Introduction to Bishopstrow College
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Introduction to Bishopstrow College 2020/21 College Overview ◼ Established in 2006, Bishopstrow College is a year-round fully residential International Boarding School for students aged 7-17 years ◼ The College provides English language and academic pathway programmes to prepare international students for entry into boarding schools ◼ Up to 90 international students enrol each term, usually from around 30 different nationalities ◼ Situated on an 8 acre site on the edge of the historic market town of Warminster, close to the attractive cities of Salisbury and Bath 2 © OC&C Strategy Consultants 2013 Accreditation ◼ The College is an accredited member of the Independent Schools Association and the Boarding Schools’ Association ◼ Bishopstrow College is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK (highest ranked International Boarding School under the Accreditation UK Scheme) and is a member of English UK ◼ The College is an Authorised Centre for the University of Cambridge English Language Assessment examinations and for the University of Cambridge International Examinations ◼ Bishopstrow is a member of BAISIS, the British Association of Independent Schools with International Students ◼ The College is also an authorised neutral test centre for UKiset 3 © OC&C Strategy Consultants 2013 Key Dimensions of Differentiation ◼ Flexible Model: The College operates as a traditional British boarding school, but with an innovative four term academic year. Students are prepared as quickly as possible for entry into mainstream boarding schools (minimum 1 term to a maximum of 4 terms) ◼ Independence: Bishopstrow College is not affiliated to any other school and has developed an excellent reputation as a stepping stone to over 100 leading boarding schools worldwide ◼ Teaching Partnerships: The College has Teaching Partnerships with 95 leading boarding schools in the UK ◼ Academic Performance: The College has an exceptional academic record with 100% success in Cambridge English Language Assessment and IGCSE examinations (72% A*-B grades in IGCSE examinations in 2019) 4 © OC&C Strategy Consultants 2013 Our Programmes ◼ The College offers a broad range of English language and academic programmes for boarding and some day students ◼ In each programme, there is a wide range of academic subjects and extra-curricular activities, which complement the academic programme ◼ Class sizes are small, with a maximum of 8 students per class for English and 12 students per class for subjects. Teachers are qualified or trained in teaching English as an additional language ◼ The key programmes are: – Junior and Middle College Programmes: English language and academic pathway programmes for students aged 7 to 14 years – Pre-IGCSE/IGCSE Programme for students aged 14 to17 years – 1 Year IGCSE Programme for students aged 15 to 17 years – Academic Summer Programmes for students aged 7 to 17 years 5 © OC&C Strategy Consultants 2013 Our Programmes and the Education System in England Age * 7-8 8-9 9-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 Academic Year Year Year Year Year Year Year Year Year Year Year Year ** 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 External A Levels or Programme Key Stage 3 or 13+ Common Key Stage 4 or International Key Stage 2 or 11+ Common Entrance and Entrance GCSEs or IGCSEs Baccalaureate Examinations Diploma Junior College Programme Middle College Programme Bishopstrow College Pre-IGCSE / IGCSE Programme Programmes 1 Year IGCSE Programme Academic Summer Programme * Age on August 31 preceding entry ** Year Group on entry will depend on date of entry, student ability and language level. Note that UK Year Groups are one higher than US Grade Levels – e.g., Year 7=Grade 6 6 © OC&C Strategy Consultants 2013 Junior College Programme ◼ The Junior College Programme consists of Features intensive English language tuition and Age ▪ 7-11 years academic study for Prep School and 11+ Senior School entry Entry Requirements ▪ Registration Form ▪ Copy of passport ▪ Most recent school report ◼ The Programme is suitable for international ▪ Character reference students who wish to improve their English, ▪ Interview (face-to-face or via Skype) whilst following a traditional programme of Minimum English ▪ No prerequisite academic subjects Language Level ◼ The Programme includes 25 hours of academic Start Dates ▪ September ▪ January tuition and 5 hours of supervised prep. In ▪ March addition, there is up to 15 hours of sports and ▪ June activities each week and a full-day excursion every weekend Course Length ▪ 1, 2, 3 or 4 terms Subjects Studied ▪ English ◼ Each student has an Individual Learning Plan ▪ Mathematics (updated regularly), weekly tutorials and ▪ Science ▪ Creative Arts benefits from preparation for entrance ▪ Geography examinations and interviews (in relation to ▪ History ▪ PSHE transition to a mainstream boarding school) End of Programme ▪ Internal examinations and external Cambridge English ◼ Students may study on the Junior College Assessment Language Assessment examinations (YLE, KET, PET) Programme for 1, 2, 3 or 4 terms Progression ▪ Prep School entry ▪ 11+ Senior School entry 7 © OC&C Strategy Consultants 2013 Junior College Programme: Student Testimonials Ayaka: From Japan Programme: Junior College Programme School Destination: The Dragon School; Marlborough College Comments from Ayaka’s Agent: Bishopstrow College provided Ayaka with a good start that successfully led to her studying at The Dragon School with great confidence. She is showing great progress and enjoying her studies and life at The Dragon School. Mr and Mrs Nakamura wanted to express their appreciation. Thank you again! Stephan: From Russia Programme: Junior College Programme School Destination: Highfield School; Winchester College Comments: Bishopstrow College helped me prepare academically for entry into Highfield School and ultimately, Winchester College. Before I came to Bishopstrow, I had limited English language skills and was unable to access any of the top schools in the UK. Bishopstrow College was the first of many steps required to gain entry into Winchester College 8 © OC&C Strategy Consultants 2013 Middle College Programme ◼ The Middle College Programme consists of Features intensive English language tuition and Age ▪ 11-14 years academic study for 13+ Senior School entry Entry Requirements ▪ Registration Form ◼ The Programme is suitable for international ▪ Copy of passport ▪ Most recent school report students who wish to improve their English, ▪ Character reference whilst following a traditional programme of ▪ Interview (face-to-face or via Skype) academic subjects Minimum English ▪ Basic User Language Level ◼ The Programme includes 25 hours of academic tuition and 5 hours of supervised prep. In Start Dates ▪ September ▪ January addition, there is up to 15 hours of sports and ▪ March activities each week and a full-day excursion ▪ June every weekend Course Length ▪ 1, 2, 3 or 4 terms ◼ Each student has an Individual Learning Plan Subjects Studied ▪ English (updated regularly), weekly tutorials and ▪ Mathematics benefits from preparation for entrance ▪ Science ▪ Creative Arts examinations and interviews (in relation to ▪ Geography ▪ History transition to a mainstream boarding school) ▪ PSHE ◼ Students may study on the Middle College End of Programme ▪ Internal examinations and external Cambridge English Programme for 1, 2, 3 or 4 terms Assessment Language Assessment examinations (YLE, KET, PET, FCE) Progression ▪ Senior School entry 9 © OC&C Strategy Consultants 2013 Middle College Programme: Student Testimonials Rudolf: From Germany Programme: Middle College Programme School Destination: The Downs Malvern; Haileybury Comments: Bishopstrow College was known to all of the boarding schools that I visited before moving to the UK. It was recommended on the basis of providing a very good preparation for boarding Jah: From Thailand Programme: Middle College Programme School Destination: Kingswood School Comments: Bishopstrow College helped me prepare for entry into Kingswood School, by providing exposure to a wide range of subjects, including Music, Drama and PE. The College also helped me prepare for boarding school life. I was able to get familiar with being in a boarding school, become more organised and improve my written and spoken English 10 © OC&C Strategy Consultants 2013 Pre-IGCSE Programme ◼ The Pre-IGCSE Programme consists of intensive Features English language tuition and academic study for Age ▪ 14-15 years Senior School entry, including preparation for GCSE courses Entry Requirements ▪ Registration Form ▪ Copy of passport ◼ The Programme is suitable for international ▪ Most recent school report ▪ Character reference students who wish to improve their English, whilst ▪ Interview (face-to-face or via Skype) following a traditional programme of academic subjects Minimum English ▪ Basic User Language Level ◼ The Programme includes 30 hours of academic Start Dates ▪ September tuition and 7.5 hours of supervised prep. In ▪ January addition, there is up to 7 hours of sports and ▪ March ▪ June activities each week and a full-day excursion every weekend Course Length ▪ 1, 2, 3 or 4 terms ◼ Each student has an Individual Learning Plan Subjects Studied ▪ English (updated regularly), weekly tutorials and benefits ▪ Mathematics ▪ Science from preparation for entrance examinations and ▪ Business Studies ▪ Global Perspectives interviews (in relation to transition to a mainstream ▪ History boarding school) ▪ PSHE ◼ Students may study on the Pre-IGCSE