SHORT TERM PROGRAM AT ABBEY COLLEGE MALVERN, UK

Continuing the series of interviews with representatives of the schools who visited our exhibitions in Lviv and Kiev in February I talked with Abbey College in Malvern, UK. A representative of the school surprised me with a small number of students in the school, told about short-term academic programs and preparation for the University program Foundation in high school. Read more in my interview:

L: What is the main advantage and feature of the school?

R: Primarily, we are talking about the location – campus of our school is located in Central England in an amazingly beautiful place famous all over the UK. Around us is a picturesque and tranquil English countryside, which is suitable for walks and relaxation. The school campus itself is very large, so we can offer a variety of sports infrastructure.

As for the school, Abbey College Malvern is a small school, which for years accommodates about 100 students, including those who come for short-term programs. We are proud that every teacher knows the name of the student, the number of students per classroom does not exceed seven, and sometimes lessons are hold in classes of four students. Children get a lot of attention and you can see progress immediately. We are family size school, which is positive side.

L: What the curriculum offered in Abbey College Malvern?

R: We accept students from 14 years to GCSE program. In high school we offer A-level or Foundation (at choice of student). During the year, we offer a short program from 2 to 6 weeks for foreign students who want to come to school to learn English and some academic subjects.

L: Tell me more about the short-term programs, which subjects do you offer except English and when are the start dates?

R: Children attend classes of English and classes in academic subjects, along with students of the school. For example, math, science which can be at any level, even GCSE and A-level. We accept students for GCSE at age 14 if they meet English requirement to understand the teacher in the classroom. Students can join us at any time. We are unable to accept students only during school exams. If a student does not have enough English to take academic subjects he or she would just have English.

L: Can student start Foundation program immediately after GCSE? What subjects are offered on the Foundation?

R: Yes, the Foundation comes right after GCSE. We have several areas, the most popular are business, Economics, engineering, science, law, art and design. Some disciplines are linked, for example, children can attend classes in Economics and law, studying Foundation in business.

L: How many children live on the school campus? Tell us about the schedule for your students.

R: All of 100 students who are studying at the Abbey College Malvern live on campus. Therefore, we organize carefully free time of our students, infrastructure of the campus allows us to organize many sports clubs and hobby courses. We have a soccer field, tennis courts, gym. Children can also spend time in the library, cinema, dance studio, games room or the karaoke studio. Activities continue in the school until 10 PM every weekday. Students have school classes until 4 pm, then activities. Children can do sports, participate in the debate or play music.

L: Do you have a uniform?

R: We Have business style: black suit, black pants or skirt, black shoes, white shirt, and there is a school tie.

L: What is required for admission to Abbey College Malvern?

R: We have no admissions test. We accept the child after a Skype interview. We require a 70% or more good marks, but it all depends on the area of study. If students want to focus more on the study of the Sciences or math, they must have high grades in those subjects in the home school.

I wouldn’t say that Abbey College Malvern is a strong academic school, because with so little students school can't keep high standards in education and infrastructure. I would recommend the school for those who have an insufficient level of English as a transitional school, a maximum for a year. It is also a good choice for short-term programs in school abroad, improvement of English and adaptation throughout the academic year.