12 – 14 year olds, girls and boys (English level: B1/Intermediate to Advanced)
GCSE Summer Study Program is designed for students who want to prepare for GCSE studies or revise for their GCSEs or a pre-IB programme. It’s ideal for international students who want to taste the variety of subjects offered in the British education system.
Students will study 30 hours a week including four 75-minute lessons Monday-Friday with lectures, workshops, assemblies, educational visits and tutor time. The course is based on the broad curriculum of the IGCSE/GCSE programme and covers a wide range of Academic subjects appropriate to the ages and study stages of the students in the group. The programme also includes 20-hour of Be a Leader programme spreading across the 2-week course. This is a CPD accredited qualification to help students develop critical thinking, communication, negotiation, problem-solving and presentation skills. Students will engage in team projects that link to the afternoon trips and elective activities. At the end of the programme, students will present your project for the rest of the camp to enjoy.
The course fully integrates English language learning and academic subject study through European ground-breaking teaching method – Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), an approach for learning content through a foreign language (English), thus teaching both the subject and the language. Taught by qualified subject teachers and is supported by EFL (English as a Foreign Language), the lessons integrate theory and practice, combining classroom instructions and practical workshops and experiments in the laboratories. Students will be introduced to the principles of Theory of Knowledge, and are encouraged to think like Mathematicians, Linguists, Economists, Historians and Scientists and develop a love for their subjects. They will also develop IT skills, research and study skills, language skills, and learn how to deliver effective presentations, laying good foundations for successful future learning.
In the afternoons and during the weekends students will enjoy a full structured social and leisure programme, cultural visits and trips to complement the academic programme, and to encourage social interaction in English.
GCSE Summer Study Program takes place at two top British boarding schools. The DLD College in central London overlooks Houses of Parliament and the River Thames; whereas Sidcot School in Bristol is located in beautiful countryside with outstanding natural beauty.
Course essentials:
GCSE Summer Study Program consists of a well-balanced programme of academic tuitions, activities, sports and excursions. The weekly programme includes:
- 30 hours of GCSE academic tuition per week (27 hours in London)
- 20 hours of Be a Leader programme (CPD accredited)
- Lectures, workshops, laboratory experiments, educational visits and Personal Best tutor time
- Afternoon, evening and weekend sports and social programme
- 2 full days and 1 half-day trips and excursions per week
- Maximum class size of 15 students (typically 12 students per class)
- Insurance
- London Heathrow airport transfers (between 09:00 and 17:00 on arrival day and 09:00 and 17:00 on departure day)
Tutorial Subjects:
Students will have opportunities to further develop knowledge of the following GCSE school subjects through the medium of communicative English.
- English
- Maths
- Sciences
- Art
- Business Studies
- Design and Technology
- Geography
- History
- ICT
- Literature
- Philosophy
- Social Studies
Sample Schedule:
The following is the sample timetable of a typical two-week GCSE Summer Study Program:
British Education encourages students to be involved in artistic pursuits, sports and community service work in order to fostering students awareness and appreciation of life outside the academic arena. The social programme of the course is designed to incorporate aspects of the Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) strand of the IB Diploma.
- Creativity includes a wide range of arts activities. Students will be able to participate in digital media, textiles, drama, bracelet making, cooking, model making, art competitions, circus skills, quizzes and photography.
- Action includes participation in individual and team sports, including football, cricket, volleyball, basketball, badminton, tennis, paint-balling, archery, fencing, swimming, hiking, orienteering, canoeing, water zorbing, sports competition, driving, survival skills and abseiling.
- Service encompasses community and social service activities. Students could be involved in helping to organise fun charity events to raise money. For these events students worked as a team and developed leadership and organisational skills.
In addition, excursions are a vital part of the summer experience for international students to gain a cultural understanding of the UK alongside academic study. Students will have 2 fully day and 1 half day excursion each week to experience the rich cultural heritage of Britain. The followings are structured four-week leisure programmes including sports, evening activities and weekend trips across three course centres.
London venue typical activities:
Sidcot School typical activites:
Boarding:
[Sidcot School]
Students stay in Sidcot School boarding houses with single and double rooms. Girls and boys are accommodated in separate boarding houses which are close to both the classrooms and dining room. A team of friendly staff will stay with the students to look after them in the evenings and is on duty throughout the night. The Sidcot School nurse is also on call twenty-four hours a day.
[DLD College, London]
Students stay in single and twin en-suite bedrooms of DLD College Boarding House located directly above our college premises. Girls and boys are accommodated separately in different floors. A team of friendly staff will stay with the students to look after them in the evenings and is on duty throughout the night.
Meals:
Well balanced, nutritious three cooked meals a day are provided in the college refectory. Packed lunches are provided for excursions.Facilities:
[Sidcot School]
Excellent sports facilities including a swimming pool, good IT facilities and wireless access throughout the campus, a library, a new creative arts block with extensive drama, art and music facilities. There are students’ lounges, kitchens and laundry facilities in the accommodation.
[DLD College, London]
The College has modern classrooms, sports facilities, theatre, music rooms and art studios, graphic suite and learning centre all equipped with state of the art technology. Separate laboratories for Biology, Chemistry and Physics equipped with interactive touch screens. Common rooms are located on each floor of the boarding house and contain a kitchenette where boarders can store and prepare their own drinks and snacks, comfortable seating, and a large table and chairs for group studying.
Laundry:
Laundry is done once a week. All bed linen is provided and is laundered once a week. Towels are not provided.Sidcot School at Bristol is a British independent day and boarding school for boys and girls aged 3 – 18 established in 1699. It is one of seven Quaker schools in England.
The School is situated in glorious Somerset countryside, the south-west of England. On the edge of the village of Winscombe, Sidcot benefits from being situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty whilst being within easy access of the two major cultural centres or Bristol and Bath. The coast at Weston-super-Mare is 8 miles away.
Students are encouraged to be outward looking and adventurous, to participate fully in the life of the school and to be of service to the community. The focus is put on finding the best in everyone. With the belief that there is ‘that of God’ in every person, the Quaker philosophy to education aims to ensure that:
- Every learner is approached with optimism
- Individuals are encouraged to believe in their own ‘immense potential’
- Learning happens most creatively when relationships are based on mutual respect
- Methods of discipline are based on trust, mutual support and a desire to promote the positive
- Responsibility is encouraged, as is questioning, exploration, honesty and openness.
Sidcot School is always pride of offering a range of extra-curricular activities with excitement, diversity, challenge and rigour within a safe and supportive framework. ‘PASS’ (Programme of Activities for Sidcot School) is a very special co-curricular initiative based on key values of integrity, stewardship, self-reflection, adventure and community. A range of exciting activities are embedded at the heart of the curriculum and are focused on bringing these values to life. Every Year Group will be involved in a unique and tailored range of activities every Wednesday afternoon throughout the year.
The DLD College London is an independent sixth form college situated in the heart of London, directly opposite Westminster and Big Ben. The College, founded in 1931, offers superb, modern teaching facilities in the heart of London overlooking The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben & the River Thames.
As one of the oldest and most prestigious colleges in the UK, DLD College specialises in preparing students for GCSE, A Level and International Foundation Programmes. Its reputation is built on success in public examinations and the quality of its small group teaching. It aims to maintain a ‘gold standard’ of educational quality, with small classes, the students and teachers are able to focus upon the most effective ways of learning.
The large sixth form enables the College to offer a wide range of subjects, supported by a strong pastoral system and high quality higher education and careers advice. Because of the intense competition for places at very top universities, especially Oxford or Cambridge, the College offer students’ extensive support to take additional exams and wider programmes, such as Oxbridge Entrance Programme and Medicine and Dentistry Programme, designed to help those aiming for the very highest level.
DLD students have won gold, silver and bronze awards in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry Olympiads in recent years. In the 2011-2012 series of Mathematics Olympiads, Abbey DLD students gained an astonishing 9 gold medals. The College also encourage those most gifted and motivated students to work towards the Advanced Extension Award, which are a useful additional qualification when applying for the most prestigious universities. In addition, in light of the most competitive universities increasingly use additional tests to select their students, DLD also offer a programme to teach students individually and in small groups for these examinations, including Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA), Sixth Term Examination Papers (STEP) and the Bio-Medical Admissions Test (BMAT). Students can also benefit from some excellence programmes such as Critical Thinking, Medical Careers Seminars.
