Since its inception in 2008, Summer Boarding Courses has been going from strength to strength, and with its recent recognition in the accreditation league tables published by EL Gazette as the UK’s official number one multi-campus summer school, it seems it won’t be long before everyone knows it – making right now an excellent time to get ahead and book your summer 2023 with them!
SBC offers a premier summer school experience for ambitious international students (152 nationalities and counting!) aged 6-17, located at eight of the UK’s most prestigious boarding schools and university college campuses. Its 1-2 week residential summer courses offer the unique and highly-coveted opportunity to experience traditional boarding school or university life whilst being fully immersed in authentic British culture, living and studying exactly as its year-round students do. Education comes first at SBC: Its teachers are first-class and carefully selected for not only their substantive qualifications but also their ability to inspire. With an abundance of academically robust courses to choose from, there’s something for every interest and ambition at SBC – from International Relations to Engineering to Medicine. Or focus entirely on developing your English language skills – it’s the perfect immersive environment for it. And outside of class, there’s plenty of time to kick back, make friends and enjoy SBC’s sensational programme of extracurricular activities and excursions, including plenty of sports and day trips to popular UK tourist attractions.
Need more to mull over before taking the plunge? Read on for our ultimate top 8 reasons to book your summer 2023 with SBC today!
1. A Global Family
SBC has welcomed students from a monumental 152 different countries since 2008, making it one of the most multicultural UK summer schools out there and the ideal environment for making lifelong friends from all over the world (and its jam-packed activity programme makes making friends easy, by the way)! If you’re keen to brush up on your English language skills, this is the place to do it: with English being spoken by everyone all the time and all courses taught in it, your abilities will have come along in leaps and bounds by hometime.
2. Best for Young Learners
SBC caters for the very youngest learners, with its courses starting from age 6 (most other providers don’t offer options for under 13’s). Conscious that, for many of its students, this will be their very first time away from home and in a brand-new country, SBC works very hard to provide a warm and nurturing ‘home from home’ environment. Safety is paramount: SBC’s ratio of staff to students is very high and each campus includes a Welfare Coordinator as well as several House Parents who are available 24 hours a day to provide support and care.
3. Eight Spectacular UK Locations
With eight extraordinary locations to choose from, SBC’s selection of campuses is one of the largest compared to other providers. All are prestigious institutions that offer an authentic taste of traditional British boarding school or university life.
Prestigious Universities
The world-famous neck-and-neck universities of Oxford and Cambridge need no introduction! SBC students can experience genuine Oxbridge life first-hand and enjoy these beautiful cities’ history and stunning architecture as well as local pastimes such as punting!
Top Boarding Schools
Founded in 1440 by King Henry VI, Eton College is renowned worldwide for its academic excellence and boasts a remarkable 19 former British Prime Ministers as alumni. Canford School in Dorset recently won ‘Public Boarding School of the Year’ and is ranked in the top 10 most beautiful UK schools, on account of its 250 acres of idyllic gardens and magnificent grade 1 listed buildings. Situated in the scenic seaside town of Folkestone and close to the famous white cliffs of Dover, Earlscliffe School’s educational achievements are recognised in its prestigious status as a UNESCO School. Rochester Independent is known for being best for creatively-minded students and is just a short hop on the train from London. Situated in a very picturesque 23 acres and housed in sumptuous buildings, highly-acclaimed Headington School in Oxford is just walking distance into the city’s historic centre, or for the youngest learners, there’s Twyford School, a rural prep school near Winchester (an hour from London) with stunning views, plenty of space and a nurturing atmosphere.
4. Amazing Reviews
Having welcomed 14,000 students (who give rave reviews!) since 2008, you’ll be in well-experienced hands with SBC. SBC is also the first, and currently only, summer school provider in the UK to have achieved a perfect 15 ‘Areas of Strength’ in a British Council inspection. On top of that, it boasts a 99% customer support satisfaction rating, is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK and is also part of English UK and Young Learners English UK, two leading industry bodies.
5. Exciting Courses
There’s something for everyone at SBC. Its courses, taught by inspirational and highly-qualified teachers, are robustly academic, dynamic and offer tangible benefits: get ahead and improve your grades, test-drive a new subject ahead of your UK university application, gain oodles of confidence and independence, and learn English in a truly immersive environment. On some courses, you’ll be able to attend workshops in study, essay writing or interview skills, debate and public speaking, and receive tailored support in preparing for your IELTS exam, university application, or in navigating the notoriously challenging medical school application process.
Ignite your passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics on a hands-on STEM course, or study real-life political models and contemporary global issues on an International Relations course. Figure out how to save the world from environmental catastrophe on a thought-provoking Sustainable Futures course, enter the vast, fascinating world of Medicine, or for the lawyers, barristers, and solicitors of the future, try Law! If you’re eager to develop your English language skills in an immersive learning environment, choose an SBC English course, suitable for all language levels. Entrepreneur in the making? Try a mini-MBA!
6. Flexible Learning Options
If you lack the time or budget for a residential course, SBC alternatively offers one-to-one online tuition through its excellent virtual online courses. All online courses for students aged 13+ include a 10-hour EtonX module, the leading academic skills programme developed and delivered by world-renowned Eton College.
For SBC’s youngest learners (aged 6-12), non-residential day camps are also available. Combining an action-packed activity programme with English tuition, these courses integrate international students with local English children (85% of children at camp are native English-speakers) whilst taking part in lots of sport and having fun!
7. The Fun Factor!
Talking of fun…whichever course you choose at SBC, there’s going to be lots of fun involved! SBC never forget that this is also your summer holiday and provide a jam-packed programme of exciting extracurricular activities and cultural activities – you’ll be doing plenty of sport (using the exceptional campus facilities) such as archery, fencing and tennis, and you’ll be able to try your hand at cookery, drama, arts and crafts and even zorbing! Location-dependent, you might enjoy day trips to the magnificent Windsor Castle, official home of the UK royal family, Buckingham Palace and Big Ben in London, or go on a historic sightseeing tour of magical Oxford!
8. Everything’s Included
One more fantastic thing about SBC is that everything is included, making things as simple as possible for you! All fees include tuition, cultural excursions (including transport and packed lunches), a full activity programme, accommodation, academic materials, all meals, progress reports and certification, laundry, a UK SIM card and comprehensive travel insurance. The only thing you’ll need to organise yourself is flights! (Although for a small extra charge, SCB will also come and pick you up from the airport.) Easy!
Check out SBC’s full profile here and take the first step to that once-in-a-lifetime summer you’ve been dreaming about!
