that come to mind, and I'd like to warn you against the mistakes you might make in anticipation of the summer season. Today, we'll talk about summer camps you shouldn't send your children to, and those that are excellent choices for you.

Homestay

Unfortunately, this type of accommodation is a huge gamble.

Most families who take children, as well as adults, to live with them during courses are those who need the money. And, as a rule, you pay significantly less for homestay accommodation than for residential accommodation. And there are reasons for this. This is a fairly simple level, and you should be aware of this. Many families, and consequently their children, are accustomed to living in beautiful, large houses. When a child arrives in England, what they see in an English family can be a shock.

Generally, it's fairly plain, ordinary, often old furniture, and very basic furnishings. The house may be dirty and smoky, and the owner's dog is allowed to sleep on the bed. Furthermore, the child may be restricted from showering because water is quite expensive in England.

And instead of the expected blond Anglo-Saxons, the child may be met by a family of African Americans, Pakistanis, or Indians. And these are all people with British passports. And, of course, asking to change families would be simply unethical. It would be seen as discrimination. As for food, if you choose a relatively cheap type of accommodation, don't expect an abundance of dishes. That means you'll get the cheapest bread and some cereal. In other words, everything is very basic and not always of high quality.

Or, for example, if you didn't specify when booking that your child doesn't want to stay with a vegetarian family, it's entirely possible that this will happen. Or the family might eat fast food, Indian food, or something else that you might not like, but unfortunately, no one will change the menu just for you. And most of these cases happen in the summer, when all the families are full, booked out, and naturally, swapping that family for another would be an impossible task.

Please understand my words correctly. I'm not pressuring you in any way. The decision is always yours. Indeed, perhaps in one out of ten cases the family will be quite nice and accept the child as their own, and the child will then correspond with that family after returning home. But I want to emphasize again that this is extremely rare. It's truly a huge lottery.

Boarding Schools and International Summer Camps

Now that we've covered homestays and it would seem safe to book any residential camp, I'll tell you that even here, things aren't so simple. Summer programs can be roughly divided into two categories.

Those run by boarding schools, meaning schools where children attend full-time, and these schools offer their own summer program.
And the second category is international summer camps.

Boarding Schools and International Summer Camps

Now that we've covered homestays and it would seem safe to book any residential camp, I'll tell you that even here, things aren't so simple. Summer programs can be roughly divided into two categories.

1. Those run by boarding schools, meaning schools where children attend full-time, and these schools offer their own summer program.
2. And the second category is international summer camps.

What's the difference?

When choosing a camp for their child, I would first advise parents to consider the cost. Of course, parents can't always afford a more expensive option when sending their child for the first time.

Or, out of ignorance, they may send their child as part of a group with a teacher from their home school, who, again due to ignorance or inexperience, as the teacher isn't an education specialist, may choose a more budget-friendly option.

The cost of a good camp currently starts at around £1,500 per week, including residential accommodation. I'd like to explain the price differences between summer schools and the differences between boarding schools and international summer camps.

Summer camps run by the boarding school itself represent the highest level of summer programs.

First, there's the level of instruction. The same teachers and specialists who work throughout the year often also work during the summer.

Of course, this isn't always the case, as they're human beings and need time to rest. However, in this case, the school doesn't lower its standards and selects talented individuals who will work with the children during the summer. Therefore, by sending your child to such a camp, to a boarding school, you can be assured of the quality of education.

Second, there's the content of the program—what your child will be doing outside of English lessons, if they're enrolling in a language program.

Boarding schools offer a highly intensive curriculum. The day is scheduled down to the minute, and children have absolutely no time to get bored. Afternoon activities can include theater, music, science, or STEM (a field that combines science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). These could include digital photography, dance, or various traditional British sports—golf, horse riding, tennis, swimming, football, cricket, and so on.

This means that the entire afternoon is also dedicated to learning, but through different activities. At some schools, these may include adventure sports—kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking, and so on.

Gordonstoun School, where many members of the royal family have studied, including Prince Charles and Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth. A highlight of this school's summer program is that after a three-week course, the children go on a cruise on the school's own yacht. This is, of course, a unique school, the only one of its kind, with its own fleet.

Children at boarding schools have the opportunity to participate in such extracurricular activities during the summer program. At an international summer camp, it's best if the children are accompanied by students who are doing practical work. Alternatively, children might simply play soccer with other boys or, for example, watch a movie in English. This seems like a way to practice the language, but it's certainly not the best choice. It's better to do something more interesting, something that might captivate the child and encourage them to continue their education at school.

Thirdly, there's food, which is important for parents and, of course, the children themselves.

At good, high-quality camps, the food will be very varied. Some schools even offer evening snacks right before bed, after children have actively participated in activities. After all, growing bodies will want to eat again after active evening activities.

This is common in boarding schools, while in budget options like international summer camps, you can expect what I mentioned above, especially with homestays. That is, a single meal option, and there may not always be a hot meal for lunch or dinner.

If the school is in the city, children sometimes have to buy extra food if they can get out into the city.

An excursion is a very exciting and intriguing part of a trip, especially for those visiting England for the first time. You want to see as much as possible, especially when choosing central England for your first time.

At budget camps, a child can still enjoy the experience because they'll be taken somewhere, but an excursion day might simply be a trip to a famous city. Children might be taken along the main street and left to enjoy their free time, usually shopping, and nothing more.

Meanwhile, good, high-quality summer schools, boarding schools, and high-quality camps will definitely take children on an interesting excursion and include entrance to some interesting museum.

Or, for example, take Cambridge, where an excursion might include a boat ride, known as "punting," along the beautiful facades of the colleges of Cambridge University or, if the trip takes place in Oxford, Oxford. Admission to one of the university's colleges will also be included; children can feel like Harry Potter characters, as some of the filming even took place in Oxford.

It's important to check in advance what these excursions are like to avoid complaints later, or disappointment that the children only went shopping. Of course, shopping is necessary: ​​children want to buy souvenirs and other things from the country they're visiting on their own. It's possible that for some of them, this will be their first time shopping. Nevertheless, the cultural part of the excursion is important; everyone looks forward to it, and it would be great if you checked and discussed this in advance.

And, of course, there's the so-called language and nationality quota. Good schools maintain a 10%, sometimes 20%, quota—which is also a very good number—for children coming from different countries. This prevents a situation where a particular nationality predominates at the school during the summer program.

Many parents worry that if their child goes, the school will be overcrowded with Russian-speaking children or, for example, Chinese. But, frankly, it's not good to have a school with a large French or Spanish population.

Of course, children will be grouped into their own language groups. And if a child comes alone, that is, not in a group, it can sometimes be difficult for them to fit in and make friends in that huge crowd. Moreover, if the school does not always provide successful lessons, then the child may feel like an outcast.

While good schools strive to maintain this quota, they ensure that the accommodations and room assignments are varied. Sometimes, when friends travel, the school won't even allow them to share a room, so as to ensure maximum communication in English.

Regarding summer programs offered at boarding schools, there can be one caveat—I would even say a catch. Sometimes, behind the guise of a well-known school, there may be an organization that runs its own summer courses on the premises of that school.

And the quality may, of course, not be as high as I mentioned above. It's important to clearly determine in advance whether the summer program is offered by the school itself or by the organization, but, again, there are always exceptions to every rule, and not all organizations that offer summer programs are created equal.

There are some very good, very high-quality schools that rival the quality of a boarding school. In these cases, the education, excursions, program content, meals, and everything else will be top-notch; you just need to understand and know what kind of organization they are.

Diversity of Summer Schools

Summer programs offer a wide range of options, and many parents are mistaken in thinking that summer is only for language learning, especially English. For example, in Switzerland, in addition to English, you can study French, German, and Italian. There are also specialized courses or career guidance courses, such as medicine, architecture, business, economics, and marketing. A course in programming and artificial intelligence is gaining popularity.

There are also academic courses: in the summer, a child can come for two weeks and study according to the boarding school model, meaning they can study English alongside a number of other general education subjects, such as mathematics, science, history, and so on. This is a kind of test drive of a boarding school. There are schools where international students can mix with local British students during the summer.

For example, the well-known Heathfield School offers such a program. Local girls attend academies, drama, sports, and so on, and in the afternoons, they work together with international students. It's a very interesting experience.

There's a program for very young children from three years old, a parent-plus-child program. There's a school where a parent or parents, or a grandfather, maybe a grandmother, or a nanny, depending on who's accompanying the child, will live right in the school residence. This is an interesting experience, a first step.

Or there could be a program focused on professional sports, such as football, tennis, golf, basketball, rugby, horse riding, and so on. This could be pure sports or combined with English lessons.

Therefore, I'd like to emphasize that there are a huge number of options, and I wish each of you the best of luck in your summer program. And, of course, I wish you all success in your studies.