International Summer School at Dean Close School

English tuition is the academic heart of the Summer School: more than 30 hours over each two-week course, in classes of no more than 12 students. On the morning after arrival every student takes a short placement test so that the class matches their level. The teaching team brings together full-time Dean Close staff and qualified teachers connected to the school, many of whom have taught internationally. Lessons follow a communicative approach and focus on useful, relevant language rather than grammar for its own sake, and they are deliberately linked to the activities, excursions and events of the wider programme. Students receive a certificate and a report at the end of the course. Students aged 15 and over who are at C1 level or above on the CEFR may choose Academic English instead, which runs at the same times as normal lessons and goes deeper into English for Academic Purposes.

A residential summer school on the Dean Close campus in Cheltenham for students aged 9 to 17, from countries all over the world. The programme runs in July and August as two-week courses; students may book one course or both for four weeks in total. Each course combines more than 30 hours of English tuition with a choice of Skills Academies, a daily activity programme and six excursions, and students live in the school boarding houses throughout.

Students live in the school boarding houses on campus, with separate houses for boys and girls. Rooms are a combination of single and dormitory-style rooms with shared bathrooms. Every house has a dedicated House Parent who looks after the students as part of an extended family, from settling in on the first day through to celebrating achievements, supported by the school pastoral team.

The activity programme is built around three sessions each day. Afternoon group activities are designed for a strong group dynamic: some are organised through the House Team system with a competitive element, some split into a variety of options, and some are large activities in which everyone takes part. Skills Academies let each student pursue a passion or hobby using the school facilities and staff — the choices include British Sports, Cookery School, Design and Draw, Digital Creators, Outdoor Adventure, Performing Arts Studio, Global Leadership, the Tennis Academy and the Riding School. Evening activities close the day. Across the campus and beyond it students take part in kayaking, climbing and creative workshops, and every two-week course includes six excursions, among them London, Oxford and Bath.

The Summer School runs on the Dean Close campus in Cheltenham and makes use of the school own facilities and staff resources, which is what makes the range of Skills Academies possible — from the riding school and tennis courts to the cookery school and the performing arts studio. Students live, learn and spend their free time on the same site.

Students aged 9 to 17 from all over the world come together in small classes and shared boarding houses, and the school describes the result as an international family in which every student feels included and celebrated. The House Team system gives the fortnight its shape: students compete in challenges, earn points and celebrate achievements together, building teamwork, resilience and friendships that outlast the course.