Academic Year in Wirral, England (Information Sheet) CONTENTS : DESCRIPTION... 2 UNIFORM... 3 STUDIES AT THE COLLEGE... 3 A TYPICAL DAY AT SCHOOL... 4 AGE... 4 TYPE OF SCHOOL... 4 DATES FOR THE PROGRAMS... 4 HOLIDAYS AND NATURAL PARENTS VISITS... 4 PICK-UP FEE AT THE AIRPORT... 5 APPLICATION FORM... 5 APPLICATION PROCEDURE... 5 REQUIREMENTS... 5 VISA AND RESIDENCE PERMIT... 5 POCKET MONEY... 6 TRANSFERS OF CREDITS AND TRANSCRIPTS OF GRADES... 6 PRICES... 7 PRICE CONDITIONS... 7 CANCELLATION POLICY... 7
DESCRIPTION The school is a Christian, co-educational, independent day and boarding school located in the Northwest of England. It is situated in 20 acres of leafy grounds on the beautiful Wirral peninsula. This is a truly international school, welcoming boarders from many different parts of the world. The school welcomes children of all faiths, and none, and offers a stretching education for children of all abilities. Please note that, each day the whole school meets for morning prayers in groups appropriate to the children's age (boarders have their own lively service each weekend). Morning Prayers are currently mandatory but many of the students do not have a personal commitment to Christian beliefs. This is also the time when school notices are given out. The school has clear boundaries, high expectations and outstanding pastoral care; children have an excellent rapport with staff. The school educates children up to the age of 16, offering a wide range of GCSEs. Sport facilities Students benefit from over 8 acres of well laid-out playing fields, accommodating, amongst other sports, athletics, hockey, football, rounders, tennis, rugby and cricket. The school also owns a further 9 acres of nursery woodland (planted in 1990) and adjacent land for additional playing fields. The entire campus covers an area of 20 acres. One of the busiest facilities in the school, the Gymnasium, is used all year round for basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, aerobics, judo, five-a-side, practice and coaching sessions as well as extensively at weekends for boarders' recreation. Linked to a fully-rigged stage area, the gymnasium, or Founder's Hall as it is known, is also used for annual major drama productions, Speech Day and special services. The school also has its own indoor heated swimming pool which enables the school to offer swimming as a curriculum feature. The pool is also used for water sports and boarders' recreation, and can be hired by community groups when not required by the school. Learning facilities The school s science department, situated close to the swimming pool with views over school gardens, has recently undergone a major upgrade. It now offers refurbished and enhanced science laboratory provision, providing scientists with the finest learning facilities. The school has invested heavily in Information and Communication Technologies in recent years, and boasts a dedicated Junior and Infant computer room with a 20 station network system, allowing each pupil to have sole use of a computer during lessons. The Senior computer room, with 24 networked stations, is housed in the Centenary Building on the Senior campus. There are networked computers in most other offices and classrooms. There is also a Music and Drama Studio. This fabulous facility is widely used for singing and orchestral practice, drama productions, extra-curricular dance and drama sessions, and is linked to three practice rooms for instrumental tuition. The school employs a number of peripatetic specialist teachers, ensuring that a full range of instrumental music can be taught.
Social life Breaktime, lunchtime and after-school clubs, practices and sporting opportunities abound. When the teaching day is over, pupils can use the grounds, the swimming pool, music room, Founder s Hall and Information and Communication Technology suites. There s music, drama and highly contested sporting fixtures. There s a stunning mix of indoor and outdoor activities available: new foreign languages, bushcraft and golf. UNIFORM Students are required to wear a uniform at school. The cost of this uniform is included in our price. Successes at GCSE include excellent grades in: English Language English Literature Maths Physics Chemistry Biology History Geography French Latin Art Information and Communication Technology Religious Education Music Child Development German Spanish Cantonese Physical Education. Academic learning is complemented by sporting, moral, cultural, musical and spiritual challenges. All students are encouraged to become involved in many of the extracurricular options we offer: many have the opportunity to represent the school in a wide range of sports, others feature in music concerts or stage shows. All have every encouragement to get the most out of all the opportunities on offer here, to leave us as beneficiaries of a fully rounded education. STUDIES AT THE COLLEGE The school has three distinct departments: Infant (ages 2-7), Junior (ages 7-11) and Senior (ages 11-16). Nacel International offers students aged 15 to 16 years (Senior department) old the opportunity to study in the school. A strong pastoral system - acclaimed as outstanding in the school s 2004 inspection - contributes much to the strength of the Senior Department. At the end of Year 9, GCSE options are explored. Working in small class and group sizes, students are encouraged to excel in their academic work
A TYPICAL DAY AT SCHOOL 08:35: registration 08:45: prayers 09:05-10:30: 2 lessons 10:30-11:00: break 11:00-13:00: 3 lessons 13:00-14:00: lunch and break 14:05: registration 14:05-14:45: 1 lesson 14:45-15:00: break 15:00-16:15: 2 lessons 16:15-17:20: club opportunities (Internet cafe, running, chess etc...) 17:20-18:00: tea. 18:00-19:15: supervised homework. Then house-based activities, supper and bedtime (depending on age). ACCOMMODATION The school offers termly, weekly and flexi boarding. The school takes children from the age of 2 and can offer childcare 50 weeks of the year. Boarders enjoy colourful, family-style living which is spread across the campus, in picture-book pretty cottages and a handsome and imposing Victorian house. Boarders eat delicious home-cooked food, use all the fantastic leisure facilities on site, have priority access to the clubs and activities on offer each day, and have a whale of a time on weekends in school via our unrivalled Super Sunday programme of trips and events. Please note that a UK guardian is requested by the school. This service can be provided by Nacel for an extra cost. Please ask for a quotation. The weekend social programme offers a variety of trips out, usually on Sundays. These include local trips to cinema or bowling as well as trips eg to Chester and Liverpool, and bigger trips eg Alton Towers, Blackpool etc. The term time accommodation is in a boarding quarter and the holiday accommodation is in host families in the locality. Students go home at Christmas (host family accommodation available on location for an extra cost if necessary). Host families might be from the school community where friendships had been formed in school, but more likely from outside the school. AGE 15 to 16 years old. TYPE OF SCHOOL Christian co-educational, independent day and boarding school, founded in 1904. DATES FOR THE PROGRAMS Course Start Date: September 2009; Course End Date: June 2010 We may also offer shorter stays, like terms, semesters or even months and weeks. Fees will be calculated on a pro rata basis. Please ask for a quotation. HOLIDAYS AND NATURAL PARENTS VISITS Parents do visit their sons/daughters who are studying at the College occasionally, but not that often. Mostly students return home during longer holidays such as Christmas and Easter to visit. It is is not recommended that parents visit all the time, because part of the education of living and studying in a different country, is to adjust to being away from home/parents and managing your own. Students should make new friends whilst studying and being immersed in a different culture.
PICK-UP FEE AT THE AIRPORT Included in the price (from Manchester or Liverpool airport). APPLICATION FORM Please ask for the specific application form. Please apply at least 4 months before arrival. APPLICATION PROCEDURE 1. Your application pack should include the following: Specific application forms requested by the school Student ID picture English teacher s reference letter School report/grades from the last 3 years, translated in English A photocopy of the student s passport or ID card. 2. Send the complete application to Nacel International per email and the original application documents by post mail. 3. We will assess the application, issue the Acceptance Letter and invoice you the non-refundable deposit (1000 GBP). 4. On receipt of the deposit, we will send you the original Acceptance Letter and supporting documents for visa application by post mail. 5. We will invoice you the remaining fees of the College (full payment due at least 6 weeks before arrival). 6. As soon as you have arranged flights to the UK please let us know the airport, date and time of arrival together with the flight number. We will then make the arrangements to meet them at the airport and bring them to the College. If students wish to travel by train we can also meet them from the station. REQUIREMENTS Each student must be interviewed in his/her home country before being accepted. Entry qualifications: Students must have an appropriate level of English; they must be able to understand their teachers. We may assess the level of English using an English test. We do not insist that students have an English qualification before entering the school. If on arrival however, his/her English is found to be below the level required for the course, we reserve the right to offer an alternative until such time as his/her English reaches the appropriate standard. VISA AND RESIDENCE PERMIT If you have any questions regarding immigrations rules for EEC and international students, these can be found on the UKCOSA website www.ukcosa.org.uk under Guidance Notes for Students. Other Internet sites: www.ukvisas.gov.uk; www.fco.gov.uk. Please note that, for non EU students, we must receive the 1000 tuition deposit before we issue the Acceptance letter so it is important that this is paid as soon as possible to give the student time to receive the Acceptance Letter and apply for a student visa. After obtaining the visa application for, the student will need to collect various documents to support the visa application: Proof that the student has been accepted on a full time course Proof that the student is able and intend to follow the course Proof that the student can meet the cost of the tuition, accommodation fees and pocket money Proof that the student is able to show that he/she intends to leave the UK at the end of the course. When the visa is issued in the home country, it is usual to be given enough time to complete the first course for which the student has proof of acceptance plus an extra period of 2/3 months. The student should check the visa carefully when he/she receives it to make sure it is correct as it is difficult to correct mistakes after he/she has arrived in the UK. The International Office of the College will help the student to extend his/her visa if required. The visa offices get very busy before the start of the academic year and it could take several weeks to obtain the visa.
POCKET MONEY Pocket money is given to house at the beginning of a term or half term by the parents. It is run on a banking system and each child has their own card with credits and pocket money in and out, being signed for by the children themselves. This way they can keep track of the amount that is in their bank. Approx. amounts i.e. 3-5 a week is more than necessary. Pocket money time is on Friday after tea 5.40-6pm. We cannot be responsible for large amounts of money that are lost due to not being deposited in the pocket money account. TRANSFERS OF CREDITS AND TRANSCRIPTS OF GRADES Please note that the student is not guaranteed placement in a certain grade level, or that transferable credits will be granted, or that a diploma will be awarded at the end of the academic program. These decisions remain at the entire discretion of the national educational authorities of the sending and of the receiving country. Nacel International is not responsible for the procedures and information needed in this process. Applicants must clearly be aware that they may have to pass again the corresponding grade in their home country after return.
PRICES Country Program Ref. Net Prices in GBP* (Commission not included) England Academic Year GCSE ZUKKM 15 440 GBP * Prices in British Pounds per participant. ** Term and semester fees are calculated on a pro rata basis. Please ask for a quotation. PRICE CONDITIONS Included Administration fees School registration and tuition fees Full board boarding school accommodation and host family accommodation during breaks (9 weeks, including Easter holidays; Christmas holidays not included) Social programme 2 airport pick up and transfers (on arrival, departure and for Christmas holidays) School uniform and sundry costs (like school photos) Support, assistance and 24 hours emergency phone number during the whole program Medical and Emergency Repatriation Insurance Not Included International airfare International Travel insurance Visa, passport and medical exam fees Extra activities organized by the school and others ESL tuition, music tuition, school trips UK guardianship Exam fees Personal expenses and pocket money CANCELLATION POLICY A non-refundable deposit of 1000 GBP is due when the student is accepted in the school and for visa purposes. A term's fee (accommodation + tuition) will be immediately payable by the parents if, for any reason: - they cancel their acceptance of a place less than a term before entry - or the pupil does not join the school after a place has been accepted.