News

English Summer School Information updated: 26/10/24 by Ian Mucklejohn – Director, Vacational Studies

+ 44 7717 007 007; vacstuds@vacstuds.com

• The 2025 Course is from 13 July to 9 August.
• 51st Anniversary hoodies can be ordered here.
• Parental References are here.
• My latest Diary update is here.
• Masterclasses may be held online via Zoom for those who wish to join in and will be announced here.
• Taxi charges for 2024 (which will be updated for 2025 in March 2025) are here.
• We were successfully inspected by The British Council in the summer of 2024. 'Strengths' were noted in various areas'. We remain Accredited by The British Council until March 2029. The report is here.
• 'VacStuds 2024 All Over Again' - the video is here.
• A major factor in allocating a position of responsibility is the date of application. WEhen limited, the availability of positions of responsibility is listed under 'Availability'. When these positions are filled, an 'in-waiting' system applies so skills can still be used and responsibility taken.
• A reminder that British Airways has changed its rules: 'The minimum age of a person permitted to travel alone on British Airways is increased from 12 to 14 years of age. If the young flyer is accompanied by someone who is aged 16 or over (on the same or a linked booking), British Airways will still allow them to travel. All young flyers aged under 16 and travelling alone must complete this parental/guardian consent form before travel.' We can help link bookings.
• The Vacational Studies 2025 brochure is here.
• Take a look at our encapsulation of 'The spirit of Vacational Studies'.
• 'Masterclass Tutorials' will take place in the after-lunch 'Homework' period in 2025, re-named 'Digest'.
• The new indoor swimming pool at The Mary Hare School is now complete.

• This is as it was in March 2017 (outside) and ...

• now as it is inside.
• The Course in 2025 (as since 2017) is 27 days instead of the 28 days it always used to be. Under a new law, if a person under 16 is in the UK staying with a non-family member for 28 days or longer, this constitutes 'fostering'. The local Social Services department is then expected to have an involvement in that young person's welfare. Needless to say an involvement with a young person in the controlled environment of a British Council Accredited School was not an intended consequence of this law. The situation is easily avoided by making the Course 27 days rather than 28, so this is what has happened.
• A School Council gives our young visitors the chance to express their opinions of the service we provide. A Councillor represents these opinions to management at Council meetings. Students can opt to be a Councillor. A Head of School Council will be chosen from among them. Councillor is a position of responsibility that can be chosen for 2025.
• The MAD afternoons (click here for a Zumba) will be continued in 2025.
• The role of Mentor will be continued in 2025 under the chairmanship of a Head Mentor.
• Those who will be with us in 2025 should join the VacStuds 2025 Facebook group.
• Those with us in 2024 should join the VacStuds 2024 Facebook group.
• Those with us in 2023 should join the VacStuds 2023 Facebook group.
• Those with us in 2022 should join the VacStuds 2022 Facebook group.
• Those with us in 2019 should join the VacStuds 2019 Facebook group.
• Those with us in 2018 should join the VacStuds 2018 Facebook group.
• Those with us in 2017 should join the VacStuds 2017 Facebook group - and so on...
• The concept of 'the Ambassador' for 2025 - is described here.
• Do you think you may need a visa for the UK? See 'Do I need a visa?' for help.
• The Vacational Studies Facebook group membership is now over 2000.
• Vacational Studies Alumni with a membership of 300+ is now on Linked In.
• Prefects in 2025 should read 'Notes and History of Prefectship' dated 24 November 2015 in the section on 'Student Progression'.
• My family's latest Vlog is 'Honorific Prefixes' – what to call yourself in England. Click here for a series of (amusing, I hope) videoclips that my sons and I are creating on the differences between English English and the international variety.
• Take a look at our 'Vacational Studies is an investment for life' video.
• IGM's page includes observations on the Course.
• 52 years of Vacational Studies brochures are in the 'Heritage' section.
• The photos on Shutterfly and videos on Vimeo tell the story of VacStuds.
• Joe (Academic Manager) talks about our Task-Based teaching programme.
• For those with us between 1973 and 2024, there's plenty of activity and old friends waiting to be contacted on our main Facebook page at VacStuds Facebook.
• We send our brochure and the activities of the Mary Hare hare at Christmas by e-mail each year.  To ensure that anyone asking not to hear from us again does not hear from us again, we erase all records from our files. This means we cannot provide a reference, if asked.