London Digital Champions Summer Courses

14 – 17 year olds
Minimum English Level: Upper Intermediate B2

Whitgift School is one of the best IB Schools in the world in terms of its results, with an average points score of 39/45 in 2023. London Digital Champions Summer Courses are exclusively designed and delivered by Whitgift staff for students eager to navigate the digital world. 

With three weeks of study, each focusing on a distinct element and taught by a Whitgift Teacher with expert knowledge in that field, students will cover AI & Ethics, Computer Science and Critical Thinking. Students will be hands on with the tools needed to thrive both in and out of the classroom.

Created by Whitgift’s Head of Digital Learning, the course encourages students not only to experiment with AI tools but also to reflect critically on how and why they use them. Through a dynamic mix of engaging lessons, interactive activities, and collaborative projects, students will explore a wide range of topics, from platform evaluation and coding basics to chatbot creation, revision strategies, and even designing a future school powered by AI.

At a time when many schools are choosing to ban or ignore emerging technologies, Whitgift is taking a bold and forward-thinking approach. We believe in preparing young people to use these tools safely, ethically, and effectively. This course provides a supportive environment where students can explore the possibilities of AI and digital innovation with confidence.

And while technology is at the heart of the course, it remains a language programme. Students will expand their vocabulary around digital topics, develop their writing and debating skills, and create presentations to share their ideas. By the end of the course, they’ll not only be more digitally literate but also more articulate, thoughtful, and prepared for the future.

Students receive 23 hours of teaching per week, which combines morning academic lessons with afternoon academies/activities Students are expected to work as collaboratively as possible, through group projects and in-class discussions.

The comprehensive syllabus is combined with a wide variety of specialist Academies and Multi-Activity Programme as well as cultural excursions. Interacting with English native speakers greatly accelerates the English learning process, makes it more meaningful and leads to potentially long-lasting friendships.

• Programme
• Timetable
• Accommodation
• School Profile

• Course Essentials:

  Summer Courses consist of a well-balanced programme of academic tuition, activities, sports and excursions. The weekly programme includes:

  • 23 teaching hours per week
  • Progressive Skills in Action lessons in the afternoon
  • Interaction with local English student hosts
  • Specialist Academies and Multi-Activity options per week
  • Full afternoon, evening and weekend activity programme
  • 2 excursions per week including entry to attractions
  • Staff-to-student ratio of approx. 1:5
  • Maximum class size of 12 students
  • Insurance
  • Airport transfers (between 09:00-18:00 GMT)

  Activities:

  Outside the classroom, students improve language skills through a broad range of Sports and Creative Activities, carefully organised in a two-week rolling programme. The Academies and Activities in weeks 1/3/5 differ to weeks 2/4/6. The Multi-Activity Course enables students to try out two different activities every week.

   

  

  In addition, there is a wide variety of evening and weekend activities, for example: Talent Shows, Discos, Karaoke Evenings, Fun & Games, Quiz Competitions, Cinema Trips, Bowling, etc.

  Excursions:

  Excursions are a vital part of the summer experience for international students to gain a cultural understanding of the UK. Students will have one half-day (Wednesday) and one full-day (Saturday) excursion each week. When there are no airport transfer days, we run an extra Sunday excursion to a large shopping centre. The possible choices are:

  • London Eye and Cruise along the River Thames
  • Historical and movie themed walking tours in Central London (Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Southbank)
  • London Dungeons
  • Thorpe Park
  • Chessington World of Adventures
  • Windsor
  • London Athletics Meet at Queen Elizabeth Stadium
  • Outdoor activity centre (High ropes, buggy building, caving)

• Below is a typical two-week sample programme and a typical day of London Digital Champions Summer Courses.

  

  

• Boarding:
  Students will stay in a new, state-of-the-art boarding house, all rooms with en-suite bathroom. The boarding house is situated overlooking the Water Gardens, which are home to exotic species such as flamingos and wallabies.

  Girls and boys are accommodated separately. The staff members are staying in the same boarding house with the students, looking after them in the evenings and are on duty throughout the night.

  Meals:
  Three freshly-cooked meals are provided a day with snacks in the afternoon. There is a menu of food choices, and we cater for different dietary requirements. Packed lunches are provided for excursions.

  Facilities:
  Outstanding sports facilities with modern, indoor Sports and Conference Centre, a 25-metre, variable-depth swimming pool, a fitness suite, a sports hall, and four glass-backed squash courts; TVs & common areas in boarding houses. Email and internet access is available, enabling our students to stay in touch with their families.

  Laundry:
  Laundry is done once a week. All bed linen is provided and is laundered once a week. Towels are not provided.

• Whitgift School is an outstanding British independent school, currently educating approximately 1,500 boys aged 10 to 18. Whitgift School has a long and fascinating history. It’s founded in 1596, renowned for its first-class education, and a commitment to achieving the highest standard. The motto of Whitgift School is Vincit qui patitur (“He who perseveres, conquers”).

  Whitgift is friendly, challenging and inclusive. Situated in 18 ha of beautiful parkland in South London, it has some of the finest facilities of any school in the UK. Successive inspections have ranked Whitgift amongst Britain’s finest schools.

  Whitgift has a strong academic achievement. In 2022, 68.2% of all A-Level grades awarded were A*/A (or Pre-U equivalent) and nearly 30% of all grades were A*, which ranks Whitgift No.62 at Independent School ranking. And at GCSE, 91.5% of all grades awarded were at 7, 8 or 9 (equivalent to the old A/A*). Nearly 50% of grades awarded were a 9. The remarkable exam results put Whitgift at No.22 according to Independent Schools Council examination results. This leads to exceptional success in gaining places at top universities, mostly at Russell Group universities.

  Whitgift School is considered one of the best IB school in the world. In 2021, Whitgift was placed 10th in the world and best all-boys UK school for its International Baccalaureate (IB) results, and in 2022, 24 Whitgift candidates for the IB achieved an average of 41.6 points out of 45 and three-quarters of the students gained 40 or more points, with three pupils achieving the maximum 45/45, which ranked Whitgift top 7 in the UK and top 18 among global top IB schools. In 2023, 100% pass rate for IB students, 50 candidates achieved an average of 39 points out of a maximum of 45, and 21 candidates gained 40 or more points with 3 scoring 44 out of 45.

  While Whitgift School has one of the finest academic results in the country, it also affords substantial importance to co-curricular activities within the school life. This is reflected in the sporting facilities as well as an array of musical activities. Just as Sir David Frederick Attenborough, biologist and BBC Blue Planet presenter, made the remark – “You have an astonishing school. I have never seen anything like it. Perhaps you know this, perhaps you don’t, but take it from me, you have an amazing school.”