Cavendish Junior English Camp in Valletta, Malta

The camp teaches general English to students aged 10 to 17 in the Cavendish school building in central Valletta. A two-week stay includes 54 lessons of 40 minutes, taught in classes of no more than 15 students. Lessons are combined with a structured excursion and evening activity programme, so language practice continues outside the classroom with the camp leaders and other international students.

The camp is sold as a full package. It covers tuition, full-board accommodation with a host family or at the hotel residence, the excursion and activity programme, a return airport transfer, a minibus service between the accommodation, the school and the activities up to four times a day, camp leaders who stay with the students around the clock, a 24-hour emergency number and a certificate of attendance. Group leaders travel free of charge on the basis of one leader for every fifteen students.

Two options are offered. Host families are selected and regularly checked by the school and by the Maltese EFL Monitoring Board, and junior students share twin rooms. The alternative is the three-star Cerviola Hotel in the coastal town of Marsascala, set in a historical-style building with an outdoor pool, a lounge restaurant and a common room, where students stay in shared rooms. The homestay option is open from age 10, the hotel residence from age 12.

Full board is included in both accommodation options. Host families provide breakfast, a packed lunch and dinner every day of the stay, and the hotel residence provides full-board catering. Special dietary requirements, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free and halal meals, can be arranged for a supplement.

The activity programme runs through the whole stay. Full-day excursions include the Blue Lagoon on Comino by private boat and a guided tour of Gozo. Half-day trips include a guided tour of Valletta, Mdina, Marsaxlokk with the Blue Grotto and Dingli Cliffs, Sliema, and the beaches at Mellieha Bay, Golden Bay and Ghajn Tuffieha. Evenings include a guided visit to Mdina by night, student parties, a karaoke disco, a film night, a beach evening and pizza on the beach. An optional package adds a Grand Harbour cruise, Popeye Village or the national aquarium, laser tag, bowling, a cinema visit and water sports.

The school occupies a restored historic townhouse in the centre of Valletta, one of only two language schools licensed in the capital. Classrooms are air-conditioned and naturally lit, and the building has a lift to all floors, audio-visual equipment, a stationery and workshop area, a rooftop terrace, wireless internet throughout and a cafeteria with a lounge area. The bus station is a few minutes on foot, and Sliema is a walk of around twenty minutes.

Valletta is the smallest capital in the European Union and a UNESCO World Heritage site, compact enough that most of the city can be reached on foot. Students study in the middle of it and travel out across the island for beaches, historic towns and boat trips. English is an official language of Malta, so students practise what they learn in shops, on buses and on excursions, and the warm Mediterranean climate keeps the programme outdoors for most of the stay.