Senior Summer Course
For students aged 13 - 17
Summer Courses for Growing Students
Course Overview
You are welcome to join us on our summer course with residential and homestay facilities. We combine a first-class education with an integrated social and activity programme to produce a unique study-abroad experience.
Students can be assured of an educationally-enriching experience encompassing 15 hours of lessons each week, activities and visits to aid the development of students’ English and international cultural knowledge.
The maximum size of classes is 16, and in addition to the teacher, each class also has their own teaching assistant. Our teaching assistants are British teenagers of a similar age to our students whose role is to interact with students to help develop their English.
All students are tested and placed in an appropriate class according to their English language level and age. Each class use specially selected materials relevant to their age and level.
The focus is on activating students’ passive knowledge of English and developing fluency. Appropriate error correction techniques are used to improve accuracy. Dynamic classroom activities include role-plays, simulations and language games to develop greater fluency. School excursions are supported by classroom activities which investigate the importance of each destination.
Students take home their learning portfolio as a permanent record of their course achievement. Students also receive attendance certificates and detailed records of achievement are provided to all students on course completion.
Students benefit most by attending courses for normally 2-4 weeks.
St Mary’s & Mary Ward House
Our senior course is held in St. Mary’s School in the historic English city of Cambridge. The school is in the heart of the city, only a few minutes’ walk from the city centre and most of the restaurants, cafés, cinemas and shops.
St Mary’s School is a Victorian building with a refurbished, modern interior. It has bright and comfortable classrooms with a computer suite as well as free Wi-Fi. Students also have access to outdoor recreational areas.
Whatever your hobbies or interests, there are plenty of activities to try out, ranging from music and drama to arts & craft…. and students keen on sports will not be disappointed by the impressive sporting facilities on site which include football, table-tennis and basketball.
The main city bus terminal and Railway Station are a short walk from the school. At St Mary’s, residential accommodation consists of single or twin rooms and shared dormitories. Residential students are given three meals each day, including a choice of hot or cold food with a selection of fresh fruit and salad. Special diets can be catered for on request.
At St Mary’s, we also have use of the newly-renovated Mary Ward House - a beautiful building overlooking the Botanic Garden, (and a short, ten-minute walk from the main school). The student bedrooms provide ample space and are fully equipped with beds, desks, wardrobes, chests of drawers and sinks. The bathrooms are spacious with shower facilities. There is also a free laundry facility.
At CCL, student welfare is a main priority. We take the safety and well-being of our students very seriously. All our staff are DBS certified and managers and key members of our Team have Safeguarding and First-Aid Training. Students are supervised throughout the school day and at weekends and must be back in their residential/homestay accommodation by a stated time every evening, the details of which are laid out in our student handbook.
Teaching Methodology
Course Objectives:
The focus of this course is to use a whole language approach that incorporates the practical English skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking to achieve maximum integration and oral language development (see The CCL method video). The course deals with some of the key aspects of the social, cultural, and linguistic structures of modern Britain. The emphasis is as much on factual knowledge as it is on the development of a critical approach to the topics in question. Hence Lesson 1 is called THiNK skilfully and Lesson 2 is called British Life and Culture.
LESSON 1
We are using ‘THiNK’ from Cambridge University Press for our main syllabus. “Whether inside or outside the classroom, THiNK goes beyond building strong language skills to developing the whole learner–with an emphasis on critical thinking, positive values, and healthy self-esteem–ensuring academic and lifelong success.”
The syllabus should be thought of as a series of can-do statements. These are the can-do statements from the textbook and reflect what is covered in the unit. The full list provided is a ready-made framework for teachers to use. At the end of each week the students are given a list of the section of the syllabus they have completed.
LESSON 2
At CCL we divide our three-hour teaching blocks into two halves – in the first half we focus more on new language, we have language games and productive activities to practise this language. In the second half we have British life and culture sessions and prepare for social activities and trips.
British life & culture (BL&C): a Cambridge perspective:
Every summer CCL takes time travel to former times in Britain. Each two-week block has a different daily cultural theme on British history, and each morning we travel to a different year and an important cultural experience.The time travel theme is reflected in class in your BL&C sessions (lesson 2) and forms part of our fortnightly class assembly shows.
Social Program
-
Social Activities
Students are encouraged to take full advantage of the rich variety of social, cultural and sporting activities offered by CCL.
The course programme includes approximately 3 hours of activities each day including sports, Arts & Crafts as well as visit to local attractions. We also offer enrichment activities such as public speaking, debating & critical thinking.
-
Excursions
Additionally, full-day excursions to important locations such as London, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Oxford and Brighton are arranged during weekends throughout the course period.
We ensure our activities are educational and enjoyable for our students, as well as giving them opportunities to interact, practising their English
Project Hour
Residential students will partake in our project hour between 17:00 and 18:00 each day working on a variety of projects.
Examples include, charity evenings and shows at the school.
Students work together with the residential manager to work on a variety of ideas and concepts.
Homestay Accomodation
Homestay accommodation normally consists of single or shared twin rooms in host family homes in Cambridge.
Host families provide breakfast and dinner every day, while hot lunches for our summer courses are provided at St Mary’s. Host families also supply packed lunches on excursion days. CCL prides itself on selecting reliable homestay providers and on providing excellent pastoral care.
Our Accommodation Team meets students and host families regularly to discuss any issues they may have during their stay in Cambridge. We get regular feedback from students and monitor our homestay families to make sure your visit is trouble-free.
Cambridge
The city is home to Cambridge University, widely acknowledged as a centre of global importance in education and learning. It has some world-famous landmarks including King’s College Chapel and the Botanic Gardens.
It is easy to get around in Cambridge and it is less than an hour by train from London, 30 minutes from Stansted Airport and around 90 minutes from the other major London airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick.
In the summer, the city is alive with visitors from all over the world and this is a particularly good time to visit and enjoy the traditional pursuit of punting on the River Cam.
Cambridge is clean, vibrant and safe and all major attractions are within walking distance from the school. We are sure you will enjoy spending time in this beautiful and green city, which is a popular place to study.
Course Dates & Fees
Homestay
Cambridge 1 - Homestay Accommodation - 7 July – 21 July 2024 (2 weeks) - £2,300
Cambridge 2 - Homestay Accommodation - 7 July – 28 July 2024 (3 weeks) - £3,450
Cambridge 3 - Homestay Accommodation - 7 July – 4 August 2024 (4 weeks) - £4,600
Cambridge 4 - Homestay Accommodation - 21 July – 4 August 2024 (2 weeks) - £2,300
Cambridge 5 - Homestay Accommodation - 21 July – 18 August 2024 (4 weeks) - £4,600
Cambridge 6 - Homestay Accommodation - 28 July – 18 August 2024 (3 weeks) - £3,450
Cambridge 7 - Homestay Accommodation - 4 August – 18 August 2024 (2 weeks) - £2,300
Cambridge 8 - Homestay Accommodation - 7 July – 18 August 2024 (6 weeks) - £6,900
Residential
Cambridge 1R - Residential Accommodation - 7 July – 21 July 2024 (2 weeks) - £2,895
Cambridge 2R - Residential Accommodation - 7 July – 28 July 2024 (3 weeks) - £4,345
Cambridge 3R - Residential Accommodation - 7 July – 4 August 2024 (4 weeks) - £5,790
Cambridge 4R - Residential Accommodation - 21 July – 4 August 2024 (2 weeks) - £2,895
Cambridge 5R - Residential Accommodation - 21 July – 18 August 2024 (4 weeks) - £5,790
Cambridge 6R - Residential Accommodation - 28 July – 18 August 2024 (3 weeks) - £4,345
Cambridge 7R - Residential Accommodation - 4 August – 18 August 2024 (2 weeks) - £2,895
Cambridge 8R - Residential Accommodation - 7 July – 18 August 2024 (6 weeks) - £8,685
FAQs
-
Course fees include 15 hours of tuition per week alternating between morning and afternoon lessons, morning or afternoon activities on four week days and three evenings, one full day excursion each week, airport transfers on the specified course dates to and from London airports, shared homestay accommodation, all meals (packed lunch for excursions), use of course material and end-of-course report and certificate.
The fees do NOT include pocket money, local bus fare (if applicable), bank/credit card charges, enrolment fee of £100, damage fund of £200, and airport transport on days other than those advertised as our course dates.
Students can also choose to go on extra trips at additional cost. This is normally charged at £45.00 per person per trip to include coach and entrance.
-
A genuinely educational experience – all lessons, activities and visits have a linguistic and cultural purpose, as well as being enjoyable.
UK teenagers act as Teaching Assistants enabling students to meet local young people of a similar age.
The maximum class size is 16.
Students are tested before being placed in classes with students of a similar language level. Placement is kept under review, ensuring that each student is in the most appropriate group.
The latest Cambridge University Press course books are used for each level, together with specially selected materials relevant to the age and interests of the students.
Attention is paid to accuracy as well as fluency, and help is offered when grammatical difficulties arise.
Classroom activities such as role-plays, simulations and language games give students practice in communicative language skills.
Language connected to excursions is introduced and followed up in the classroom.
Students take home a work file as a permanent record of course achievement.
An Attendance Certificate and a detailed record of achievement are provided for all students on course completion.
Courses of 2 to 6 weeks’ duration
Age limits are closely followed. There may be exceptional circumstances when a student outside the age range is allowed to join the course if the school is sure their presence will not adversely affect the course and that proper safeguarding procedures are in place
-
Please check the Enrol section of the website to fill the enrolment form online and pay the deposit.
Alternatively, to reserve a place on a course please send the enrolment form together with your Banker’s Advice form showing that your deposit of £200 and enrollment fee of £100, totalling £300, has been transferred to the Centre’s bank account. The official Certificate of Acceptance cannot be issued before the deposit is received by the Cambridge Centre for Languages. For bank transfer, our account details are: Account No: 50112453, Sort code: 20-17-35, Barclays Bank, 28 Chesterton Road, Cambridge CB4 3AZ, England. IBAN NUMBER: GB47BARC20173550112453; SWIFTCODE: BARCGB22, reference: student`s name.
The deposit and enrolment fee can also be paid by credit card (please see “Section Four” on the enrolment form).
The balance of fees is due, at the latest, 4 weeks before the course begins, and can be paid in the same way as the deposit. Please note that for all payments made by bank transfer, ALL international banking fees must be pre-paid.
Failure to comply with the registration formalities and payment terms may result in the enrolment being cancelled.
Payments may not be made in instalments.
The Cambridge Centre for Languages reserves the right to decline an application for a course.
By registering a student on our course, parents/guardian/agents give the Cambridge Centre for Languages permission to include the student in the course photographs we take or films we make to be used for promotional purposes.
-
We regret that no reduction of fees can be made if a student begins the course late or leaves early.
In case of cancellation we will refund all course fees and the deposit only if cancellation is received in writing within 14 days of the booking being made. Please note accommodation fees are exempt from the cancellation policy.
If a student of a country for which there is a visa requirement to enter the U.K. is refused by the British authorities (British Consulate or visa section of a British Embassy) to have this visa, and a copy of the official visa refusal letter is sent to the Cambridge Centre for Languages four weeks before the course starts, at the latest, all monies received from the student will be refunded. If, however, the refusal letter reaches the Cambridge Centre for Languages within the last four week period before the start of our summer course, only course fees less the deposit will be refunded. To avoid this situation, students are advised to complete registration formalities and visa applications well in advance of the course starting date.
Within four weeks before the course starts, refunds of course fees (less the deposit) will be made if the student is taken seriously ill and cannot attend the course and this fact is verified by a medical/hospital report.
The Cambridge Centre for Languages aspires to offer the students a study environment as internationally mixed as possible. If, however, enrolments are received for a course in such a way that it puts one particular nationality in a substantial majority, the parents/guardian/agents of the students will be informed of this situation before the course starts and if they decide to cancel the course as a result of this, all monies (less the deposit) will be refunded.
A damage fund of £200 is collected from the student on arrival and returned to him or her at the end of the course, less the amount needed to cover any loss, breakage, and/or damage the student causes either at school or homestay or outside during trips or activities.
A student who fails to observe the rules of the Centre or brings it into disrepute may be required to leave, in which case a refund of fees will not be made.
We will immediately inform the parents/guardian/agents if a student has a poor school attendance or punctuality record, or does not have a good reason for not being at his homestay by the prescribed time after lessons/daily activities. If there is no improvement in these areas, we reserve the right to ask a student to leave the programme, in which case a refund of fees will not be made.
-
The Cambridge Centre for Languages reserves the right to change students` homestay arrangements or make amendments in the social programme, if circumstances dictate it.
-
Students are advised to insure in their own country against illness, accident and loss of money or property. The Centre accepts no responsibility for loss, damage or expense resulting from these causes.
