New experiences, new friends and memories for life at
BSC International Summer School
BSC International Summer School
Bishop’s Stortford College International Summer School is for international students aged 8 to 17 who are visiting the UK for a short period of two weeks. We welcome groups of students aged 8 to 17 accompanied by one or more Group Leaders and individual students aged 13 to 17. The courses combine English language tuition, general or specialist activities and classes, events, local visits and excursions to places of historical and cultural interest.
College FAcilities
Bishop’s Stortford College is set in extensive, safe, attractive grounds with excellent residential, educational and sporting facilities. The campus is conveniently located on the edge of town and is just a short walk from all the shops, cafes and restaurants as well as the train station.
On campus there are extensive and well-maintained playing fields, all-weather surface courts for tennis and astro pitches for football, a well-equipped sports hall for basketball, badminton, table tennis and indoor hockey and cricket as well as a 25m indoor heated swimming pool. Additional facilities for activities include a dance studio, theatre and Art & Design centre.
During breaks in lessons and activities, students can relax and buy refreshments in the student cafe. WiFi is available across the campus and in the boarding houses.
ACCOMMODATION AND CATERING
Students are accommodated in five different boarding houses, all located on the main campus. Each house has between 30 and 50 beds in different-sized rooms. The majority of bedrooms are single and either have a private bathroom or individual wash basin but there are several twin and four-bedded rooms in each of the Senior School houses. The Prep School house is ideal for Kids’ groups with a large spacious and comfortable common room and multi-bedded bedrooms which can sleep between 5 and 10 students per room. Group Leaders have single rooms in all houses unless otherwise requested and summer school staff are resident and on-call at all times. The College provides bed linen and towels every week and each boarding house has its own laundry. Girls and boys are accommodated on separate floors or in different parts of the boarding houses and have separate bathrooms if the bedrooms are not en suite. There is a common room in each boarding house where students can relax, socialize with each other, watch TV or DVDs, play video-, indoor- and board-games.
The College has a large dining room and provides the students with three wholesome meals each day. Breakfast offers a selection of cold and traditional cooked items; lunch and dinner consist of soup with bread, pasta bar, a main dish, vegetables, salad bar, desserts, fresh fruit basket. Packed meals are provided for full-day excursions, late arrivals and early departures and there is a weekly barbeque.
English Language Courses
Experio English is a partnership between Experio Summer and EngXcel. EngXcel is the latest enterprise from the founders of ABC Cambridge, a school built on 60 years’ experience of delivering quality English language tuition at all levels and in accordance with British Council standards. All students are tested on their first full day and subsequently placed in classes of no more than 16 students at an appropriate level for their ability. The lessons are topic-based and are designed to help students develop communication skills, natural English and a range of vocabulary. Materials have been specifically chosen for both the Kids’ and Teens’ courses and include authentic resources.
For English classes and daytime activities, students are divided into two age-groups:
Kids (8 to 12 yrs)
Teens (13 to 17 yrs)
All students have:
- Morning English classes from 09:00 – 12:40 (15 hrs/week)
- Afternoon activities from 13:45 – 17:30
EACH COURSE FINISHES WITH A CERTIFICATE CEREMONY AND PRIZE GIVING
New experiences, new friends and memories for life at
BSC International Summer School
Activity Programmes
Kids’ activities are a combination of language practice, culture, arts and crafts, sports and lots of fun!
A wide range of afternoon Academy options are on offer for Teens from 13:45 – 15:45 on three afternoons per week. Students should choose their preferred course(s) at the time of booking: Intensive English, Multi-activity, Creative Arts, Performing Arts, Sports Coaching (either two courses x one week each or one course x two weeks).
Intensive English Academy
Intensive English is for motivated students wishing to make additional progress with their communication skills in English (speaking, listening, reading writing).
Multi-Activity Academy
Multi-activities combine a variety of sports (basketball, volleyball, badminton, table-tennis, swimming, rounders, touch rugby, cricket) with artistic activites (dance, film-making, arts & crafts).
Creative Arts Academy
Creative Arts is for students with an artistic flair who would like to learn or improve their skills in drawing, painting, design, sculpture and ceramics. Their work will be exhibited for the summer school to admire.
Performing Arts Academy
Performing Arts is for students who have an interest in theatre and want to develop their knowledge and experience of performance skills and theatre-making techniques. These techniques will include improvisation, mime, dance, puppeteering, magic, etc.
Sports Academy
The Sports Academy offers professional coaching in Football & Tennis and is aimed at athletic students of all abilities who wish to experience high-quality coaching in their chosen sport. Students will be tested during the first session and grouped according to age and ability.
Evening Activities
Every evening all students can enjoy a variety of different activities; disco, film night, talent show, sports tournaments etc. In addition, there are team-building games like Scavenger Hunt, Obstacle Course Challenge and Capture the Flag which encourage students to mix and work together as a team. Each course finishes with an Awards Ceremony and Prom Night.
Excursions
Students will have two half-day excursions on Thursdays (13:30 – 19:00) to the famous university city of Cambridge which includes an open-top bus sightseeing tour, university colleges walking tour, Fitzwilliam Museum, punting and free time to explore and shop. Full-day excursions are on Saturdays (08:30 – 20:00) and will take students to London (Buckingham Palace, Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall & Westminster, Covent Garden, free time for shopping) and Canterbury (historic river tour, cathedral visit, walking tour, free time to explore and shop).
Individual students have an extra full-day excursion to Oxford on the first Sunday (university college visit, walking tour, free time to explore and go shopping) and they go bowling on the second Sunday.
Optional visits and excursions can be arranged for groups and these can be booked in advance or on arrival at the College.
New experiences, new friends and memories for life at
BSC International Summer School
student Health and Welfare
Bishop’s Stortford College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its care. Safeguarding processes and procedures are in place to support students, their families, Group Leaders and staff; how to access and benefit from these will be explained during the orientation session. All summer school staff have had basic First Aid training and know exactly which procedures to follow in cases of illness or injury. If students need to see a doctor then we can arrange an appointment at the local Medical Centre (10 mins walk from the College) and for more serious cases and emergencies we can arrange transport to the Herts & Essex Community Hospital (10 mins drive from the College).
Sample Timetable
Picture Gallery
The Brochure
Read about Bishop’s Stortford College International Summer School and what we offer our students over six weeks every summer.
New experiences, new friends and memories for life at
BSC International Summer School
Frequently Asked Questions
There is a laundry service once a week for underwear and light items of clothing but students can use the washing machines at other times under the supervision of summer school staff. There is no extra charge for laundry.
Students are welcome to bring sports equipment with them should they choose to (e.g. tennis raquet) but equipment is provided as part of the activities. Sports wear is not provided. Sports facilities are all-weather courts so a good pair of trainers are usually sufficient.
Airport transfers to and from London Heathrow or London Stansted are included in the price. All other airports require a supplement. Please contact us with your travel arrangements prior to booking.
If you are bringing your child to campus or picking them up at the end of their stay, the best times to do so are: 2pm to 4pm for arrivals; 9am to 11am for departures. If you cannot make these times please let us know and we will arrange for someone to be available for your anticipated time. In all cases it is helpful if you can give us an estimate of when you will be arriving on campus.
The programme is all inclusive and there is no requirement to pay for extras. However, there will be opportunities for souvenirs or gifts and we also operate a tuck shop where students can purchase snacks and refreshments. We recommend that students bring with them a cash card whereever possible, since this gives better security against theft and more flexibility for a top-up by generous parents should it be needed! If you must bring cash we would recommend no more than £60 depending on spending habits.
