Headington Summer School

At Headington Summer School, students can fully immerse themselves in a wide range of fun activities. We aim to facilitate the physical and mental well-being of all our students, by providing a whole host of activities that allow students to explore their extracurricular passions and interests.

On Tuesdays, students can take part in the cultural programme which has previously featured activities such as Oxford Walking Tours, Punting on the River Thames, and visits to local attractions such as the Ashmolean Museum.

In addition, there will also be several whole school events, such as tournaments, quizzes, zorbing and discos.  This helps develop key teamwork and communication skills whilst, most importantly, having fun! This part of the experience ensures students socialise with peers outside their subject and language groups and builds a sense of community within our schools.

During a two-week course, students will go on three enjoyable excursions to famous UK cities and popular tourist destinations, providing the opportunity to see some of the UK’s most famous attractions and landmarks.

To ensure that our students get to make the most from their trip, our dedicated team of staff accompany the students and provide a full itinerary for the day.

During previous years, all students previously visited London, but to broaden our students’ cultural horizons even further, our excursions frequently include visits to other famous British locations such as Bath and Bristol. This year’s trip to Bristol included the Bristol Graffiti Experience, where the students learnt about the world’s most famous graffiti artist.

Students have also visited the famous coastal city of Brighton! Here they saw panoramic views across Brighton in the spectacular i360 observation tower, and had the chance to explore the wonderful city with friends in their spare time.

In each location, with parental consent, students will have the opportunity to explore independently in small groups during their excursion free time.

Because we encourage experiential learning, SBC goes above and beyond the curriculum. Our students are challenged to use and exhibit new skills in a supportive and encouraging setting.

At SBC, we take full advantage of how we can differentiate ourselves from more formal teaching settings and cultivate a relaxed atmosphere. With more dynamic lesson structures, our students have an even greater opportunity to demonstrate their individuality and to enhance their soft skills.

By creating fresh possibilities for important skills like critical thinking, leadership, communication and teamwork, we bring theory into practice.

Each of our students are empowered to think independently and critically while working together with others to find solutions, under the careful guidance of our excellent teachers.

A highlight of the students’ week is our famous Time to Shine projects. Here, students work in teams to develop a special presentation throughout the week, which is then presented to the class. Outstanding presentations will be given in front of the whole school during a special Time to Shine event.

Confidence, public speaking skills and teamwork are just a few of the qualities that are developed during this special project. By placing student autonomy at the heart of our academic programme, students deliver their own ideas, solutions to problems and outlook on the world.

We offer optional English Plus courses with students able to select one choice each week, at an additional cost. Our English Plus courses provide students with an opportunity to engage in exciting new activities and classes or to develop existing interests and skills. Each weekly course is six hours in total, replacing the Multi-Activity Programme on two days per week.

The safety and well-being of students is our number one priority. We have a comprehensive Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and procedures in place to which all employees, volunteers, visitors, and contractors are obligated to adhere to.

All staff are given the tools, through their extensive training, to guarantee that all students feel safe, secure, valued and respected whilst studying with SBC. Students are accommodated in secure and comfortable boarding houses with each house managed by a dedicated House Parent alongside a team of residential staff. Our staff teams are always available to provide high-quality pastoral support and remain on call 24 hours per day.

During some offsite activities, students aged 12 and over are permitted ‘free-time’ where they can independently explore a designated area in groups of at least three, for a set amount of time. Students must have consent from their parents/guardian to be allowed unsupervised free-time.

All students will be given an SBC Gold Card which they must carry with them when offsite. Gold Cards have details of the emergency number to call in the event of a student becoming separated from their group.

Student voice also features heavily in our students’ experience and we empower our students to shape their own experience by championing that voice. SBC is committed to our response to student feedback and welcomes student-led initiatives which help us to continue to provide excellent services.