Mill Hill British independent school and international College in London

Among all British schools at secondary education workshop  ALPHE I chose to meet Mill Hill due to a few reasons:

• first, the school is located in North London in so-called Mill Hill Village which allows students to live and learn in the British capital;

• second, foreign students can get into independent British school Mill Hill where there are only 5% of international students;

• third, in 2015 Mill Hill opened international college with carefully selected teachers and small classes that allows children to adapt  quickly to studying abroad.

From my interview you will learn more about the difference between Mill Hill and its international school. We will also discuss several programs that can help your child prepare for study abroad.

L: Location of your school in London is impressive. Tell me more about Mill Hill campus

R: The school is situated in North London, 30 minutes from the city centre. Nearby – subway stop and high-speed trains, it's easy to move anywhere around London. Not so far from us are main London airports. Despite this Central location, the campus is very picturesque, lots of greenery and places for recreation of our students.

L: a Traditional English school and Mill Hill international college: what is their difference?

R: Mill Hill in its the classical form is a boarding school for British students. Of the 620 students, only 5% фку foreign students. About 100 students live in the school residence. We welcome foreign students in this school but the program is designed for British students and not all international students can cope with the workload.

To  help foreign students to adapt for studying in our school we opened an international college where there is currently 80 students, 98% of them – foreigners. There are a few English students, they like the international atmosphere in the school and small classes, average of 10 people. We selected teachers with experience in international schools, so international students feel the most comfortable being away from home. there are 6 Russian-speaking students in international college. In general, we try to ensure that no one nationality dominated among others, setting a limit on students from same country.

Classrooms in these two schools are in different buildings, but the rest of the time, for example sports clubs, electives and spare time, students of both schools are together, including living in same residence.

L: What is the curriculum in Mill Hill?

R: We use British system in our school: A-level, GCSE and iGCSE. Accept children from 9th grade on a two-year programme GCSE or international variant IGCSE with option to do it in year.  The last is very popular among our students, they study 5 subjects between them Math and English are mandatory. We also have Pre A-level where students study 4 subjects and train English. All these programs are at both schools, but independent British school Mill Hill require higher knowledge of English. At the same time students who finished the GCSE in international college may enroll into A-level to Mill Hill. I would say that about 85% of international students transfer to Mill Hill independent school.

Which discipline and courses are strong in Mill Hill?

R: In the international school there are strong Departments of Geography and Sciences and we are strong in design and technology. In Mill Hill there is very good Music Department, very popular with students. We have wonderful school infrastructure and children can always find something to do.

L: Where are your graduates?

R: Mostly they are in highly ranked universities with big names. Last year 5 students were admitted to Oxford and Cambridge. International students usually go to British universities or North American.

L: What are the conditions for admission to your school?

R: We require good grades for the last two years of school, recommendations from teachers and students need to sit tests in English and mathematics. Every student must pass a Skype interview with the school. Students also need to do IELTS: for the international school we require 4.5 points and for Mill Hill – 5.5.

L: What do you expect from children who want to study in your school?

R: We Have have a great summer camp for kids 12-17. Children learn academic English, mathematics and science. This camp would help to prepare students for academic year. The camp is  on school grounds so children will have the opportunity to study and live on campus of Mill Hill.

We also offer studying in school for 1 semester. We invite students in the first two school semesters both to Mill Hill and to the international school. This is  the best way to prepare for the upcoming school and learn how to study in English.