Frequently Asked Questions

For full details regarding cancellations, including eligibility, notice periods, and any applicable fees, please refer to our Terms and Conditions.

Our courses can be broadly divided into three distinct categories: 1) ‘English Adventurers’ and ‘English Pathways’ courses* and 2) English Through Academic Subjects (i.e. non-General English), 3.) Subject-specific tuition at Oxford College.

We offer ‘English Adventurers’ and ‘English Pathways’ courses for students between 8 and 17 years of age who wish to improve their English for use in everyday situations, as well as for academic purposes. Our tutors use a wide range of modern communicative methodologies that focus on developing confidence and ability in English, giving students the tools that they need to both communicate and study effectively. All skills are taught in our General English courses: speaking, reading, writing and listening. Through our innovative course designs, students always practice and recycle what they have learned during their lessons.

The English Through Academic Subjects programme is specifically designed for intermediate level or above students. These courses are written and delivered to primarily teach the English language through the study of a subject itself. In these courses, teaching English and teaching the subject is integrated together, so that you will learn both at the same time. This language learning methodology is called Content & Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). All of our CLIL subject courses have the following four objectives:

• Communication: Studying through a communicative and collaborative approach to learning, with the aim of improving English language proficiency.
• Content: Improving the knowledge of the subject (e.g. Medicine, International Relations, etc.)
• Cognition: All courses at SBC focus on developing 21st Century Skills, such as critical thinking skills, collaborative skills and presentation skills.
• Culture: All courses include the cross-cultural benefits of studying in a multi-national environment.

Subject-specific tuition is available at Oxford College. In subject-specific courses, the focus is on learning the subject itself, rather than learning English through studying the subject. Students are required to have an intermediate level of English or higher, and the courses accommodate both native and non-native speakers of English. The courses are intended to improve our students’ knowledge of specific subjects, with particular emphasis on preparing students for university-level study. Students will follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest minds, as they explore their chosen subject through a series of engaging lectures, tutorials, 2:1 tutorials and industry workshops, delivered by leading academics and professionals.

All students receive 15-22 hours of tuition per week in their chosen subject, culminating in a Time to Shine presentation. This gives students the opportunity to use their English and demonstrate their learning whilst developing their presentation skills. Every student will also take part in a series of dynamic tasks and projects to enhance their learning.

*includes Think Global!

Our Oxford College programme may be based at a college or campus within the University of Oxford. Summer Boarding Courses is an independent organisation and has no formal affiliation, partnership or other relationship with the University of Oxford, nor should our use of University facilities be understood as implying any endorsement by the University.

Students benefit from living and studying in the historic and inspiring surroundings of Oxford, providing an engaging environment in which to develop their academic skills and prepare for future study.

At SBC, we appreciate that you want the best educational experience for your child, and as such several parents ask us about the qualifications of our teachers. We believe in selecting teachers who are not just knowledgeable in their subject areas, but who also have the right blend of experience, passion, and teaching aptitude, especially in an international context.

Our General English teachers are qualified English as a Foreign language teachers who have undergone rigorous training to ensure the best delivery of English lessons. While the majority of our subject-specific tutors are traditionally qualified teachers or university lecturers, others may be experienced tutors or postgraduate students with specialised expertise. Recent graduates and postgraduates bring a fresh perspective by sharing the latest research in their fields, as well as their recent university experiences, including insights into the application process, offering our students valuable up-to-date knowledge that is relevant to both academic and professional environments.

In our British Council inspection, we were awarded 15/15 strengths, including for ‘teaching’ and ‘course design’. The inspectors noted that: ‘Carefully chosen teams of appropriately qualified staff, led and supported by fully competent academic managers from HO and in the schools, deliver well-structured courses designed to provide maximum possible benefit to students.’ Read more about our British Council accreditation.

It is important to us that each teacher is chosen because they are the most appropriate for their specific role, ensuring that they can provide a high-quality, engaging, and enriching learning experience for our students.  Many of our teaching staff return year after year, a testament to their satisfaction with working at SBC.

Please go through to the Framework of Levels for Placement Test page to find out more information.

You should only book your flights to/from the UK once the deposit payment has been received by SBC International (you will receive confirmation from your Admissions Manager). Thereafter, you may book your flights to/from the UK on published Start and End Dates. Our Admissions Team is happy to assist and review your flight times.

For full details regarding Visas, cancellations, including refund eligibility please refer to our Terms and Conditions.

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.

Upon receipt of your deposit payment (due within 48 hours of receiving the Booking Confirmation Email), we will ask you to send your child’s passport details to your Admissions Manager. They will be able to issue a Visa Support Letter for the purposes of applying for the 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 which should be able to offer you the correct support and guidance.

Please look at our Dates & Prices here and check the relevant location. The Start Date shows the date on which the student will need to arrive at the School/land in the UK. The End Date shows the date on which the student will need to leave the School/depart from the UK.

If you are accompanying your child to the School, please arrive on the Start Date between 11:00 and 15:00. The exact address will be confirmed in your Welcome Pack or by your Admissions Manager. If you are collecting your child at the end of their stay, please collect on End Date between 09:00 and 11:00.

For those using our Shared Transfer Service, please see details below under ‘’What are your Transfer Fees & Process?’.

*Earlscliffe fee includes return transfers to/from London Heathrow and London Gatwick for flights/trains scheduled to arrive/depart between 9am-3pm on published arrival and departure day.

For other locations, we provide all our students with the option of using our Shared Transfer Service from/to London Heathrow Airport and St. Pancras International.

When a student arrives, an SBC staff member wearing a bright yellow t-shirt will be waiting to greet her/him and accompany them to our Welcome Club. At Welcome Club, she/he will have the chance to meet other students arriving, have some light refreshments and relax. After a little rest, students will be accompanied by students and SBC staff to board the coach and be taken directly to the School in a private coach. The Shared Transfer Service can be used by students using the following flight times:

Flight lands on arrival day: 06:00-17:00

Flight take-off time on departure day: 8:00-18:00

If you book a flight outside of these times or to/from another UK airport, we can look at sending a staff member in a taxi to collect or drop off your child, but it will cost more than the Shared Transfer Service. Quotes are available upon request.

We have a range of residential accommodation facilities across all Campuses. Please see below for the options available:

• Headington – Mostly twin rooms. Some male single rooms and female dorms
• Eton – Single rooms
• Oxford College – Single rooms with shared bathrooms.  A small number of twins are available
• Dukes Cambridge – Single en-suite rooms
• Earlscliffe – Mostly twin and triple en-suite rooms. A few single en-suite

We always room students with someone of a similar age, but different native language. However, we will do our best to meet any specific accommodation requests (e.g. sharing a room with a friend). Contact your Admissions Manager upon booking to arrange this.

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’.

Where possible, we will accommodate male and female students in different boarding houses. On some Campuses, male and female students are housed in the same buildings. However, their rooms are always on separate corridors and/or staircases and are supervised 24/7 by SBC staff.

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/College Mentors, 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’.

You can find full details about our approach in our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, which outlines how we protect children and respond to concerns. The policy is available to view here.