Page 20 - ELG2304 Apr Issue 484

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INTRO TO RANKING

Calculating the Summer school rankings

Melanie Butler reveals the data behind our top summer centres for 2023

n the page opposite you can see our 2023 Ranking for UK
Summer Schools for under 16s. There are only 33 of them
and they are all inspected in the same 15 areas and have
Obeen awarded Strengths in at least nine of those areas. COPYRIGHT PEXELS.COM
They make up the top 32 of the 120 BC accredited summer operations
we have identified.
It is critical to understand that to score an area of strength you
have to score a strength in at least half of the criteria in that area. There
are a maximum 15 areas inspected but they are made up of over
100 individual criteria.
For example, the area of Premises and Facilities is made up of six
criteria. To score a strength in that area you must be awarded a
strength in at least three of the six. Normally, all the other criteria
must be marked as Met.
The cut off score of 9 used in our ranking is not random. A core
of 9 shows that a strength has been given in 60 per cent of the areas
inspected. It also puts the provider in the top 25 per cent of summer
school operators and the top 20 per cent of accredited language
centres overall
All the information in our table has been drawn from the British
Council full inspection reports https://www.britishcouncil.org/
education/accreditation/centres/
In previous rankings we have relied on the summary statements
which appear on the first page of the report. These state all the areas
of Strengths awarded on Inspection and all the Areas where a Need for
Improvement was noted. To get our total we simply subtract the Needs

www.loxdale.com

Locks Hill, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 2LA
+44(0)1273 414 973 • office@loxdale.com
Year round, beautiful and safe site
with superior onsite facilities in
Brighton within walking distance for Improvement from the Total Areas of Strength to come up with
of homestay hosts. Whether an scores you see on the chart.
adult or a child, you will find the However, since Covid began, language centres which have
English classes interesting and
have a fun social programme to been accredited previously have been able to opt for Compliance
encourage you to make the most Inspections. In these inspections no Strengths are given although areas
of your time in the UK.
which Need Improvement are still noted. No new summary statements
are published. As the BC recommends, the Gazette takes the summary
statement from the previous report and deducts an Needs for
Improvement given in the Compliance reports.
Summer English courses for individuals and All the summer operators marked on our ranking in blue have
groups from 11 June to 13 August 2023 undergone a compliance inspection which means their score may
have gone down, because Needs for Improvement are noted,
One of the UK’s most comprehensive, inclusive social but the irscore cannot have gone up since the last full inspection
programmes for teenagers. Working hard to keep your because no additional strengths can be awarded on a compliance
child safe, motivated, and interested with a full time,
fully inclusive programme of lessons, activities inspection.
(every afternoon and every evening Mondays to Fridays) The operators marked in red have undergone a full inspection
and Saturday and Sunday weekend trips.
9- to 12-year-olds, 13- to 17-year-olds. and three of them Celtic English Academy, Language in Action and
Winter English courses for individuals and Loxdale English Centre have become new centres of excellence since
groups from 7 January to 4 February 2024. 2020 and are marked NEW.
12- to 17-year-olds Loxdale is one of the schools we have added to our Summer
Over the past 40 years, we have developed our unique school Ranking for language agents and parents looking for high
English courses for adults which give options for ranking schools which offer summer programme with Homestay
individualising learning even if you choose a General
English course. We also offer one of the most varied accommodation. All schools which offer Homestay only appear with
English Plus courses in the UK. Options include British an (H) after their name, while schools offering only Residential, take
Culture, Forms of Art, Photography, International Studies,
Yoga, Gardening, Drama, Singing and many more. ECS for example are marked (R). Centres which offer both, such as
IH Newcastle, are marked (HR).
Finally we have marked all the Boarding school runs summer courses BS.
They all offer, as you might guess, residential accommodation.
20 April 2023