Page 9 - ELG1601 Nov Issue 441

2016 ELyoung learners Page iii

Beginner’s guide All on board for excellence

to British boarding oarding schools may Melanie Butler examines the different types of UK

be among the smallest
Bof the market segments boarding provision accredited by the British Council
Melanie Butler explains the why, of accredited English language

what and how of the UK system providers – under thirty are separate centres owned by Brit-
currently accredited English lan-
guage providers – but they are ish boarding schools. ISCs are
the highest-performing. With a experienced practitioners of Clil
he British have been Inspectorate (ISI). They must mode average of nine areas of and English-medium instruction
sending their children also meet the national mini- strength and a median score of and offer English and academic
Tto boarding schools for mum boarding school standards 8.35, their inspection results are subjects at their summer schools,
centuries. The oldest boarding for accommodation and child outstanding. Uniquely, British which could be perfect for chil-
school is the King’s School protection. Schools that only Council inspectors have yet to dren attending Europe’s many
Canterbury, founded in AD take students over sixteen are award a single need for improve- bilingual schools.
597 as part of the cathedral. not covered by these standards, ment to any boarding school, Under British educational
Most of medieval Europe though if they enrol interna- and 50 per cent have a strength law, you don’t have to be a resi-
had cathedral schools but the tional students they must be in the care of under-18s. dential school to be a boarding
British continued with the inspected by the ISI under the The accredited language pro- school. International Community
tradition partly because, dur- Educational Oversight scheme, vision offered by this sector School, for example, is an inter-
ing the time of the empire, the in which child protection falls into two main categories: national day school in central
British upper class sent their standards are less strict. boarding-school-run summer London and one of the highest
children home to be educated. ‘Public school’ is the name schools like St Edmund’s, joint risers in our Centres of Excel-
Just under thirty boarding given to historic independent second in our Centres of Excel- lence ranking. Because it offers
schools have their English secondary schools which enrol lence rankings with fourteen host family accommodation to its
language courses and sum- children at eleven or thirteen. strengths, and international year-round students, it is legally a
mer schools inspected by the Only schools which are mem- study centres – like Bishop- boarding school and has to meet
British Council. Others, like bers of the Headmasters and strow with thirteen strengths. the national minimum boarding
King’s Canterbury, rent their Headmistresses Conference or The summer schools include school standards, a far tougher
buildings out to private course the Girls School Association some, like Millfield and Bede’s, Courtesy Bishopstrow College test of child protection than
providers in the summer. can be called public schools. that are run in more than one cen- required by the British Council.
Most British board- All members must be not-for- tre and, for legal reasons, are often All the boarding schools in
ing schools are independent profit organisations, though run by a private company wholly the British Council scheme have
schools, which simply means some of their activities, includ- owned by the schools. This can passed these standards, one rea-
they are not funded by the state. ing their summer schools, can cause confusion. The nine points BRITISH VALUES This Bishopstrow boy flies the flag for son for their outstanding results.
Legally an independent school make a profit. awarded to Babssco (the British the value of a traditional British boarding school education One boarding school, St Clare’s
is any school with five or more A preparatory schools or Association of Boarding School Oxford, also owns a language
fifteen-year-olds which does ‘prep school’ is the name given Summer Course Organisers) sidiary of Harrow School. to go on to a British independ- school for young adults and has
not receive state funds, while in the UK to an independ- by the British Council were not International study centres ent school. Some are stand-alone been inspected by four sepa-
the legal definition of a board- ent primary school enrolling awarded to the association but (ISC) teach English and other sub- schools, like Bishopstrowe, while rate child inspection schemes
ing school includes any school children to the age of eleven to one of its providers: Harrow jects, normally including maths others like Taunton International – receiving a point of excellence
with fifteen-year-olds which or thirteen. Traditionally prep Enterprises, a wholly owned sub- and science, to students planning and Sherbourne International are from all of them. n
offers accommodation, even schools were attached to a pub-
if that accommodation is with lic school or were family-run.
host families. In recent years large educa-
All independent schools tional businesses have begun
must be inspected either by to buy these schools. In the US
state inspectors from Ofsted the term refers to independent
or by the Independent Schools high schools. n

Why families

lead the way

iving the boarding ily at Manor Courses, one of
schools a run for our newest Centres of Excel-
Gtheir money in terms lence with ten strengths, are the
of British Council inspection third generation of their fam-
results are the small family- ily to be in the business, and
run young learners specialists, their relationship with Hurstpi-
both those providing year- erpoint College stretches back
round junior courses and the years – as does the relationship
small residential summer between Haileybury and Jill
school operators. Cutting of International Student
Although increasing numbers Club. Chris and Sarah Etchells,
of chains and adult language leading lights of the English
schools are offering EFL courses UK young learners group,
for closed groups of juniors, have recently expanded to two
inspection results show that the boarding centres but retain their
best options are to be found in policy of using parents of for-
family-run schools with years mer parents to promote them
of experience in the junior instead of agents.
market in safe, family-oriented Once again, when it comes
locations. For year-round provi- to young learner provision it
sion, two locations stand out in is the well-established special-
terms of Centres of Excellence. ists who do best, whether the
First Devon, home to Sidmouth ancient boarding schools, the
International School and Globe families who have worked with
English, where schools also them to run summer schools
enjoys a special relationship or the classic stand-alone
with local social services, who family-run language school
vet all host families. The other which has specialised in run-
strong location is in the north: ning year-round young learner
Yorkshire, more particularly programmes for many years.
North Yorkshire, with Melton The simple fact of the matter
College in the ancient city of is that just because you do well
York and Scarborough Inter- at teaching adults, it doesn’t
national on the coast both EL mean you can run great courses
Gazette Centres of Excellence. for school kids. They are a
Residential summer special- different market, they need dif-
ists tend to have worked closely ferent methods and it can take
with the same boarding schools years of practice to get it right
for years. The Barnard fam- (see opposite page). n

p08-09_ELG1116.indd 2 10/21/2016 7:10:16 PM