Junior Summer Course
For ages 8 - 12 years old
Summer Courses for Young Learners
Course Overview
Our Junior Summer Course is held in Old Buckenham Hall School in Suffolk, (an hour’s drive from Cambridge). The 400 year old school building is set in beautiful, rolling countryside.
You are welcome to join us on this residential summer course. We combine a first-class education with an integrated social and activity programme to produce a unique study abroad experience.
The summer academic program is focused around learning English as well as British Life and Culture (though other courses may be available upon request). Students typically study for 3 hours each day and their learning is supplemented by an activity from our extensive social program, which ranges from a sport or enrichment activity to a visit to a local place of interest such as Lavenham, a beautiful old market town. Traditionally, enrichment activities include; arts and crafts, music and drama, etc.
New for 2025, students undertake a learning track in one of three areas: coding, sports science or entrepreneurship. Students complete a project during their chosen track while developing a range of 21st Century Skills and their knowledge in several STEM subjects.
Students also participate in a full evening program which could range from a quiz or games night to a student show, which is entirely student led. There are numerous sports facilities including an outdoor-heated swimming pool, an astroturf pitch, a golf course, tennis courts and football pitches.
The facilities at Old Buckenham Hall School are excellent and help supplement one of our core values which is that learning should be student-centered and multi-faceted. Our weekend trips to places of interest, including London and Cambridge, help supplement cultural learning.
There is a Student Services Manager who students can discuss any issues with on a daily basis.
Old Buckenham Hall
Our junior residential course is held in the beautiful setting of Old Buckenham Hall School (OBH), near Ipswich and within easy access of London and the main London airports. The school lies within 90 spacious acres of stunning woodland with superb views across the Suffolk countryside and is in a secure location.
OBH school boasts a suite of modern teaching classrooms and a spacious theatre where we hold our morning assemblies and fortnightly student shows. There is an Art & Design Centre, Science block, IT Centre, Music School and an outdoor classroom.
All meals are eaten in the canteen, which is in the main part of the building. Students receive a choice of hot and cold food and we encourage healthy eating.
The accommodation is in small dormitories with normally 4 or 5 beds per room (a maximum of 10). Male and female dormitories are separated and residential staff are on hand to ensure that the children go to bed at the right time and keep themselves and their dormitory areas tidy. There are also trained pastoral staff to deal with any individual concerns of the students.
Teaching Methodology
A genuinely educational experience – all lessons, activities and visits have a linguistic and cultural purpose, as well as being enjoyable.
We use the Lexical Approach - an approach that helps students to notice, learn, remember and use new words, phrases and structures in order that they can understand and use English more fluently, accurately and naturally.
The maximum class size is 16.
Students are tested before being placed in classes with students of a similar language level. Placement is kept under review, ensuring that each student is in the most appropriate group.
The latest National Geographic course books are used for each level, together with specially selected materials relevant to the age and interests of the students.
Classroom activities such as role-plays, simulations and language games give students practice in communicative language skills.
Language connected to excursions is introduced and followed up in the classroom.
Students take home a work file as a permanent record of course achievement.
An Attendance Certificate and a detailed record of achievement are provided for all students on course completion.
Courses of 2 to 5 weeks’ duration
Age limits are closely followed. There may be exceptional circumstances when a student outside the age range is allowed to join the course if the school is sure their presence will not adversely affect the course and that proper safeguarding procedures are in place
Social Program
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Social Activities
As well as improving English language skills, students who visit us at OBH take part in the rich variety of social, cultural and sporting activities offered by CCL. The course programme includes approximately 3 hours of activities every day, including a weekly visit to Cambridge to visit colleges or go punting on the Cam, visits to local attractions, arts & crafts as well as the famous CCL Summer BBQ!
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Excursions
Additionally, full day excursions to London, Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, Brighton and other places of interest are arranged throughout the course period. We ensure that our activities are both educational and lots of fun for all of our students.
Course Dates & Fees
OBH 1R - Residential Accommodation - 13 July – 27 July 2025 (2 weeks) - £2,800
OBH 2R - Residential Accommodation - 27 July – 17 August 2025 (3 weeks) - £4,200
OBH 3R - Residential Accommodation - 03 August – 17 August 2025 (2 weeks) - £2,800
OBH 4R - Residential Accommodation - 13 July – 17 August 2025 (5 weeks) - £7,000
FAQs
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Course fees include 15 hours of tuition per week alternating between morning and afternoon lessons, morning or afternoon activities on four week days and three evenings, one full day excursion each week, airport transfers on the specified course dates to and from London airports, shared homestay accommodation, all meals (packed lunch for excursions), use of course material and end-of-course report and certificate.
The fees do NOT include pocket money, local bus fare (if applicable), bank/credit card charges, enrolment fee of £100, damage fund of £200, and airport transport on days other than those advertised as our course dates.
Students can also choose to go on extra trips at additional cost. This is normally charged at £45.00 per person per trip to include coach and entrance.
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A genuinely educational experience – all lessons, activities and visits have a linguistic and cultural purpose, as well as being enjoyable.
UK teenagers act as Teaching Assistants enabling students to meet local young people of a similar age.
The maximum class size is 16.
Students are tested before being placed in classes with students of a similar language level. Placement is kept under review, ensuring that each student is in the most appropriate group.
The latest Cambridge University Press course books are used for each level, together with specially selected materials relevant to the age and interests of the students.
Attention is paid to accuracy as well as fluency, and help is offered when grammatical difficulties arise.
Classroom activities such as role-plays, simulations and language games give students practice in communicative language skills.
Language connected to excursions is introduced and followed up in the classroom.
Students take home a work file as a permanent record of course achievement.
An Attendance Certificate and a detailed record of achievement are provided for all students on course completion.
Courses of 2 to 6 weeks’ duration
Age limits are closely followed. There may be exceptional circumstances when a student outside the age range is allowed to join the course if the school is sure their presence will not adversely affect the course and that proper safeguarding procedures are in place
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Please check the Enrol section of the website to fill the enrolment form online and pay the deposit.
Alternatively, to reserve a place on a course please send the enrolment form together with your Banker’s Advice form showing that your deposit of £200 and enrollment fee of £100, totalling £300, has been transferred to the Centre’s bank account. The official Certificate of Acceptance cannot be issued before the deposit is received by the Cambridge Centre for Languages. For bank transfer, our account details are: Account No: 50112453, Sort code: 20-17-35, Barclays Bank, 28 Chesterton Road, Cambridge CB4 3AZ, England. IBAN NUMBER: GB47BARC20173550112453; SWIFTCODE: BARCGB22, reference: student`s name.
The deposit and enrolment fee can also be paid by credit card (please see “Section Four” on the enrolment form).
The balance of fees is due, at the latest, 4 weeks before the course begins, and can be paid in the same way as the deposit. Please note that for all payments made by bank transfer, ALL international banking fees must be pre-paid.
Failure to comply with the registration formalities and payment terms may result in the enrolment being cancelled.
Payments may not be made in instalments.
The Cambridge Centre for Languages reserves the right to decline an application for a course.
By registering a student on our course, parents/guardian/agents give the Cambridge Centre for Languages permission to include the student in the course photographs we take or films we make to be used for promotional purposes.
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We regret that no reduction of fees can be made if a student begins the course late or leaves early.
In case of cancellation we will refund all course fees and the deposit only if cancellation is received in writing within 14 days of the booking being made. Please note accommodation fees are exempt from the cancellation policy.
If a student of a country for which there is a visa requirement to enter the U.K. is refused by the British authorities (British Consulate or visa section of a British Embassy) to have this visa, and a copy of the official visa refusal letter is sent to the Cambridge Centre for Languages four weeks before the course starts, at the latest, all monies received from the student will be refunded. If, however, the refusal letter reaches the Cambridge Centre for Languages within the last four week period before the start of our summer course, only course fees less the deposit will be refunded. To avoid this situation, students are advised to complete registration formalities and visa applications well in advance of the course starting date.
Within four weeks before the course starts, refunds of course fees (less the deposit) will be made if the student is taken seriously ill and cannot attend the course and this fact is verified by a medical/hospital report.
The Cambridge Centre for Languages aspires to offer the students a study environment as internationally mixed as possible. If, however, enrolments are received for a course in such a way that it puts one particular nationality in a substantial majority, the parents/guardian/agents of the students will be informed of this situation before the course starts and if they decide to cancel the course as a result of this, all monies (less the deposit) will be refunded.
A damage fund of £200 is collected from the student on arrival and returned to him or her at the end of the course, less the amount needed to cover any loss, breakage, and/or damage the student causes either at school or homestay or outside during trips or activities.
A student who fails to observe the rules of the Centre or brings it into disrepute may be required to leave, in which case a refund of fees will not be made.
We will immediately inform the parents/guardian/agents if a student has a poor school attendance or punctuality record, or does not have a good reason for not being at his homestay by the prescribed time after lessons/daily activities. If there is no improvement in these areas, we reserve the right to ask a student to leave the programme, in which case a refund of fees will not be made.
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The Cambridge Centre for Languages reserves the right to change students` homestay arrangements or make amendments in the social programme, if circumstances dictate it.
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Students are advised to insure in their own country against illness, accident and loss of money or property. The Centre accepts no responsibility for loss, damage or expense resulting from these causes.
