English summer school
for children aged 8-12

Learning a new language is great for a child's development, confidence and social skills. Our children's summer camp immerses pupils in the English language in the south of England.

ECS English summer school takes place at a beautiful countryside school with large, enclosed grounds. Everyone lives on campus during the course, staying in comfortable boarding houses with house parents. There are great facilities, from a swimming pool to a performance hall and an extensive library.

The ECS summer course for kids combines language lessons with fun activities, games, sports and trips. It is a great opportunity to develop confidence, build their language skills, have new experiences and make friends from around the world.

Children enjoy the freedom to play in a wide open space and there are swings, slides, and a tree house area where they can relax safely during free time. As well as a healthy, active lifestyle, our course provides tasty and nutritious food every mealtime including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Whether summer school is a new or familiar experience, ECS provides a happy and safe environment for young learners. Our experienced and caring staff ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our pupils.

Age range

Our children's summer camp is specially designed for younger kids from age 8 to 12.

We will occasionally accept 7 years olds if they are sufficiently independent. And some 13 year olds are better suited to join the younger 8 - 12 age group. This flexibility allows us to cater for each pupil as an individual, creating the summer experience that is best for them.

Children over 12 years old join our English summer camp for teenagers.

Teaching programme

English lessons for our younger children are taught through art, crafts, songs, games, stories and drama. This approach combines language learning with general educational, as well as personal and social development.

We use interesting and engaging materials in our lessons and themes are often connected to other activities and excursions. For example, learning about trees, insects and wildlife in the classroom might be paired with nature treasure hunts, art and crafts with leaves and countryside walks.

We also use workshops where pupils can learn practical skills, build their confidence and develop creativity through art, drama and cookery. Our aim is to educate our pupils in a holistic and lasting way, what we call Real Learning.

Our teachers, activity leaders and house parents are friendly and professional. Each member of the team has appropriate qualifications and security checks to make sure our pupils are safe and supported.

Accommodation

Our summer school has residential accommodation on site. Children aged 8 - 12 live in a modern boarding house, boys on one floor, girls on another. 

Each child has their own bedroom, complete with desk, storage spaces and washbasin. Each corridor of around 10 people is well provided with its own toilets and washing facilities.

Bedrooms are separated by a removable partition, allowing children to create a double room if they prefer to be with a similarly aged relative or friend.

The boarding house has a common room with special 'disco' lighting and a large and comfortable seating area with TV and piano. Table tennis and pool tables are also available separately.

House parents support the children and create a warm, friendly, well supervised environment to help them feel comfortable, speak English and make new friends.

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The main school building is called 'The Mansion'. We sometimes use this for small groups, or if we have a particularly busy summer.

The Mansion is comfortably furnished and full of 'Harry Potter' style character. Children are accommodated in bedrooms or four to six people. There are separate areas for girls and boys and comfortable common rooms.

The grand hall is oak panelled and has a huge working fireplace, great for gathering round for story telling and hot drinks in the evenings.

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Sports, activities and excursions

After a morning of learning English in the classroom, our pupils practise their English together through a huge range of activities in the afternoon and evenings.

There are many different sports to try on our English summer camp, from swimming to dodgeball. We can also arrange professional coaching in golf and tennis for all ages. There is no required level of fitness or ability for sports at ECS, everyone is welcome and catered for.

On the weekend we take trips and excursions to local places for sightseeing, shopping and culture. And In the evenings we arrange social activities, like games and movie nights, to help our pupils connect, make new friends and develop their communications skills in English.

Pupils from age 11+ can also join our special Stonehenge trip to see the ancient stone circle.

Looking after children on our summer camp

Our pupils are supported by our experienced summer camp team throughout their stay, from arrival to departure.

All activities are risk assessed and carefully planned to be fun, safe and inclusive. There are always several members of staff to offer help and support during games, sports, social activities and trips. All staff are carefully background checked and must complete a course in child safeguarding. Several members of staff are fully qualified in first aid and the swimming pool can only be used when a lifeguard is present.

Learn more about safety and wellbeing at ECS.