Thames Valley Summer Schools

For over 40 years, Thames Valley Summer Schools has run among the most consistently popular residential English language courses in the country, with more than 60,000 students choosing to spend their summers with us. We work with only the most prestigious English boarding schools. Though they were founded hundreds of years ago, they’re as up-to-date as any in the country. Millions of pounds are spent on them every year to make sure they’re constantly being developed. All are within easy reach of London, Heathrow airport and some of England’s most historic towns and cities. We never forget that students come to Thames Valley Summer Schools to improve their English. Our job, first and foremost, is to help them achieve this in a safe and enjoyable environment. Our courses are designed for students aged 8-17 and they're the only ones in the country to concentrate exclusively on the Trinity College examinations in spoken English. Last year, our pass rate was 99%, with 83% of students achieving merit or distinction. We now also offer FCE and IELTS exam courses at Rugby. We build language exercises around trips to many of the country’s most famous landmarks. Places like Canterbury, Cambridge, Oxford, Brighton and Stratford-upon-Avon are on the itinerary (depending on the centre). There are also regular excursions into London, which include an educational tour of great museums combined with the opportunity to do some shopping in Oxford Street, Covent Garden or Knightsbridge (depending on the centre). In the afternoons, teachers and specialist staff organise a whole host of activities such as volleyball, tennis, badminton, basketball, squash, table-tennis, football, softball, swimming and water polo. All our centres have classes in ICT, arts and crafts, aerobics and Zumba. In the evening, there are all sorts of entertainments, ranging from discos to karaoke, talent shows to sports competitions, film shows to themed barbecues. At three of our schools our afternoon Academy courses give you the chance to learn new skills from qualified instructions (view our website for more details): https://www.thamesvalleysummer.com/academies.aspx