Your questions answered 

On the first day of lessons each student takes a placement test to determine their level of English.
From there, they are divided into six levels of ability and are taught accordingly, using the Ardmore workbook specifically designed for their level.

Yes, we can accept all levels of English including students with limited English.

Each student will receive 15 hours of English tuition per week divided over 5 mornings or afternoons.
Each daily session consists of 4 lesson periods of 45 minutes plus a 30-minute allowance for breaks.

Course duration are usually two weeks, however this is regularly extended to 3 and 4 week courses.
One-week stays are also available.
Please speak to an Ardmore member of staff for dates and availability on our contact page.

Ardmore’s English language courses are designed to help students not only increase their knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary, but also their confidence in using English.
We always teach ‘spoken English’ which is up-to-date and relevant. Our courses are designed to really help students improve communication skills.
Therefore, lessons include plenty of opportunities for students to use the language. Classroom activities include role-play, pair-work, group-work, group projects, surveys, questionnaires and games. Emphasis on communication helps students to use English for a variety of purposes and in a variety of situations.
Our aim is simply to build students’ knowledge and confidence of English.

Students will be taught in a maximum of 18 class size.

No, Ardmore will provide all the necessary course materials. There are six levels of workbooks to suit every student’s level of English.
Students are advised to bring pen, pencils, notebook and a mini dictionary (dictionaries are optional, some are available in classes).

Students will be encouraged to speak and practice English at all times throughout the course: mealtimes, sporting and leisure activities, whilst on excursions and in the accommodation.

At end of each course students will be tested on their progress, which is then mapped against their original score to show their improvements made whilst with Ardmore.
All students are issued with an Ardmore Diploma Certificate on departure, after being tested on reading, listening, speaking, writing, group work, everyday English and their overall progress. All marking is undertaken by their teachers.

Students will need to have at least a basic level of English to understand lessons, instructions, and activities in order to enjoy the stay

Ardmore currently teaches students from over 50 different countries, spread across all our centers. Students are grouped according to their English ability and not only on their age or nationality. This creates a need to communicate in English as a common language, and allows students to develop new international friendships. We also operate closed groups for non-summer courses.

• Full board Residential/ Home Stay accommodation
• 15 Hours of English per week taught by Qualified EFL Teachers
• Entry and exit test, with Ardmore workbooks to use and retain, plus an end of course certificate
• Excursions
• Multi-activity programmes with Ardmore Activity Leaders
• Evening entertainment

The courses run from Sunday to Sunday.
Please speak to your Ardmore contact or our general information line, to discuss arrival dates.

Yes, we run many different Sports Academies and Special programmes. Please speak to a member of Ardmore staff for further details, or alternately visit the Ardmore Sports Academies section on our website. The following options are currently available:

• • Ardmore Football Academy
  • Ardmore Rugby Academy
  • Ardmore Tennis Academy
  • Ardmore Golf Academy
  • Ardmore Basketball Academy
  • Ardmore Dance and Drama Academy
  • Ardmore Horse Riding Academy

On Multi-Activity Programmes:

• • In the UK: Football, Arts & Crafts, Aerobic, Badminton, Tennis, Volleyball, Basketball, Hockey, Dance, Swimming and more…
  • In the USA: Football, Arts & Crafts, Dance, Tennis, Swimming, Softball, Touch Football, Ultimate Frisbee, Basketball, and more…

Evening activities will vary depending on the centre: Talent Show, Culture Show, Disco, Games Evening, Sports Tournaments, Casino, Film Evenings and many more…

On excursions, students will visit local places of interest and attractions, which depend on the location of their centre. Please see each centre’s web page for further details. On our standard programme, students will have half day and full day excursions per week.
Ardmore also offers Discovery Programmes and Academies at selected centres, where students will enjoy more excursions per week.
Students will always be accompanied by Ardmore staff, at a ratio of at least 1:20, as well as the Foreign Group Leaders accompanying the groups.

Yes, all excursions and activities shown in the sample programme are included in the package.
The excursions and activities can however be moved around for operational reasons.

We offer residential stays only in the UK and residential and homestay in the USA.
Please refer to each centre webpage to find out what is available at each specific location.

Ardmore prides itself on its high-quality centres, which range from traditional British Boarding Schools and University and College Campuses, to our own Language Schools.
Ardmore is accredited by the British Council in the UK, which ensures the quality and standards of all our courses and centres.
Please see our Course Listings page for full details of what’s on offer.

We advise that students bring a lockable suitcase. In addition, all centres have a safe. We recommend that students to do not bring highly valuable items with them.

Our course prices already include accommodation, meals, workbooks and excursion entrances, therefore we do not recommend that students bring too much pocket money. Parents may like to provide them with enough for souvenirs and snacks.

The student will need to take responsibility for his or her spending money. Each centre will have a safe, but we also advise students to bring a lockable suitcase for extra security.

Most of our centres do not have facilities on site, but it is possible for students to use ATM’s whilst out on excursions. It is not advisable to rely on this as the only form of access to spending money, as it is not always convenient to use an ATM whilst on excursions. Also, please contact your bank to notify them of the trip abroad.

Yes, each centre has a safe on site. Only the centre director and senior members of staff will have access to this.

Yes, it is possible for the parents to send money. Please contact an Ardmore member of staff at head office or the agency the course was booked through. This should only be used in emergencies.

Students can be placed with their friends or other students from their group. Alternatively, some students may like to mix internationally. We will always try and accommodate any requests.

We always divide male and female students in the accommodation, including the bathroom facilities.

The average ratio is 1:7, however each centre will vary.

Yes, all bed linen is provided; this is washed at least once a week.

Students will need to bring their own towels; both our residential and home stay centres do not provide them.
Students are advised to bring a face towel and bath/swimming towel.

Bed linen is washed by the centre every week.
We encourage personal laundry to all students. Depending on the centre, some students will be given a laundry bag where the washing will be done by the centre, and others will have access to laundry facilities.
Ardmore always provides the washing power, but in some cases students are required to use a coin to operate the machine. An Ardmore member of staff is always on hand to assist students if necessary.

In residential centres, all students must be back in their rooms at 22:00, with lights out at 22:30.

No, students of any age must always be accompanied by a member of Ardmore staff or their Group Leader if travelling as part of a group.

• A breakfast which may include: cereal, toast, fruit, yoghurt and fruit juice
• A packed lunch
• A plated evening meal with the family

• A breakfast which may include: cereal, toast, fruit, yoghurt and fruit juice
• A plated lunch when on the campus, or a packed lunch on excursion days
• A plated evening meal at the college

Each centre will vary slightly, however we always ensure that there are a variety of choices, with healthy and nutritious food.

Breakfast at residential centres: selection of different options

Lunch and Dinner includes at residential:

• Meat options and Vegetarian options, Carbohydrates, Vegetables, Deserts, Drink

We provide 21 meals per week (weekends may differ according to centre, as some centres allow for students to have “brunch” on Sundays). On arrival and departure days, packed meals may be provided depending on arrival/departure times. Additional meals, outside of the 21 per week, are available for purchase. Please contact your representative for more details.

• We understand that some students are homesick when they first arrive in England. Ardmore recommends that parents discourage their student from calling home too often, and try to persuade them to speak to someone at the centre if they need something.

• Individual students will be looked after by the Senior Welfare Leader/Head of Pastoral Care – who will assist the student to settle in, introduce them to other students and answer any questions they may have. If the student cannot overcome their homesickness and wants to return home, we will assist them in any way we can to make their return home as stress-free as possible.

The Ardmore Group carefully selects centre staff, many of which have worked with us year on year. To ensure the safety and supervision there will always be:

• At least 1 Ardmore Activity Leader per 20 students on excursions/activities
• 1 teacher in class at all times
• 1 adult per 20 students in residences

In each Ardmore Summer Education centre there is:

• • Centre Director
  • Director of Studies
  • Head of Pastoral Care
  • Head of Sports & Activities
  • Senior Welfare Leaders
  • Ardmore Activities Leaders
  • EFL Teachers

Most of our centres have internet access; however, this will vary from centre to centre. We advise students not to bring laptops, and we encourage students to limit their use of internet, to maximise their experience at an Ardmore Centre.

Yes, students can bring a mobile phone, however they should be aware of the high overseas calling cost. Students are asked to not use their phone during lessons and activities to maximise their experience at the centre and socialise with the different students from all different nationalities.

Yes, additional excursions are available. Please speak with your representative about Bespoke Programmes.

Yes, they can take students off site without a member of staff. They will be required to sign a Group Leader Release form which includes a risk assessment that they agree to. The leadership team needs to be aware who is off site for safety reasons and will also ask when they will arrive back on centre.

No, students of any age must always be accompanied by a member of Ardmore staff or their Group Leader if travelling as part of a group.

At Ardmore we provide meet & greet and transfers to all airports and railways stations that can be booked in advance prior the student arrival and departure.

As an agent, to make a booking, please complete a group booking form or an individual student booking form and send it to Ardmore Language Schools.
If you require information prior to booking, please feel free to contact us, where an Ardmore member of staff will be able to help you.
For bookings made through an agency, please go directly to your contact there.
We must also receive a deposit in order for the booking to be considered provisional – please see our Booking Terms and Conditions for more information.

Please contact an Ardmore member of staff for pricing questions.
Alternatively for bookings made through an agency, please go directly to your contact there.

We will confirm that we have received and processed your booking and will give you a unique reference number which we ask that you quote in all correspondence.
The booking will remain provisional until the full balance is received. We will send you further information relating to your course when available.

We understand how important it is to keep you informed about your booking and our friendly Head Office staff are available by email (info@theardmoregroup.com) or by telephone (+44 (0) 1628 826699) Monday to Friday (9:00 – 17:30 GMT) to answer any questions you may have.

A minimum of 10% deposit is required to secure the booking. Full payment must be paid 4 weeks prior to arrival.

Please make payment to Ardmore via bank transfer or credit card, quoting your booking reference at time of payment. Please see payment instructions on your invoice or booking forms’ terms and conditions

Return transfers are not included in the Ardmore Package but can be booked prior to the arrival. We will then arrange return or single airport transfers with Meet & Greet Service. Each of our transport suppliers are reputable companies, all of which we have audited to check their safety records, as well as being police checked. Groups of students will travel by coaches with their groups. Individuals students will be met and have a private transfer to the centre. Please contact your agent to book this service.

It is essential that everyone on our courses/programmes is fully insured. It can either be booked privately or through Ardmore who provides basic travel insurance. Please ask your agent for the policy schedule (available in 8 languages including English) so that you can ensure the cover details are what you need and in case you need to arrange extra cover.

If you wish to use your own policy for the student(s) that is perfectly acceptable – however, we do need a copy of the policy for our records before the student arrives.

Students travelling to the UK from the rest of the world may require a visa. Please check and then specify at the time of booking, Ardmore will provide you with a signed and stamped visa letter to give to your local embassy.

Students will need to take their Ardmore visa letter to their local British or American embassy, who will then issue a visa.

• Many countries have joined the American visa waiver programme, but not all. You will need to check and apply on the ESTA web page. Students travelling from the European Union to the USA, will need to apply on the ESTA web page on the following link. https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/
• Countries part of the American visa waiver programme can be checked at : https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/
• Any countries that are not part of the visa waiver programme with the USA will have to apply for a tourist visa. Ardmore will provide you with a signed and stamped visa application letter to give to your local embassy.

You must advise of your students’ dietary/medical requirements at the time of booking on the Ardmore Booking Form. This is very important so that we can pass on vital information to our Centre Staff in good time.

Medicines can be stored at the centre and refrigerated if necessary. Please inform us before travel and the student with details of the dosage and administration requirements. Please note students are responsible for their own medication.