Safety & Pastoral Care

Round-the-clock care on a secure, single-site campus — so you can relax while your child thrives.

'The investment that can never lose its value' - (A parent from Norway)

Vacational Studies was founded in 1973 by Ian Mucklejohn who still runs the company as Managing Director. Paddy Douglass is also a Director appointed in 2023.

Vacational Studies began using Cheam School in 1975.

We ask you to pay the Fees and to lose the pleasure of your child's company for some weeks, so...

Here's what we do that's special to ensure that your child has the best time of their life and how what we do is an investment in your child's development:

• Optional positions of responsibility at all ages to develop character
• Hands-on video-creation
• Teaching programme that appeals to different ages
• Fully residential in a safe countryside campus
• New students accepted only with a letter of recommendation from their teacher
• Students are supervised, cared for and given the freedom to develop (see 'Notes for Parents')
• Escorted arrival and departure free-of-charge*
• International with UK students (no groups arranged by 'agents' or with 'group leaders')
• Non-stop sports/social programme mainly delivered by ex-students
• Varied optional excursion and theatre programme
• 54 years' experience with same Director
• Many 'second generation' students
• British Council Accredited
• Hundreds of parents happy to talk about us - References here.

Absolutely not like going back to school

We are a Course to develop young people. We do this through learning English; living as part of an international community; using traditional UK boarding school values and way of life.

Read here what 2025's parents and students say about us and here 2024's parents and students say and here what 2023's parents and students say.

Ask parents who have sent their children to us - listed here.

(* For flights arriving LHR 11.07.27 12.00-16.00 and leaving LHR 07.08.27 11.00-14.00)

Sending your child abroad for the summer is a big decision. It's one we've helped families make since 1973, and the care and safety of every young person with us comes before everything else. Here's exactly how we look after your child.

At a glance

• A secure, self-contained countryside campus — everything on one supervised site
• Round-the-clock pastoral care
• New students admitted only on a teacher's recommendation
• British Council Accredited, with safeguarding policies

A secure campus

Our summer school is fully residential on the private grounds of Cheam School — a self-contained beautifully-maintained countryside campus where lessons, accommodation, dining, sport and activities all happen in one supervised place. Students are never far from a member of staff, and there is no need to travel off-site for day-to-day life.

Care around the clock

From wake-up to bedtime and through the night, our pastoral staff are on hand. We keep a warm, family atmosphere — many of our team are former students themselves — so that young people settle in quickly, feel at home, and always know whom to turn to. Supervision is constant, but never intrusive. Our young visitorsare given the freedom to grow within a safe framework with a total staff:student ratio of 1:5.

A community chosen with care

Unlike many summer schools, we don't accept agent-arranged groups, and every new student joins us only with a letter of recommendation from their teacher. This protects the character, fellow-feeling and safety of the whole community, Parents can be confident about the company their child is keeping.

Safeguarding and our staff

The welfare of every student is overseen by our designated safeguarding leads named in our Safeguarding Policy. All staff receive safeguarding training. All staff are recruited, vetted and trained in line with UK safeguarding requirements, including enhanced background checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service after references have been obtained. Please see our Safeguarding Policy.

Health and wellbeing

First aid and medical support are available on site, and we work with families in advance to understand any medical, dietary or wellbeing needs so they are properly catered for throughout their stay. We have a resident Matron/Medic. All staff receive basic first-aid training and there is an Accident and Emergency centre in Newbury.

Safe travel, door to door

We provide free escorted airport transfers for students arriving and departing within our travel windows (please see our Travel section) so your child is met by our team and accompanied between the airport and the school. For arrivals outside these times, just get in touch and we'll help arrange supervised travel.

Staying in touch

We keep families informed throughout the summer, and there are clear ways for students to stay in contact with home described in Notes for Students and Notes for Parents. Parents can reach us at any time on +44 7505 911 896, +44 7812 577 336 and +44 7717 007 007.

Recognised and accredited by The British Council

We are Accredited by the British Council which independently inspects the welfare and safeguarding standards of English-language providers, This is your reassurance that our care meets a recognised national benchmark.