English

What happens when students first arrive?
Students' English language ability is tested on arrival, so that they can be placed in an class at the appropriate level.

What levels are our classes?
We run classes at the following levels: elementary, immediate and advanced. Students are placed in a class appropriate for their level of English.

How much English language tuition do students receive per week?
Students receive up to 20 hours English language tuition per week.

When do English classes take place?
Classes take place between 9am and 12.30pm each weekday with a half-hour break after one-and-a-half hours.

What will students learn (syllabus)?
The first one-and-a-half hours of class focuses on reading and writing skills, with grammar taught in context. The following hour-and-a-half focuses on speaking and listening, which will include language and cultural information which relates to afternoon activity/excursion.

What is the student-to-teacher ratio?
The maximum number of students in a class is 15.

What exams do our classes help students prepare for?
Our classes help prepare students for taking one of the Cambridge exams.

What is our methodological approach toward teaching English?
We subscribe to a modern communicative approach of teaching English, which emphasises learning English via group and paired tasks/activities. This ensures that lessons are student-centred and that students have lots of opportunity to practise speaking (building confidence), even when learning grammar points, or a written genre.

What are the classroom facilities like?
All classrooms are fully modern, having interactive whiteboards and computers. This allows the use a number of interactive media when teaching. Teachers also have access to audio-labs for practising students' listening and pronunciation.

Who are our Teachers?
All our teachers are CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching Abroad) qualified with a minimum of 5 years teaching experience. Our Academic Director is DELTA (Diploma in English Language Teaching Abroad) qualified with a Masters in TESOL and over 15 years experience in teaching English language.

What is our philosophy/ethos toward learning?
We believe that children learn best when there is a balance between having fun and focused study. Therefore, we encourage our teachers to use a variety of task-types, games and topics that motivate and engage children.

What is our policy about English outside the class?
Whether students are in class, participating in sporting activities or on cultural excursions they are encouraged to communicate in English.

Sport

What sports are included in the sports and activities programme?
Our extensive programme includes football, tennis, golf, soccer, basketball, softball, uni-hockey, swimming and cricket.

Where will the sports and activities be held?
The whole of our programme is held at Pocklington School in its state-of-the-art sports facilities.

What is the coach to pupil ratio?
We work on a maximum ratio of 10 pupils to every coach.

Are there cultural excursions?
Every week we do two cultural excursions to one of Yorkshire's historical towns or places.

Do you do extra curricular social events?
We have social events every evening which include cinema nights, discussion forums, quiz nights, karaoke nights, theatre nights, tenpin bowling and pizza parties.

Is the sport's and activities programme delivered in English?
All Action in English programmes are delivered and taught in English.