Page 22 - ELG2402 Feb Issue 488

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RANKINGS

Specialists top the summer school charts
Specialists top the summer school charts

We take a closer look at this year’s summer school rankings…

tafford House Study Holidays
is our only one new entrant in
this year’s summer rankings.
SThe reason is simple: of the 28
summer operations inspected, only
12 underwent full inspections.
Of those 12, three schools saw
a drop in their scores, and one
boarding school, St Clare’s Oxford,
saw their score go up. Stafford House,
a chain which has seen its inspection
results improve across the board, is a
welcome newcomer.
The full results for top-ranking
summer schools were more stable
than those in the EFL sector as a
whole. Our research shows that,
of the 27 accredited language
centres who had a full re-inspection
in 2023, 21 saw their results fall,
three remained the same and only
three went up.
As we mentioned on page 20,
compliance inspections do not cover
areas of strength and, although areas
with a Need for Improvement are
noted on the full report, they do not
appear on the summary statements.
The Gazette has always deducted areas which need improving from
our ranking scores. This year, to further level the playing field, we
have also deducted the number of areas ineligible for a strength on full
inspections from all schools.
The types of operators who dominate the tables remain the
same: boarding schools like St Edmunds, Harrow and Heathfield,
and summer school specialists like SBC and Discovery Summer.
Year-round young learner specialist, Broadstairs English Centre,
and small family-run operations like ISCA and Manor courses
also do well.
Apart from those with a long experience of young learners, like Bell,
most chains score less well on summer operations. However, Language
in Action breaks the mould as the highest-ranking operation in the
Malvern House Group.
A small number of year-round high-ranking Language Schools, like
ELC Chester and Loxdale, run excellent non-residential options while
year-round star Wimbledon School of English is making inroads into
the residential summer sector.
The most surprising trend emerging in rankings, though, is the
number of top summer schools taking children under the age of eight.
Discovery Summer takes five-year-olds, but only for a non-
residential course option known as ‘day camps’. This growing niche
covers children of foreign parents living in the UK, often attending
a language course themselves.
But the age of boarders is also dropping; Bede’s Summer is Young Learner experts since 2002
taking boarders from the age of six at its Eastbourne Prep school, as
independent schools for juniors are known. Wimbledon School of Staff and students return
English also uses a prep school for its eight to 11-year-old’s summer
camp, and Millfield’s Prep school in Glastonbury is opening again year after year
this summer.
Britain has always educated five to 11 years olds (or 13 in the
case of independent preps) separately from older children. It is safer, 50+ nationalities
reduces bullying and violence and allows for courses and teachers
tailored to this age group. Once again, the young learner specialists www.discoverysummer.co.uk
know best.
22 February 2024