13-16 year olds, girls and boys (English level: Intermediate to Advanced)
Oxford Young Professionals is an academic enrichment programme offering forward-thinking students an insight into different future career paths. The course combines professional skills tuition with a choice of vocational disciplines, integrating language, specialist tuition and cultural learning, to provide an opportunity for young professionals to discover their potential career options.
The programme consists of 25 hours of career experience tuition per week delivered by subject specialists, which includes 9 hours subject theory, 6 hours subject practicals, 7 hours group project work, and 3 hour elective workshop. Two full-day excursions are also provided each week, including one ‘Study-in-Action’ day related to a student’s chosen specialism, enabling students to put classroom learning into practice and bring learning to life.
Students’ English and ability level are assessed on the first day of the course, by which they will be placed in classes with students of similar age and ability, to make sure that the students are in a group most suited to their ability level. In addition, students will develop essential communication skills through academic subject themed approach, learn key vocabulary relevant to modern life and develop language skills through active learning, as well as apply the linguistic skills learned in the classroom in the weekly workshops.
Course Essentials:
Oxford Young Professionals summer programme consists of a well-balanced programme of specialist tuitions, workshops, activities, sports and excursions. The weekly programme includes:
- 25 hours of tuition each week to vocational subjects, combined with English tuition
- Full afternoon and evening sports and action packed social programme
- 2 full-day excursions per week including 1 ‘Study-in-Action’ day of chosen specialism
- Personalised report card & certificate
- Maximum class size of 11 students
- Staff to student ratio is 1:7
- Insurance
- Airport transfers (Heathrow & Gatwick airports between 10:00-20:00 GMT)
Subject Choices:
Oxford Young Professionals can choose one of the following five subjects to explore:
- Business & Management
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- International Relations & Politics
- Medicine
Social Programme:
Outside tuition, students will improve language skills through a broad range of sports and social activities:
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Cream Tea
- Disco Dodgeball
- Dream Catcher Making
- Fencing
- Football
- Handball
- Harry Potter Walking Tour
- Hockey
- Ice-Skating
- Karaoke
- Lacrosse
- Modern Dance
- New Theatre Backstage Visit
- Oxford University Colleges Tour
- Oxford University Press Museum
- Papier-Mache
- Photography
- Ashmolean & Pitt Rivers Museum
- Punting
- River Walk
- Swimming
- Talent Show
- Tennis
- T-Shirt Painting
- Volleyball
- Yoga
- Zumba
Excursions:
Excursions are a vital part of the summer experience for international students to gain a cultural understanding of the UK alongside English language study. Students will have 2 full-day trips per week. The choices are:
- Buckingham Palace
- Houses of Parliament
- West End Musical
- BBC
- Warner Bros Studios
- Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
- West End theatres
- Bath
- Bristol
- Portsmouth
- Stratford-Upon-Avon
The following is a typical weekly sample timetable of Oxford Young Professionals.
Boarding:
Located just to the north of Oxford city-centre, the summer school takes place in d’Overbroeck’s’ new sixth form centre, completed in September 2017. Students will stay in three of d’Overbroeck’s boarding houses, the accommodation consists of single, twin and 3-bed dorms with separate male and female, and shared bathrooms.
Meals:
Well balanced, nutritious three cooked meals are provided in the school dining hall. Drinks and biscuits are available in the lesson breaks. Packed lunches are provided for excursions.
Laundry:
Laundry is done once a week. All bed linen is provided and is laundered once a week. Towels are not provided.
d’Overbroeck’s is a traditional co-educational independent school in the city of Oxford, for pupils aged 11–18. Founded in 1977, d’Overbroeck’s is consistently ranked among the top co-educational boarding schools in the UK. The Good Schools Guide describes d’Overbroeck’s as a place of energy and laughter, of single-minded determination among pupils to do the best they can. And d’Overbroeck’s doesn’t let them down.
d’Overbroeck’s – a highly successful and well respected British independent school in Oxford. Academic excellence is at the heart of what the school aims to achieve. They aim to provide a broad education that will stretch and develop the whole person. And they aim to ensure that their teaching is – to borrow the words of their inspection report – ‘finely tuned to the specific requirements of individuals’. They believe in flexibility and in the power of laughter and humanity. And they believe that students who are happy and at ease in their school environment, who are working in league with a team of highly gifted, committed and enthusiastic teachers, are going to achieve and grow to their full potential, academically and personally – and that they are going to develop skills, attitudes and aptitudes that will stand them in very good stead in later life.
Alongside the academic curriculum, a varied and vibrant programme of co-curricular activities opens up all sorts of opportunities for students throughout the age range. All the staples are there – sport, music, drama, Art, D of E, etc. – and there are some quite unusual things on offer besides.
The school’s Sixth Form is the oldest part of d’Overbroeck’s. Unlike many independent schools, d’Overbroeck’s Sixth Form is on a separate site, meaning that its facilities and teaching are entirely geared towards sixth form students. The new sixth form centre, completed in September 2017, boasts state-of-the art and modern facilities. The Sixth Form is selective, and entry requires at least 8 GCSEs at grade A* to C, normally including Maths and English, or equivalent. A number of Sixth Form scholarships and awards are available.
A level results achieved by students at d’Overbroeck’s Sixth Form are consistently strong. In the academic year 2009-10, the Sixth Form achieved a contextual value added score of 1,102. This was the highest score achieved by any school nationwide. In 2017, 63% of grades were A/A*, of which 46% of the students achieved 3 or more A* or A grades. The Grades A* to B were 87%, ranking d’Overbroeck’s 27th in the Times A-Level results league table. In 2022 A-Level results, 66% of their students achieved A*-A, and 87% of all entries achieved A*-B , which lead to many of their students gained places at a number of excellent universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and universities in the Russell Group.
Pastoral care and academic monitoring at the Sixth Form are carried out by a system of Directors of Studies. Each pupil is supervised by a Director of Studies — one of a team of senior staff. Each Director of Studies supervises a small number of pupils for whom they have pastoral and academic responsibility. In many cases a pupil will also be taught by their Director of Studies.
