8 – 17 year olds, girls only (English level: Elementary to Advanced)
Heathfield School Summer English Courses are the only British Council accredited all-girls English Language courses in England, offered at all girls’ boarding school – Heathfield School in Ascot, which has educated many daughters of the world’s royal families.
Heathfield School Summer English Courses are carefully designed for girls who want to learn and improve their English. Girls enjoy a well-balanced programme which comprises 20 English lessons (15 hours’ tuition) per week with themed, enjoyable and engaging project classes, three weekly excursions and an exciting range of specialist Academies and activities. The course contents and activities and events are designed to best serve girls interest, including fun-packed and educational social programme through a range of activities, balancing creative, cultural, artistic and sporting options. The girls from around the world will meet native English speakers students for joint activities and excursions.
Students are given an English level assessment on the first morning to make sure they are placed in the right class to really enjoy and learn as much as possible. They will be taught by highly trained and experienced EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers. The course syllabus covers essential English language skills with particular emphasis on speaking, listening and pronunciation. Project based work is focused on developing various aspects of speaking sub-skills as well as areas such as creative and critical thinking. Students work in a team to create or develop products and presentations, conduct and participate in interviews, undertake and report on surveys.
For girls aged 14+ with B1 intermediate level of English can choose to attend one-week English Enrichment class with an extra course fee. The course is aimed at furthering girls’ knowledge with a global perspective, which includes workshops, talks, guest speakers, Team building games and Mindfulness sessions (including Reflexology and Yoga).
Course details
Heathfield School Summer English Courses consist of a well-balanced programme of English tuition, activities, sports and excursions. It includes:
- Girls only summer school environment
- 15 hours of core English language tuition per week
- 24 hours conversational English – including during debates, set projects and cultural forums
- 12 hours of specialist training Academies
- Three weekly trips: one full-day and one half-day excursion plus one evening or late afternoon trip.
- Full afternoon and evening activity programme on non-excursion days
- Mixing with British girls in social activities
- Staff to student ratio is 1:6
- Maximum class size is 16, and the average class size is around 12
- Insurance
- Heathrow Airport transfers are NOT included, each transfer costs £70 if required.
Activities:
Outside the classroom, girls will improve language skills through Creative, Sporting and Academic Academies and the extensive entertaining activities.
Academies offer girls the opportunity to focus on specific or varied disciplines, for the majority on 3 afternoons each week. In addition, girls will improve language skills through a broad range of sporting, cultural and entertaining activities in the evenings, such as art, crafts, photography, drama, music, floristry, hair and beauty and a whole range of field, water and racquet sports.
Excursions:
Heathfield School Summer English Courses offer students 3 trips each week with a wide range of interesting and enjoyable places to experience the rich cultural heritage of Britain. The trips include:
- Aqua Park– week 1
- Coral Reef – week 1
- Portsmouth – week 1
- Windsor – week 2
- London Thames River Cruise and Sightseeing – week 2
- 10 Pin Bowling – week 2
- Harry Potter Studio Tour – week 3
- Brighton – week 3
- Coral Reef – week 3
- Hampton Court Palace – week 4
- Oxford – week 4
- Local Cinema – week 4
- Chessington World of Adventures – week 5 (Juniors)
- Thorpe Park – week 5 (Seniors)
- London St Paul’s Cathedral and Sightseeing – week 5
- Coral Reef – week 5
The sample timetable below is a typical summer English course programme at Heathfield School.
Boarding:
Girls are accommodated in attractive single rooms and there are shared rooms for younger girls. All rooms have wash basins and there are plenty of bathrooms and shower rooms nearby. Staff and student assistants sleep in rooms located nearby.
To help girls settle in and make friends, they will be assigned to a House – a group of girls of different nationalities and ages. Together they put on dance and drama shows or take part in inter-House sports competitions to help girls to mix with each other. Pastoral care is first class. The school nurse and matrons supervise the girls’ welfare and an excellent staff:student ratio ensures high levels of supervision.
Meals:
The School has excellent dining room service offering a wide range of British and International dishes, including a vegetarian option at each meal. Soup and a salad bar, fruit, cheese and puddings are also available. Special diets can also be catered for. Juice and biscuits are provided at break times and barbecue lunches are arranged each week. Heathfield’s kitchens have a five-star local council award for Health and Hygiene.
Facilities:
The boarding houses have well equipped games rooms that are very popular with girls throughout the day. Each House also has at least one TV room where girls can watch TV and DVDs. Student can access to computer room with free Wi-Fi. The school is equipped with first class teaching, sporting and leisure facilities, including an indoor swimming pool, modern theatre, sports hall, tennis courts, dance and drama studios, art room as well as cookery room.
Laundry:
A daily laundry service is available for all personal washing. All bed linen is provided and is laundered once a week. Towels are not provided.
Heathfield School is a unique school – the only small, all girls, full boarding school in England. Founded in 1899, originally to educate daughters of the upper classes, over the years it has been home to young ladies from some of the world’s best known families, including HRH Princess Alexandra, cousin of The Queen and daughters of many of the world’s royal families.
The school is set in 36 acres of magnificent grounds near Ascot, within easy reach of Windsor, London, Oxford and Heathrow airport. The picturesque grounds of the school with attractive gardens, grass sports pitches, paths and woodland provide girls a safe and enjoyable living and studying environment.
The school is equipped with first class teaching, sporting and leisure facilities, including an indoor 25 meter 6 lanes swimming pool, a modern brand new theatre, an excellent sports hall, tennis courts, dance and drama studios, art room, and a well-equipped cookery room.
Academically, Heathfield School strives to provide the best education for all their girls, focusing on the needs of individuals, nurturing both academic and personal development. The school has excellent performance in Arts, which was confirmed again with more than 60 per cent of A Level candidates sitting an Art A-Level with over three-quarters achieving top A*-A grades. The school was named the winner of Good Schools Guide’ for the fourth year running (since 2009) for the Best Result at A-Level achieved by girls taking Art and Design at an English school. The A-Level examination results 2022 shows over half of grades awarded at A* and A. Nearly three quarters of all grades awarded were A* to B. At GCSE 2022, nearly 40% of all grades awarded A*, and over 60% of grades at 9-7 (A*/A equivalent). 100% of students studying Chemistry, Physics and Biology as separate sciences attained grades 9-7 (A*/A equivalent). Heathfield students have also continued to shine in creative subjects, with 9-8 grades awarded to 85% of students studying Art and 100% of students in Music. The school’s excellent A-Level results mean that Heathfield girls go to top universities in the UK after leaving the school.
