Barnstaple School of English - Welcome
In 2009 we re-opened our summer centre in Barnstaple, with great success! Accommodation is in local caring host families and 2 course school lunches in the canteen.
Barnstaple is a bustling town, nestling in the valley of the River Taw, seven miles from the mouth of the river, with a population of approximately 25,000 residents. Barnstaple is known as the capital of North Devon.
This progressive town has a unique character brought about by an interesting blend of history, tradition, progress and development. Its position makes Barnstaple the shopping centre for the whole of North Devon and its major shopping areas combine a mixture of national stores and local family businesses.
Lessons will take place at the North Devon College. Lessons will be in the mornings and activities in the afternoon, with the weekly daytrip being on a Saturday.
Barnstaple School of English is for students aged 14 to 17 years old.
A free 2 course balanced lunch is provided in the food hall on school days and students are expected to eat there. Host families provide full-board accommodation at weekends and breakfast & evening meal on school days.
Students can choose a course according to their required number of English academic hours. Courses at all levels are organised around a theme for each week. Students build up an integrated knowledge of vocabulary and grammar connected with these themes. The emphasis is on building students' confidence and ability in speaking English through discussion, role play, pronunciation and project work.
Other skills (reading, writing and listening) are included in lessons to support students' oral skills. Students are encouraged to involve their host families in their learning.
Each course is linked to an Activity Programme which provides fun and a wide range of interesting and appealing activities and excursions. Each session consists of three academic hours.
The following table contains details of all of the English Courses and Activity Programmes combinations at Barnstaple School of English:
15 hours of English per week divided into five sessions of morning classes.
Activity Combinations:
- Adventure Sports
- Digital Photography
- Discovering Devon
- Street Dance
18 hours of English per week divided into six sessions of morning and afternoon classes.
Activity Combinations:
- Adventure Sports
- Digital Photography
- Discovering Devon
- Street Dance
21 hours of English per week divided into seven sessions of morning and afternoon classes.
Activity Combinations:
- Adventure Sports
- Discovering Devon
- Street Dance
5 to 21 academic hours of English per week divided into morning and afternoon sessions.
Activity Combinations:
- Adventure Sports
- Digital Photography
- Discovering Devon
- Street Dance
On the first Monday students are divided into two sets according to age:
Set A 16 & 17 years old |
Set B 14 & 15 years old |
Once divided by age they are given an initial language assessment test, followed by an essential orientation/induction to Barnstaple, its surroundings and Barnstaple School. They are then allocated a class based on their level of English; elementary, post-elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper-intermediate or advanced. Class size averages 12 students with a maximum of 15, and are of mixed nationalities in order to maximise students’ use of English.
Our carefully-selected host families are visited regularly and checked against the Police and Local Authorities registers.
Our experienced Welfare Staff are always on hand to help 24 hours a day.
Our teachers are always qualified and experienced native English speakers.