Headington Oxford Summer School
Ages 13-16
Our Oxford Summer School takes place at Headington School, a leading independent school in the UK. The programme offers teenage students a great combination of English language learning, cultural excursions and activities, providing a truly memorable summer experience.
Connect and grow this summer by taking advantage of all that Headington has to offer.
Discover how you can find your spark at this fantastic school.
Discover more about what a typical two-week course at Headington Summer School looks like for our students. Please note our sample timetable is given as an example and can be subject to change.
Headington Oxford Summer School provides students with an idyllic setting in which to study and meet other students from around the world. The programme offers teenage students a great combination of English language learning, cultural excursions and activities, providing a truly memorable summer experience.
Located in a picturesque suburb and spanning 23 acres, Headington is a 30-minute walk from the centre of Oxford, making it conveniently accessible to the city’s historic beauty.
The school boasts a wide range of impressive facilities including a sports hall, theatre, and the new purpose-built art studios. Headington Oxford facilities accommodate a wide range of skills and interests. You will be able to take advantage of the extensive facilities, whether you wish to channel Headington’s famous alumni, Emma Watson, on stage or compete against new friends while using Headington’s extensive sports facilities.
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At Headington Oxford Summer School, students can fully immerse themselves in a wide range of fun activities. We aim to facilitate the physical and mental well-being of all our students, by providing a whole host of games and sports that allow students to explore their extracurricular passions and interests.
On Tuesdays, students can take part in the cultural programme which could feature activities such as Oxford Walking Tours, Punting, and a visit to Ashmolean Museum.
In addition, there will also be several whole school events, such as tournaments, quizzes, zorbing and discos. This helps develop key teamwork and communication skills whilst, most importantly, having fun! This part of the experience ensures students socialise with peers outside of their subject and language groups, and builds a sense of community within our schools.
*Schedules are subject to change
During a two week course, students will go on three enjoyable excursions to famous UK cities and popular tourist destinations, providing the opportunity to see some of the UK’s most famous attractions and landmarks.
To ensure that our students get to make the most from their trip, our dedicated team of staff accompany the students and provide a full itinerary for the day.
During their stay, all students will visit London at least once, but to broaden our students’ cultural horizons even further, our excursions frequently include visits to other famous British locations such as Bath and Bristol.
In each location, with parental consent, students will have the opportunity to explore independently in small groups during their excursion free time.
Because we encourage experiential learning, SBC goes above and beyond the curriculum. Our students are challenged to use and exhibit new skills in a supportive and encouraging setting.
At SBC, we take full advantage of how we can differentiate ourselves from more formal teaching settings and cultivate a relaxed atmosphere. With more dynamic lesson structures, our students have an even greater opportunity to demonstrate their individuality and to enhance their soft skills.
By creating fresh possibilities for important skills like critical thinking, leadership, communication and teamwork, we bring theory into practice.
Each of our students are empowered to think independently and critically while working together with others to find solutions, under the careful guidance of our excellent teachers.
A highlight of the students’ week is our famous Time to Shine projects. Here, students work in teams to develop a special presentation throughout the week, which is then presented to the class. Outstanding presentations will be given in front of the whole school during a special Time to Shine event.
Confidence, public speaking skills and teamwork are just a few of the qualities that are developed during this special project. By placing student autonomy at the heart of our academic programme, students deliver their own ideas, solutions to problems and outlook on the world.
The English Plus+ Programme enables our students to try new activities and classes or to develop existing interests and skills. English Plus+ courses are optional and each student can select one English Plus+ course each week, at an additional cost. Where selected, English Plus+ replaces the Multi-Activity Programme for two afternoons each week and allows the students to choose from:
This course is for our more adventurous students and can include kayaking, paintballing, climbing, laser quest and high ropes. All activities take place off-site and are run by professional instructors.
This 2 week course is for creative students looking to develop their artistic skills. Students will focus on painting, sculpture and drawing, creating their own portfolio over the 2 week period.
Students of all abilities can enjoy this vibrant course led by a qualified dance teacher which includes modern styles and street dance classes.
Honestly, Headington was the best thing that happened to me this year, I met so many different people with different cultures. All the stuff members were amazing and so nice and supportive , I felt safe and at home here and I’m so sad to be leaving but hopefully I will be back next year
The safety and well-being of students is our number one priority. We have a comprehensive Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and procedures in place to which all employees, volunteers, visitors, and contractors are obligated to adhere to.
All staff are given the tools, through their extensive training, to guarantee that all students feel safe, secure, valued and respected whilst studying with SBC. Students are accommodated in secure and comfortable boarding houses with each house managed by a dedicated House Parent alongside a team of residential staff. Our staff teams are always available to provide high-quality pastoral support and remain on call 24 hours per day.
Student voice also features heavily in our students’ experience and we empower our students to shape their own experience by championing that voice. SBC is committed to our response to student feedback and welcomes student-led initiatives which help us to continue to provide excellent services.
At Headington Oxford Summer School, all students reside in purpose-built boarding houses divided into male and female accommodation. The houses are well maintained and are made up of comfortable single-occupancy, twin and small-dorm rooms with shared bathrooms and common rooms. Boarding houses are where our students forge strong friendships, which often last beyond the summer experience. Our House Parents and residential staff are experienced in facilitating these bonds.
Take a virtual tour of Headington accommodation.
| Start Date | End Date | Duration | General English Price | Future Doctors, Future Engineers, Future Business Leaders & Future Global Leaders Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 17th July 2023 | Monday 31st July 2023 | 2 Weeks | £3,500 | £4,000 |
| Monday 17th July 2023 | Monday 7th August 2023 | 3 Weeks | £5,250 | - |
| Monday 17th July 2023 | Monday 14th August 2023 | 4 Weeks | £7,000 | - |
| Monday 31st July 2023 | Monday 14th August 2023 | 2 Weeks | £3,500 | £4,000 |
| Monday 31st July 2023 | Monday 21st August 2023 | 3 Weeks | £5,250 | - |
| Monday 7th August 2023 | Monday 21st August 2023 | 2 Weeks | £3,500 | - |
Headington Oxford Summer School includes:
Also available at a supplementary cost are additional academic options, the English Plus+ activity programme and Airport Transfers.
See our campus sample timetable here.
In order to submit your booking for Headington Oxford, click on the ‘make a booking’ tab in the right-hand corner of our home page and fill out our ‘Make a Booking’ form.
Your dedicated Admissions Manager will then contact you via your preferred method of contact to confirm any outstanding details. This will be the perfect opportunity to ask any questions before a deposit is paid. Once your details are confirmed, you will be sent a booking confirmation email, which serves as formal confirmation of your child’s place.
Your admissions manager sends a booking confirmation containing an invoice and the flywire payment link.
The fee includes all accommodation, meals*, lessons, academic materials, general sports, social activities and events, all standard excursions including admission costs, Wi-Fi, weekly laundry services, graduation certificate, academic progress report and travel insurance. Airport transfers from/to London Heathrow Airport on Start/End Dates start from £120 each way.
*We will endeavour to meet specific dietary requirements, e.g. vegetarian, vegan, Halal etc. Please let us know of any requirements at the time of booking.
Each academic course has a minimum duration of two weeks, however if you would like to enrol onto a second course you would be able to do so after the completion of the first course.
Students at Headington Oxford Summer School will live and study on the school’s beautiful 23 acre campus. Headington is just under two miles from Oxford city centre close enough to conveniently visit the historic splendour of the city, and far enough to keep the busy summer crowds at bay.
If Headington’s 23 acres of facilities and playing fields weren’t enough, the school is also close to the leafy surroundings of one of Oxford’s award-winning parks, which we make the very most of as part of our exciting activities program.
At Headington School, our students will benefit from all that the wonderful city of Oxford has to offer.
At Headington there are five boarding houses, providing accommodation for up to 180 students. Boarding at Headington is fun and friendly and students benefit hugely from the facilities, support and friendships they form in the boarding houses. All of the houses provide comfortable single, twin or small-dorm bedrooms with shared bathroom facilities and common rooms.
You have a right to cancel your booking within 14 days from the date of the Confirmation (the “Cancellation Period”) without giving any reason.
All cancellations must be made in writing and take effect from the date we receive such notice. Where a cancellation is made more than 30 days prior to the Arrival Date, there will be a refund of all Course Fees paid, minus the Deposit.
The quickest and easiest way to find out whether you need a Visa is to check via this link here.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can travel to the UK for holidays or short trips without needing a visa. This applies now, after Brexit.
For those that do require a Visa, the application that you will need to apply for is the Standard Visitor Visa.
It is important to note that, depending on the country, applications can take around 20 working days (or 3-4 weeks) to process. You are advised to begin the application process as early as possible. Once the Visa is obtained, we will need to receive a scanned copy of the student’s passport and the Visa by e-mail. SBC International reserve the right to cancel a booking, if a copy of the Visa has not been received 4 weeks before the course arrival date.
If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact your local embassy who should be able to offer you the correct support and guidance.
Yes, if you would like to make any amendments to your booking then you can do so by contacting your Admissions Manager.
At the end of the programme, all students receive a certificate of attendance from the Director of Studies during their end of course celebration ceremony.
Before the summer, we send an online test for students to complete. We will use the results to confirm their suitability for the course. In the case that a student does not meet the required level on the test, we will conduct an academic consultation to assess the next best step.
We have an extremely high ratio of staff to students throughout the summer. At each Campus, we have a Welfare Co-Ordinator, who oversees the welfare and safety of the students and would deal with any pastoral issues. We also have several House Parents, who are responsible for the day-to-day care of the students and are the first point of contact if any student felt as though they were upset in any way. Alongside these members of staff, all employees are trained before the summer in Child Safeguarding and many of the staff are trained in giving First Aid. There will also be a dedicated Admissions Manager for each Campus, who will be the main point of contact for families with any issues or concerns.
Our friendly and supportive staff team are available 24 hours per day to support students. We pride ourselves on offering the best possible care to students, and achieved British Council area of strength in ‘care of students’ and ‘safeguarding under 18s’.
To begin the summer of a lifetime simply fill out our enquiry form below and a member of our expert admissions team will be in touch.
