Page 22 - ELG2406 June Issue 490

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Keeping it in the family

Would you go to school alongside your kids? Melanie Butler takes
a look at the institutions who offer exactly that for families who want
to learn English together.

amily summer courses are nothing reading skills, as studying in L2 groups with
new. The great-grandaddy of them all, extra teacher support.
Marlborough College, celebrates its When talking to Marlborough about
F50th anniversary this year. mixing L1 and L2 children in the activity
Marlborough, an independent school programmes, I told them of one UK language
(whose alumni include Katherine, Princess school which ran two summer schools on
of Wales) has been offering English Language the same campus: one for international kids,
courses for parents and their children the other for Brits. ‘Oh no!’ was the horrified
(minimum age 3) since 1974. However, reply. ‘That’s all wrong!’
English Language is just one of an array of Interestingly, the response to my story from
courses, that include History, Art History ACET in Cork, one of the few schools in
and Culture, to Science, Computing and Ireland advertising family courses, drew the
Photography. same reaction. ‘But my own kids spent their
The idea of adults taking an English course summers on the course… they made Russian
at the same school as their children has friends, French, Spanish…’
certainly spread through the private language A growing number of UK schools invite
school sector, not just in the UK, but also a few native speaker children to join the
Ireland and Canada; even tiny Malta boasts summer fun, sometimes on scholarships or,
half a dozen. for the over 16s, as a paid holiday.
One key factor in Marlborough’s success,
however, remains unique: British families The language school Family
come too! In fact, 80% of the families Programme
attending Marlborough summer are now The majority of family courses stick to the tried
Brits, with the majority of the rest coming and tested method: parents and children study
from Europe, plus a healthy number from English for half the day, generally in the same find new-kid-on-the-block, Language Tree,
Japan and China. school but different classrooms, with activities which promises parents time to relax while
in the afternoons and at weekends. Normally their kids hit the surf.
Learning with L1 peers the activities are done together as a family, Meanwhile, back in London, Wimbledon
Few schools can copy Marlborough’s method a particular feature at Malta Lingua, though School of English – long-time top-scorer in
of attracting Brits. However, enrolling local Access English in Canada promises two family the Gazette’s rankings for its adult school –
children is another matter. Chinese parents activities a week and two for adults only. has recently set up one of its junior summer
are particularly keen on their kids learning The pioneers of the family packages in the camps locally, so parents and their children
with English-speaking peers and are choosing UK, or at least in London were SKOLA, the can study in one of the green historic London
US summer camps over the UK’s Harry Potter young learners’ specialists. Nowadays though, villages where affluent Londoners prefer
offering this year, according to EFL Market the parents attend separate local language to live.
researchers, BONARD. centres. Another top adult school, The English
One agent we found is offering a family Frances King in London’s upmarket Language Centre Brighton, has set up a
package in Florida with parents attending a Kensington have been offering the product for joint venture with another local Centre of
language school while their children go to a well over a decade and run it year-round to fit Excellence, Loxdale English, who both share
‘typical day camp’. Perhaps this is the kind in with school holidays in different countries. a common Swedish founder.
of package which means Chinese parents ‘The year starts with the Latin Americans,’ Or for those who want to explore the North
are opting for the US. Only one UK school they tell me. of England, there is Anglolang on the coast
we know of offers a similar package; ECS Recently, Frances King have also offered in Scarborough, while in nearby historic York,
Scotland In Edinburgh teaches the parents their programme in Ireland, who alongside Melton College offers courses for parents and
while their children attend a specialist activity Acet Cork, are two of only three schools children with accommodation in their very
programme alongside Scottish children. offering these courses in the country. The own hotel right next door.
Yet there is growing evidence that, while problem in Ireland is, as always, housing; Parents praying for prime digs could also
having a native speaker teacher does not one reason, perhaps, why Irish-owned chain, look to Malta ESE which offers its own
guarantee better learning, mixing with Atlas schools have launched their family accommodation at Salini resort, the venue
native speaker peers does. A metanalysis programme in their new school in rural for junior programmes. Parents can choose
of American students learning languages Country Clare. from General English at the resort, or take
overseas found that living with host families Also an early adopter is IH Torquay, a Business English programmes at sister
significantly increased learning, while living Gazette Centre of Excellence on the English school ETI.
in hostels for international students did Riviera in Devon, who make something of a Concorde International also offers a business
not. A New York study of 70,000 migrant specialty of the programme and also run them option on its parent and children course in
children under the age of 12 found that year-round. the historic English town of Canterbury, and
learning to read in groups including L1 Cross over the river Tamar to the Bede’s Summer has added a parents course at
children was just as effective, in terms of westernmost county of Cornwall and you’ll its Eastbourne day centre.
22 June 2024