Study Abroad in England at School with English Students

There can be no better way to improve your ability to speak and understand the English language than to study abroad in England alongside English boys and girls. However life at school in England may be rather different from that in your own country.

Standard of education

The school system in England is renowned worldwide for its excellent academic standards. Barnes carefully selects suitable schools for you to choose from to study abroad in England. We give you a better opportunity to mix with English students in caring environments where staff work really hard to integrate our overseas students.

Pastoral care

Schools in England are noted for the high standard of pastoral care that they provide for their students. No matter how large a school might be, a student is always allocated a tutor to whom he/she may refer when perhaps requiring advice or guidance. Frequently after studying English in England many overseas students make complimentary comments about the friendly, supportive and enthusiastic attitude of the teachers. Students who have struggled with the approach to education in their schools back home have been known to be keen to study again.

Small class sizes

Students, beyond the obligatory age to study in England at 16, also benefit from smaller class sizes since many students leave school to go into employment or professional training allowing our students to form really close relationships with their teachers

Extra curricular activities

Schools in England offer students the opportunity to participate in activities outside of normal lesson times - an important extension to the school day. These extra-curricular activities include sports, music, creative, drama, debating society clubs, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, trips and many more, allowing students to achieve personal ambitions and form new friendships. Barnes also helps students find activities outside of school where this is desired.

Qualifications and year groups

In Secondary schools pupils in England follow an educational programme preparing them for between nine and twelve GCSE's (General Certificate of Secondary Education) at the age of 16. Beyond this, in the Sixth Form there are two main options available to students - A-Level (studied by the majority of students) and the International Baccalaureate (IB).

A-level - students specialise in three to five subjects which are studied in depth. A-levels are a two year study course with exams at the end of the second year. During the first year (Year 12 in England) some schools offer the AS-Level course for some subjects allowing students to take an external exam - an AS-level diploma has half the value of the full A-level. In the second year of the course (year 13) students continue to study the same subjects at A2 level and take exams at the end of the course which, if passed successfully, permit admission to universities in many countries around the world. All schools offer a wide range of options from which to choose, normally including mathematics, visual and performing arts, languages, history, law, literature, philosophy, other humanities, sciences, geography, psychology, product design, physical education, business studies, computer science and many more.

International Baccalaureate (IB) - an alternative two year course in Year 12 and 13. The choice of subjects is often greater than in other countries with the three higher subjects being studied in greater detail. Three further subjects are chosen to study at standard level with Theory of Knowledge (concepts discussed and debated) and CAS (all about learning from experience) being taken by all students.

School life

In England the school year begins in early September and ends in June/July. The year is divided into three terms - September to Christmas, January to Easter, and Easter to June/July. Traditionally there is a two week holiday at Christmas and Easter with a one week half term break each term, although some schools have started to flex their holiday dates. The school day normally begins at 9am and ends around 3:30pm. At the end of the day students can normally participate in the extra-curricular clubs until between 4pm and 5pm.

Pre-summer stay

Some students feel that it is a good idea to practise their English before beginning to study abroad in England at a school. Much confidence can be gained by living with a family and attending morning classes on a language course for students in England. If you are interested in such a stay we can introduce you to a choice of excellent language schools in England where it is possible to follow a short course of study combined with enjoying a few excursion and leisure activities. For students already 16 by Christmas or Easter, an English language course can also be offered in some of our state schools.