English Plus+ at Winchester

Teaching is split between English Skills classes and English Workshops, with a city challenge, excursion preparation and an end-of-week presentation. Students take a written and oral test on arrival and are placed by age and level in a class of up to twelve international students. English Skills classes build spoken and written English through lively, interactive material — examining reality television and designing a show of their own, for instance. Workshops change topic each week: technology innovators, manga writing, music video, portrait photography, Model United Nations.

The course fee covers all tuition and teaching materials, a student folder, an academic report, a certificate and a course photo, the participation of the resident English Student Hosts, full board residential accommodation, transport and entry fees on all excursions, the daily activity programme, close supervision by resident staff, personal laundry for machine-washable clothes, and medical and travel insurance. Airport transfers from Heathrow or Gatwick are included on published arrival and departure days for flights scheduled between 09.00 and 16.00; transfers at other times and private transfers are arranged at extra cost.

Students live in boarding houses a short walk from the main campus, in comfortable bedrooms of one to six beds with shared bathrooms. This is a historic, traditional school, so the rooms are comfortable rather than luxurious. Resident house parents look after students throughout the stay and supervision is close at all times. Access to mobile phones is restricted; WiFi is available at set times.

Full board: three meals a day taken in the college hall, with a healthy range of food chosen to suit international students.

Afternoons offer a wide choice of activities: a range of sports, art and design, dance and movement, and British games. Evenings bring leadership challenges, mystery nights, talent shows, quiz nights, relaxed games nights in the houses and discos, with special events such as a ceilidh and archery. There are two excursions each week — Thorpe Park, Southampton, London, Oxford and Portsmouth among them — plus supervised free time in Winchester itself.

The college campus sits in the centre of Winchester, a historic cathedral city in Hampshire within easy reach of London and the south-coast airports. Classrooms, the dining hall, extensive grounds for sport and the boarding houses are all on or beside the campus, and the city high street is a supervised walk away.

Nationalities are mixed and British teenagers take part as resident English Student Hosts, so English is spoken in the house and on the excursion as much as in class. Students get the run of a historic school campus and a city small enough to explore safely on foot.