A visit to a private school, Concord College

Last autumn Marina visited the school Concord College with a group of agents selected by English UK for inspecting schools in the North of England. Today she shares her impressions on the pages of my blog.

Studying in a private British school Concord

British private school Concord striking from the first moments of my visit – a magnificent classical building surrounded by columns is the castle of the thirteenth century (Acton Burnell Castle).

Despite the fact that the history of Concord is only half a century old, the school consistently ranks among the top ten schools in the UK. Concorde graduates tend to go to some of the best universities in the country. Among them are the Universities of Warwick, Oxford, and Cambridge, the London School of Economics (LSE), Imperial College London, and others.

The location of the school Concord

The school is located in Shropshire, in the suburbs of Shrewsbury. It is possible that you have never heard of this county, which is three hours from London, but it is here that the spirit of old England hovers: ivy-entwined houses are crowded in narrow, medieval streets, fireplaces are cozy in houses, people are friendly, and there are no foreigners here. All this means that when children come to Concorde, they live and study in a traditional English environment, far from the temptations of the big city.

In Shrewsbury can be reached by train from three airports: Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham by the transfer, specially organized by the school.

The campus of Concord school

The school is located on the grounds of the castle of the thirteenth century, but the castle remained only in the picturesque ruins.

The school complex occupies a vast territory and consists of both spacious, modern buildings and modernized old buildings, with majestic staircases, fireplaces, and halls in the English Gothic style, in which students can relax after class.

Modern buildings built to meet specific needs are the special pride of the school. Among them is a music building, with a full-fledged modern theater and soundproofed rooms for music lessons.

The latest addition is a new sports pavilion, which has cost the school £ 6 million. The school has stables, tennis courts, a swimming pool, a gym, dance studios, a climbing wall, and much more. At the Concord School, they encourage not only sports but in general, in every possible way, strive to reveal all kinds of talents in students. Among them are photography, design, sciences, debates, and theater. Whatever your child wants to do, he will find the right teacher who will help him open up.

Food

In the cafeteria, we saw the mountain of all sorts of fruits, which students can take at any time of the day. Food in school is not only balanced but also a variety: whatever the students would want – meat, fish, vegetables – there is always plenty to choose from.

Students and staff

During our visit, all of the many students looked engaged and happy. Someone was working on homework in the library

others, relaxed, were playing table tennis. Several girls in makeup seemed to be getting ready for the performance, and in the music building, we heard not only wonderful music but also spied a couple of solo performances by music groups consisting of college students. The staff of the school, with whom we had a chance to communicate, infected with their enthusiasm and gave birth to the confidence that the students of the Concord School are in good hands.

Students

It is worth noting that foreigners predominate among the students of the Concord School, which is not surprising because the school is predominantly designed for foreign students and pays a lot of attention to teaching English. Nevertheless, there are also a lot of English students at the school. Although the school does not disseminate information about its students, we know that among the students of the school there are children of prominent politicians, presidents, and influential families from all over the world.

Accommodation

International students attending the school live on campus. Girls and boys live in separate blocks. Each unit has its own “parent” who looks after the children, making sure they are in their rooms every evening by 10:30 pm, eating well, and not getting sick. The “parent” also plays the role of a person to whom the children can come with their problems and concerns so that the “parents are watching” that the children would fit into the new environment.

All rooms are well equipped and are designed for a single-use. Students personalize their rooms by decorating them to their liking. Bathrooms are usually located on a block of several rooms. The older the students are, the more comfortable their rooms are. Most adult students have toilets and showers in their rooms. All blocks are just minutes from the main school building.

Although students are expected to keep their rooms clean, rooms are professionally cleaned and students are changed weekly. In addition, once a week, students donate dirty clothes in personal bags. Clothes are washed, dried, ironed, and returned to students in the evening.

Overall impression

What amazed me most was how much I wanted to study there at Concorde School. I wanted to be able to play on the stage of the theater and learn how to ride horses, take classes in modern equipped laboratories in physics and biology, take part in noisy preparations for school competitions and find myself in an environment where learning is not boring and where so much attention is paid to the development of academic success of students.