13-16 year olds, girls and boys (English level: Intermediate B1 to Advanced)
The Academic Summer Boarding Courses at Headington School in Oxford offer international students an exceptional opportunity to live and study in this renowned independent school. The programme is designed to inspire young professionals through combining academic studies with professional experiences to develop key knowledge and skills for their future career prospects.
Lessons integrate theory and practice, combining classroom instructions and practical workshops with industry experience visits. Students are encouraged to discover their career passions through a series of engaging and challenging academic seminars, lectures and workshops, where students are required to take the initiative, think critically and to cooperate with others to solve problems, simulating what we do every day in a work environment.
Students will also gain direct industry experience from industry-leading professionals to develop the skills and attitudes needed beyond the classroom. Each week all students will take part in a group presentation project of Time to Shine, to cultivate their confidence, research, collaboration, presentation and public speaking skills.
Students can choose one specialist subject to study over a two-week course programme when applying the course. Students can choose different subject if they stay for four weeks. Available subjects are:
- Future Business Leaders
- Future Doctors
- Future Engineers
- Future Global Leaders
The comprehensive syllabus is combined with fun activity programme and cultural excursions, where students are encouraged to exchange ideas, collaborate, show initiative and improve their confidence whilst having fun.
Course Essentials:
Oxford Headington Academic Summer Boarding Courses consist of a well-balanced academic programme of course tuition, multi-activities, sports and excursions. It includes:
- 30 hours of academic tuition over two weeks
- 3 full-day excursions over two weeks
- Full social and activity programmes outside classrooms
- Maximum class size is 15, and the average class size is around 12.
- Comprehensive travel insurance
- Return London Heathrow airport transfers are NOT included in the course fees. £130 one-way supplement charge if required.
Subject Outlines:
Social Programme:
Outside classroom, students will improve language skills and learn new skills through an action packed social programme with a wide range of sporting, cultural and entertaining activities, such as:
- Arts & Crafts
- Zorbing
- Combat Archery
- Pedal Karts
- Basketball
- Football
- Circus Skills
- Climbing wall
- Discos
- Fashion Shows
- Film Evenings
- Inflatables
- Quiz Nights
- Karaoke
- Music & Dance
- Roller Disco
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Talent Show
- Tennis
- Treasure Hunt
- Sports Tournaments
- Secret Cinema
- Staff Safari
- Silly Olympics
There are also three optional English Plus electives run by professional instructors, which students can choose one each week, at an additional cost. Each weekly course is six hours in total, replacing the Multi-Activity Programme on two days per week.
- Dance (£150 per week): open to students of all levels who want to have fun, learn new moves with like-minded individuals.
- Adventure Sports (£275 per week): off-site activities such as Bushcraft, High Ropes, Archery, Mountain Biking and Paint Balling.
- Art (£150 per week): bespoke Art course which combines elements of Art, Craft and Design.
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 3 days excursions over two-week course to experience the rich cultural heritage of Britain. The choices include:
- Buckingham Palace
- The Shard
- London Eye
- London Dungeons
- Oxford
- River Thames Punting
- Thorpe park
- Windsor Castle
- Warwick Castle
- Bristol
- Bath
- Brighton
- Cambridge
- Winchester Castle
- Adventure Barn
- Marwell Zoo
- Eastleigh
- Southampton
- Waterpark trip
The followings include a typical two-week timetable and a typical day of Oxford Headington Academic Summer Boarding Courses, which is subject to change. Students will receive a detailed timetable on their arrival.
Boarding:
Students will stay in purpose-built school boarding houses, made up of comfortable single, twin and small-dorm bedrooms with shared bathrooms and spacious common rooms. Girls and boys are accommodated separately.
Students will be roomed with someone of a similar age, but different native language. However, we will do our best to meet any specific accommodation requests (e.g. sharing a room with a friend). We require early notification from parents for special arrangement.
The friendly and supportive house parents and residential staff team are available 24 hours per day to support students.
Meals:
Well balanced, nutritious cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided in the beautiful dining hall. Water and drinks are provided with meals.
Packed lunches are provided for excursions.
Facilities:
The school boasts a wide range of impressive facilities including the professional 200-seat theatre, indoor swimming pool, tennis courts and sports pitches. Headington Oxford facilities accommodate a wide range of skills and interests.
The boarding houses have well equipped games rooms that are very popular with children throughout the day. Each House also has TV room where students can watch TV.
Laundry:
Laundry is done once a week. All bed linen is provided and is laundered once a week. Towels are not provided.
Headington School is an academically selective, day and boarding school for girls aged 3-18 in Oxford, established in 1915 by a group of evangelical Christians to provide education for girls after the World War II. Headington School is consistently ranked within the UK’s top 50, and year on year the School’s academic results speak for themselves. Their true strength lies in a commitment to meeting the needs of each individual pupil, encouraging each girl to discover and explore her own strengths and interests. Whatever your.
Located in a picturesque suburb and spanning 23 acres, the school is just less than two miles from Oxford city centre, with its Dreaming Spires on doorstep, a truly inspirational setting, with countless writers, Prime Ministers, international leaders, Nobel Prize winners and Olympic medal winners boasting an Oxford education.
A multimillion pound building project, completed in 2013, provided girls with a new atrium, gym, performance space, specialist art and design technology facilities, kitchens and dining room along with improvements to our music facilities. The girls also benefit from fantastic facilities including the professional 200-seat Theatre, indoor swimming pool, tennis courts and sports pitches.
Headington is a selective, academically challenging school where girls achieve results which send them to Oxbridge, Russell Group universities and prestigious academic institutions all over the world. They take girls from the top five percent and select them from a broad range of ability based on potential and the ability to access a fast-paced curriculum.
The school is proud to offer academic excellence, consistently ranked in the top 100 UK schools in terms of exam results, and first-class specialist teaching at all levels. In 2022 examinations, at A Level, the girls achieved 72% A*/A and 89% A*/B in 2022, with 100% of A* to A achieved in Computer Science, Dance, French and Latin. At GCSE, 90% of 7s or above were achieved in Art, Drama. German, Greek, History, Latin, Further Maths and Music, and 83.2% of 9-7 (A*-A).
