ICE Ireland offers several junior programmes: the Classic Junior Programme (15 hours of tuition per week), the Intensive & Cambridge Programme (20 hours per week including Cambridge exam preparation), and specialist programmes including English & Horse Riding and English & Sailing. The school also offers residential programmes at Clongowes Wood College and Glenstal Abbey for students who prefer on-campus accommodation. All programmes combine English tuition with a full schedule of activities and excursions.
The junior programmes are designed for students aged 11 to 17 years. Under certain circumstances, if a child turns 18 and is still in high school up until the summer of the camp, they may be accepted on the programme. Students younger than 11 or older than 17 are not accepted except in exceptional cases.
The programmes are all-inclusive with no extra charges. Fees include 15-20 hours of tuition per week, use of a textbook, homestay accommodation, all meals (breakfast, packed lunch, and dinner), a Dublin Travel Pass for unlimited public transport, a full programme of activities and excursions, entrance fees to attractions, two evening discos per week, a welcome pack, a Certificate of Attendance and Attainment, and an individual teacher's report. A deposit of €200 is required on booking, with the remainder due 4 weeks before arrival.
Students stay in homestay accommodation either in Malahide within walking distance of the school or in surrounding areas with a very short bus journey. Hosts are from the local community, visited and vetted by the school, and all family members are garda vetted. Most hosts accommodate 2-3 students at a time and have twin rooms, though single and triple rooms are also available. Students may request to share with a friend or have a single room, and rooms are shared with students of the same gender and similar age.
Host families provide breakfast, a packed lunch, and an evening meal. Meals are nutritious and balanced. The school can cater for some special diets on request, though a supplement may apply. Hosts do not operate professional kitchens and therefore cannot accommodate students with severe allergies or complicated food requirements.
Students have a full schedule from 8:45 am to 5:00 pm each day from Monday to Friday. They go to Dublin city centre at least twice a week for tours, sports, shows, and leisure activities. Each Saturday, students have a full-day trip to places such as Glendalough, Kilkenny, Belfast, or Dublin Zoo. Two evenings per week, students can attend optional disco nights at no extra cost. The Horse Riding programme includes four afternoons of riding per week at Monks' Field Equestrian Centre. The Sailing programme includes two afternoons per week at Howth Yacht Club.
Students are tested before arrival and on their first day. Their teacher will assess if they are in the correct level. The school monitors student progress through weekly tests, and students are able to move levels if they are not in the correct level. Programmes offer levels from A2 to C1 on the CEFR scale, catering from pre-intermediate to advanced learners.
A strict curfew of 9.30pm applies, and all students must be home by this time. On homestay programmes, students are often unsupervised at certain times, such as going to and from school, in the evenings, and during free time. Students and families have 24-hour access to an emergency phone number, and a member of the ICE team is always on duty to help.
Yes, free Wi-Fi is available both at the school and in the homestay accommodation.
ICE offers an airport transfer meet and greet service. A member of staff waits for the student at the airport with a sign. The school can organise transfers for arrival and departure at any time. If requested, staff will help with check-in at departure and bring the student as far as security at no extra charge. The school can also work with Unaccompanied Minor airline services and complete forms of indemnity for departure if required by certain airlines.
