ST GILES STUDENT GUIDE St Giles International Brighton 1-3 Marlborough Place Brighton BN1 1UB Tel: +44 1273 682 747 Email: [email protected] Contents Welcome to St Giles ............................................................................................................... 3 Introduction: ........................................................................................................................ 4 Your first day: ...................................................................................................................... 5 Floor Map: .......................................................................................................................... 6 Class Schedule: ................................................................................................................... 7 Self Access: ........................................................................................................................ 8 Our Courses: ....................................................................................................................... 9 Examinations ..................................................................................................................... 10 Levels & Progress with Examination Equivalents: ......................................................................... 12 Typical lessons at St Giles: .................................................................................................... 14 School Rules: .................................................................................................................... 15 Who Can Help? .................................................................................................................. 16 Are You Unhappy About Anything? .......................................................................................... 20 Fire, Accidents and Emergencies: ............................................................................................ 21 The Social Programme: ........................................................................................................ 22 Accomodation: ................................................................................................................... 23 To Make Things Easier: ........................................................................................................ 24 Living in the UK: ................................................................................................................. 25 British Laws:...................................................................................................................... 26 Health and Advice: .............................................................................................................. 27 Money and Valuables: .......................................................................................................... 28 Telephone and Postal Information ............................................................................................ 29 Transport: ......................................................................................................................... 30 Shopping, Restaurants, Pubs, Clubs and Sports .......................................................................... 31 Cinema, Theatre, Culture and Library ....................................................................................... 32 Extending Your Visa ............................................................................................................ 33 Can I work in the UK? .......................................................................................................... 33 Religion ........................................................................................................................... 33 Useful Contacts: ................................................................................................................. 34 Useful Websites: .............................................................................................................. 35 Location map: ................................................................................................................... 35 2 | P a g e Welcome to St Giles Dear St Giles Student, Welcome to St Giles in Brighton! You are about to begin a very exciting experience! We at St Giles will do everything we can do to make your visit an enjoyable learning experience. Our staff are happy to answer your questions and guide you. Please read this handbook and keep it for future reference. You will find many interesting and informative tips about both St Giles and Brighton. Please do not hesitate to ask for help in any way. We hope you will enjoy your stay with us! The Staff at St Giles International Brighton Mission statement: To provide high quality courses for international students and trainee teachers in a positive and inclusive learner-centred environment, focusing on the students’ real and practical aspirations. To offer a range of student support services to enable our students to enjoy their courses to the full. 3 | P a g e Introduction: St Giles Brighton St Giles Brighton is part of the St Giles International group founded in 1955 —we now have schools in London, Brighton, Eastbourne, San Francisco, New York and Vancouver. St Giles Brighton was established in 1969. St Giles Brighton is a member of English UK and is accredited by the British Council, and the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). We offer courses in general English as well as examination courses including FCE, CAE, CPE and IELTS. We also offer Cambridge CELTA and Delta Teacher Training courses. We have 40 classrooms (all with Interactive Whiteboards), a Private Study Centre which has over 20 laptops available for students to use, a computer room with a further 13 PCs for students, and free Wifi throughout the school. We also have a Cafe. Our location, building and facilities make the school an ideal place in which to study and relax. Our Brighton school is in the centre of the city, opposite the iconic Royal Pavilion, and only minutes away from the beach and the city's main shopping and entertainment. The average time from Homestay to the School by bus is 40 minutes and our residence is 5 minutes’ walk away. Brighton A young cosmopolitan city, with a population of 250,000, Brighton is only an hour away from London and rivals the capital for its outstanding restaurants, pubs and bars, its successful arts and theatre scene and lively student population. With an excellent nationality mix, our Brighton centre is ideal for students looking for a lively and cultural experience. 4 | P a g e Your first day: Check in When you arrive at the School a member of staff will meet you and check your registration. If you have to pay money to the School, please see our Finance Officer in the main Office. We will also need to see your passport and visa and take a copy. Placement and orientation After you have checked in, you will go to a special class where you will have a language test and an interview with a teacher. This is to help us put you in the right class for you. You will also be given information about the School and about Brighton. Your class We will tell you on your first day, after your test, which class you will go to for your lessons. Class levels We can have classes at the following levels: St Giles levels St Giles level CEFR Cambridge colour level exams Beginner (*Only at Red certain times of the year) Elementary Red A1 KET Pre-Intermediate Yellow A2 KET / PET Intermediate Blue B1 PET Upper Intermediate Green B2 FCE Advanced 1 Orange C1 CAE Advanced 2 Orange C2 CPE 5 | P a g e Floor Map: 6 | P a g e Class Schedule: Times It is very important for you to arrive at your lessons on time. If you are more than ten minutes late for a lesson, it can be very difficult for the other students and the teacher so please wait until the start of the next lesson before going into the classroom. Here are the lesson times for morning and afternoon classes: REMEMBER You must not take food or drink into the classrooms! And please turn your mobile phone off! 7 | P a g e Self Access: Learning outside the classroom It’s very important for you to do some extra study in addition to the work you do in class. The Self Access facilities at St Giles are free, so why not use them? You will increase your knowledge of English and you can practise areas that you or your teacher feels you need to work on. The Private Study Centre (PSC) The Private Study Centre provides a quiet area for students to study, do homework, prepare for examinations and watch DVDs with English subtitles. The centre has a wide variety of dictionaries and reading materials for all levels. If you want to borrow a book, CD or DVD, see the assistant. There are also over 20 computers available in the PSC. All of them have Internet access and your teachers can suggest websites where you can practise your English. The PSC is usually open 10.30 - 5.30. Wi-Fi Access St Giles Brighton has Wi-Fi throughout the school. Laptops can also be connected to the Internet using the access points in the Private Study Centre. Computer Room Room 30 in Building 1 is available for students to use. The 13 computers have access to the Internet. Jubilee Library This modern, bright and spacious library is just a minute’s walk from St Giles Brighton. It offers Internet access and a quiet area for reading, research and study. If you are staying in Brighton for a few weeks or more, you can join