Sharing on Summer Programs Aboard

YauMum

Start this new topic for sharing purpose.

Please share preparation and findings & experience afterwards.

My girl is going to a girls boarding school in UK for 2 weeks.

Monita

Hi! My girl will join Headington Oxford summer school this summer.  We have no experience at all as this is the 1st time for her and will have to travel alone.  Therefore, we just follow the list "what to bring" from the school.  
Which summer school your girl is going to join?  Any advice you can share?   Thanks.

YauMum

She is 10 and going to Heathfiled School, Ascort.  It's girls boarding school, the school says it's run by the school for years.  This is the only girls school I could find.

I believe your daughter's one is a co-Ed.

I've compared quite a few summer courses, the fees are more or less the same.

Nice trip to your daughter.  BTW, she need pocket money for shopping but UK is very very expensive.

Remind her to bring a cardigan and a bottle of water with her during when she has day trip.

Monita

I did consider Heathfield as well.  As my girl has been studying girl school thus I choose co-ed summer school for her.  By the way, thanks for your reminder n I think it's still cool there in the mid of July.  For the pocket money, the school advises to bring 50 pounds per week.

primary2007

How did you apply ? By agent ?

YauMum

This is the agent referred by other parents on other thread:-

www.tilc.hk

They don't post summer course on their website and you may call for details.

They don't charge you, even if you apply via them, the cost is the same. They may be helping you on some occasions, esp the courses are going to start soon.

Finally, I did not apply via the agent as I believe I can handle it by myself & applied it on line & paid by credit card.  

I applied via this link:-

http://www.babssco.co.uk

The pre-arrangement was fine to me, so far.

Let you know more about the course when she is back from the course.

Also, Bristish Council's website has a list of summer programs at different schools.  Some of them arranged by summer school agents and some of them arranged by the schools themselves.  They state it clearly.

Not sure if it is too late to apply by yourself, as air ticket is a problem.  The air fare is nearly the same as the course fees.

I don't recommend home stay, as recent years, a lot of home stay families aim for money only.  They don't have any heart for students.

primary2007

Thank you very much.

Monita

YauMum,

Will you buy calling card for your girl during the trip or any other recommendations?  Thanks.

Monita

原帖由 YauMum 於 11-6-15 09:17 發表
She is 10 and going to Heathfiled School, Ascort.  It's girls boarding school, the school says it's run by the school for years.  This is the only girls school I could find.

I believe your daughter' ...

YauMum

Monita,

We just let her to have a mobile phone to call us if in need.

I don't expect her to call us that much once she has friends. (The kids don't call if they are happy.)
Suggest counsel your daugther to be open, enjoy and make friends & try to keep in touch after the course via facebook etc. After all, just two weeks, good or bad, also just two weeks.  I don't worry about the school arrangement, but the students are different every single time.

Stay two to three together when they are out, esp London shopping trip.  

Bristish are nice to tourists and kids though they are racist sometime.

Bakc to your question, I don't have much info on calling cards; alternatively, ask her to make a collect call to you first & you call her back.  I believe it is the easier way for you.

Monita

Yau Ma,

Many thanks for your words and advice which help to ease my worry.  

I have settled the problem of calling card as the school will provide her one UK sim card (no charge for receiving call), thus we can call her there besides using HK calling card (charge for in & out-calls).

HKdevil

Sorry the link you gave does not work, please check again.

原帖由 YauMum 於 20-6-2011 17:52 發表
This is the agent referred by other parents on other thread:-

www.tilc.hk

They don't post summer course on their website and you may call for details.

They don't charge you, even if you apply via  ...

YauMum

Just back from the summer course.

We sent her to the school by ourselves and picked her up, too.

I met some HK girls who were also sent by the parents and fly home under UM themselves.

She started the course on the 9th for two weeks, I am satisfied with the enrolment, payment and follow up information given prior the course commenced.  

Heathfield School is easy to be reach by train from London and there is Premier Inn right next to the school for short stay.  It would be better to go Ascot Station and take a short cab ride.

As the school has been running summer school/ camp for years, to me, it is well organized.  A small girls school with all necessary facilities.

If the girls are under 12, they must be under surpervision of a teacher in filed trips.  Older girls are allowed to go around in groups.


Provisional time tables were provided in advance and the final one had a little amendment which is acceptable.

The girls are arranged with different nationalities, as my daugther is only 10 & joined on the 9th, she was put in a room of 6 with spanish, russian and italian girls.  The provided food is good to me, they were fully occupied once they get up in the morning until bed time.

A few HK girls joined on the 2nd week.  My daugther told me the 3rd and 4th week are full.  Though on the website, they set out the coruse but some of them go for three weeks from the 2nd week.  I believe it could be done and suit for perosnal need.

Some girls were home sick and cried on a few occasions and they adapted the boarding life after one week, including mine.  

If the girl goes alone, it would be lonely but it forces her to make friends with others.  If the girls go together, they settle down well but easy to group with their own people.  

Other than homesick and English lessons in the morning, my daughter was happy about this summer school.

From my point of view, a good opportunity to meet other nationalities and taste the boarding life (without prep time).   Of course, some of them are nice but some of them are not.

Hope the above is help to you all.  

And this is the only girls school program found on the web and the school runs the program by themselves.  If you check on web and British Council web, they have more to offer.

YauMum