12-17 year olds, girls and boys (English level: B2/Upper Intermediate – Advanced)
The Global Young Leaders summer camp held at Wycombe Abbey School is a premier debating and critical thinking course, designed to develop student’s confidence, critical thought, and structured reasoning. The course is based at exclusive Wycombe Abbey School, one of the country’s best performing schools with over a third of girls received Oxbridge offers every year.
Students are introduced to the format used in the World Schools Debating Championships. Students will learn how to make and justify arguments, and take part in debates and receive extensive feedback from experienced speakers, judges and coaches. Critical thinking is developed through debating and ranked as one of the most desirable employability skills in the 21st century. These skills are invaluable for students to improve exam performance and day-to-day confidence.
Taught by specialist teachers, the programme includes 15 hours of debating classes per week, incorporating critical thinking, and 15 hours of philosophy, politics and economics seminars per week. Students also have an optional unit for an introduction to university life in the UK, with mock university interviews and advice on writing a personal statement. A full package of social, culture activities and excursions also offer great opportunities for students to socialise and make new friends from across the globe.
Course essentials:
Wycombe Abbey Global Young Leaders summer camp consists of a well-balanced programme of academic tuition, social activities and excursions. It includes:
- 30 hours of debating and critical thinking classes over two weeks
- 30 hours of philosophy, politics and economics seminars
- 4 full-day excursions and trips over two weeks
- Guidance on application to top UK universities
- Full activity, sports and social 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. (£60 per way from/to Heathrow & Gatwick airports)
Activities:
Outside classroom, students will improve language skills through a broad range of sporting, cultural and entertaining activities, such as:
- Arts & Crafts
- Badminton
- Barbeques
- Basketball
- Computer Based Activities
- Discos
- Drama
- Fancy Dress Parties
- Film Evenings
- Film-Making
- Karaoke
- Music & Dance
- Soccer
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Talent Show
- Tennis
- Volleyball
Excursions:
Wycombe Abbey Global Young Leaders summer camp has a wide range of interesting and enjoyable excursions to London and other places to experience the rich cultural heritage of Britain. The choices include:
- Buckingham Palace
- Camden Market
- Covent Garden
- Greenwich
- Houses of Parliament
- London Sightseeing Tour
- London Museums
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- Thames Riverboat Disco
- Theme Park
- Tower of London
- Westminster Abbey
- Wimbledon Tennis Museum
The sample timetable below is a typical week of Wycombe Abbey Global Young Leaders Summer Camp.
Boarding:
Students stay in comfortable boarding houses of Wycombe Abbey, single, triple or quad rooms all with en-suite bathrooms. Girls and boys are accommodated separately. Common rooms and kitchens and provide the perfect environment for relaxation and socialising. A team of friendly staff will stay with the students to look after them in the evenings and is on duty throughout the night.
Meals:
All cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided in the dining hall. Both salads and hot food are provided at lunchtime. Drinks and biscuits are generally available in the lesson breaks. Packed lunches are provided for excursions.
Facilities:
Excellent sports facilities including an indoor heated swimming pool and impressive sports facilities. There are students’ lounges, common TV room, and kitchens facilities in the accommodation.
Laundry:
Laundry is done once a week. All bed linen is provided and is laundered once a week. Towels are not provided.
Wycombe Abbey is a world leader in girls’ boarding education and a place where academic excellence, empathy and integrity thrive. It is one of the UK’s most successful independent boarding schools for girls, aged 11 to 18. The School is committed to creating tomorrow’s women leaders and has a long tradition of academic excellence, it is consistently one of the country’s best performing schools with over a third of girls received Oxbridge offers every year.
Founded in 1896, the School is set in 160 acres magnificent parkland in Buckinghamshire, England with its own lake, and is only 30 miles from the centre of London, 20 miles from Heathrow airport. It provides a secure and comfortable country lifestyle setting for the course.
The vision of Wycombe Abbey is to pursuit of academic excellence, the development of each pupil’s talents, the fostering of an awareness of God and an understanding of the needs of others. The ISI inspectors were blown away, bestowing a rare and much coveted ‘exceptional’ status on the pupils’ learning and achievements.
The School has an extremely impressive record of academic success and is consistently one of the top performers in public examination league tables. The GCSE and A level results for 2021/2022 were outstanding with 89.9% of examinations awarded 8 or 9 (A*) and 96.5% of results at 7 – 9 (A-A*) in GCSE. At A level, 65.2% of grades were awarded A*, with 97.4% of results graded at A*-B. The school is ranked first in the South East for academic results and third in the UK in Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2022.
With such excellent exam results, Wycombe Abbey girls gain admission to competitive courses at leading universities throughout the world. One third secure Oxbridge offers with the majority heading to Russell Group universities or prestigious Art, Drama or Music Schools. Also US top universities such as Brown University, Duke University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Yale University.
