8-17 year olds, girls and boys (English level: Elementary – Advanced)
Tonbridge School is part of the Eton group, and is one of the most prestigious and exclusive independent schools in the UK with a large proportion going on to Oxbridge every year. Attending summer English courses at Tonbridge School enables international students to experience gracious school life of this renowned British independent school.
Tonbridge School Summer English Courses are classic English summer school programmes carefully designed for students who want to learn and improve their English, experience an inspirational combination of varied social, culture activities and excursions alongside their structured English tuition. Students live, study and play in an English speaking, multinational environment, where they have fun, make new friends from around the globe, and enjoy every opportunity to improve their English ability.
Students are given an English level assessment when they arrive at the school, to make sure they are placed in the right class to really enjoy and learn as much as possible. English is taught in small classes of 12-15 students by qualified EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers who have ability to make language learning fun. Students receive 15 hours of General English teaching in addition to 7.5 hours of Language Activities and 7.5 hours of sports every week.
The aim of the course is to improve English comprehension skills, along with grammar and pronunciation, as well as building confidence in communicating through English. The course syllabus covers essential English language skills with particular emphasis on speaking, listening and pronunciation both inside and outside the classroom, helping children to turn theoretical knowledge of the language into a practical ability to express themselves with confidence. The comprehensive syllabus is combined with a wide range of afternoon activities designed to give them the opportunity to develop new skills, whilst using their spoken English in a specific context. Students move on to a new activity each day incorporating journalism, creative writing/storytelling, mindfulness workshops, vlogging, cookery, drama, and arts and crafts. Classes last for 90 minutes and focus on the development of speaking and listening skills.
After a full day of English lessons, activities and sports in the evenings, students enjoy a lively programme of social activities. Each week there is a varied social programme with fun events such as a disco, barbecue, challenge event, treasure hunt, talent show, and sports competition or similar.
Course essentials
Tonbridge School Summer English Courses consist of a well-balanced programme of English tuition, activities, sports and excursions. It includes:
- 15 hours of English tuition per week
- 7.5 hours of Language Activities classes and cultural events per week
- 7.5 hours of sports per week
- 2 full-day excursions per week to London and beyond
- Full afternoon and evening activity programme on non-excursion days
- Maximum class size is 15, and the average class size is around 12
- Insurance and airport transfers are NOT included (£150 per way to/from Heathrow & Gatwick airports)
Activities:
Outside morning classroom, students will improve language skills through a broad range of sporting, cultural and entertaining activities, such as:
- Basketball
- Badminton
- Table Tennis
- Dance
- Volleyball
- Swimming
- Softball
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Aerobics
- Disco
- Barbecue
- Challenge event
- Treasure hunt
- Sports competition
- Blind Date
- Quiz Night
- Talent Show
Excursions:
Excursions are a vital part of the summer experience for international students to gain a cultural understanding of the UK alongside English language learning. Students will have 2 fully day excursion each week to experience the rich cultural heritage of Britain. The choices include:
- Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
- Buckingham Palace
- Big Ben and Houses of Parliament
- The National Gallery
- The Tower of London
- Covent Garden Market
- The Science Museum
- Shopping at Oxford Street
- Brighton
- Oxford
- Cambridge
- Leeds Castle
- Whipsnade Zoo
- Chessington World of Adventures
The sample timetables below include a typical weekly programme and a typical day of Tonbridge School Summer English Courses.
Boarding:
Students stay in comfortable Tonbridge School’s boarding houses with single, twin, triple or quad rooms with shared bathroom facilities. Girls and boys are accommodated separately. Common rooms and kitchens provide the perfect environment for relaxation and socialising. A team of friendly staff will stay with the students within the boarding houses and are available at all times to provide assistance and a high level of supervision.Meals:
Well balanced, nutritious three cooked meals a day with a wide range of salads and hot dishes are provided in the school dining room. Vegetarian meals are always available and are clearly labelled. Drinks and snacks are provided during break times. Packed lunches are provided for excursions.Facilities:
Tonbridge School boasts beautiful historic buildings in a 150 acre campus, with excellent sports facilities including modern classrooms, a recently refurbished library, a large chapel, lecture theatres and excellent sports centres – 24 tennis courts, 12 rugby fields, 9 cricket grounds, 7 hockey fields, 6 football fields, an indoor shooting range, an all-weather athletic track, as well as a large sports complex with a swimming pool. Wi-Fi is available throughout the school.Laundry:
Laundry is done once a week. All bed linen is provided and is laundered once a week. Towels are not provided.Tonbridge School in Kent is part of the ‘Eton Group’ of schools. Established in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde and King Edward VI, the school is one of most highly-regarded and exclusive UK boarding schools with around 790 boys between 13 and 18 years. It is one of the top-10 all-boy public schools in the UK.
The school aims to provide a caring and enlightened environment in which the talents of each individual flourish. It encourages boys to be creative, tolerant and to strive for academic, sporting and cultural excellence. Respect for tradition and an openness to innovation are equally valued.
For over 450 years, Tonbridge School has established a formidable academic reputation. This is achieved by high quality teachers, assisted by dedicated support staff, who together foster a broad curriculum for able boys, which seeks to encourage intellectual advancement, curiosity and creativity in a stimulating, challenging but cooperative academic environment. Tonbridge encourages all boys to aspire to academic excellence, and their pupils achieve some of the best examination results in the country. In 2022, more than 85% of A-level results and 97% of GSCE results were A*/A or equivalent. And in 2021, more than 87% of A-level results and 96% of GSCE results were A*/A or equivalent. Their remarkable achievements lead to exceptional success in gaining places at top universities, with over 99% of boys secured admission to their first-choice university, mostly at top, high tariff universities worldwide including Oxbridge, Russel Group and Ivy League schools. 90% of their 2023 Leavers secured a place at Russell Group and higher tariff universities. The highly influential ‘Parent Power School Guide 2024’ ranked Tonbridge School as the sixth best independent school nationally, and placed the school in fifth place in the national A-level rankings, based on 2023 results, and joint 13th nationally for its GCSE performance in 2023.
The school has 24 tennis courts, 12 rugby fields, 9 cricket grounds, 7 hockey fields, 6 football fields, an indoor shooting range, an all-weather athletic track, as well as a large sports complex with a swimming pool. For comprehensive development, students are provided with scientific laboratories, a computer centre, a music school, a theatre, a weather station, a photo studio, and more recently, the school boasts its own large gallery.
Pastoral care is based on the strong house system which fosters a strong sense of belonging. Superb outdoor facilities are complemented by boarding houses benefiting from a rolling programme of refurbishment, new academic departments, a social centre, lecture theatres, and a major arts, music, creativity and technology complex linked to the near 400 seat E M Forster Theatre. The world-class Tonbridge School Centre has been used as an Olympic training venue and provides superb facilities for a range of sports.
