New School of English - Cambridge English Language School

School description

The New School was established in 1962, and is accredited by the British Council. The school is in a 19th century Victorian house located in central Cambridge. We are an independent, medium-sized school, with about 70 students during the year and about 140 students during the summer.

We pride ourselves on being a warm, friendly and personal school, and we aim to create a welcoming atmosphere for all our students. Many students compare us to a ‘big family’. We try to ensure that your stay with us is as enjoyable and rewarding as possible, and we have enough staff at the school to deal as quickly and efficiently as possible with any problems that might occur.

The minimum age to study at our school is 16 years old, but the typical age of our students is 18-30 years old. We have students from all over the world, and we make sure that there is a good nationality mix in the whole school in general, and in each class in particular.

We have a total of 9 classrooms, and a full range of facilities

• digital language lab
• self-study centre
• free DVD library (with over 400 films)
• Internet café – 12 PCs with free access
• common room with widescreen satellite TV
• patio garden

School location

Cambridge has 120,000 people, and consequently everything in the city is very accessible. The New School is located in a residential area of the centre, about 10 minutes on foot from the historical university centre. It is also very close to the train station, the sports hall, the Grafton Centre shopping area, and the student accommodation.

Most students hire bikes during their stay, and this is the quickest, cheapest and most convenient way of moving around the city. However, it is also possible to walk easily from one place to another, and you can also get a weekly bus pass (about £10) to use the city’s public transport.

Cambridge is beautiful old city, famous for its prestigious university. It has a young student population and there are a large number of social and cultural activities you can enjoy.

Course description

The school is open all year, although we are closed for 3 weeks at Christmas. It is possible to start a course on any Monday – we have open start dates. The minimum course is usually 2 weeks, but we do have 1-week courses (English for Professionals) for business and corporate clients who have limited time available. Students can study for as long as they wish, and they can also extend their course while they are here.

We have 2 basic types of course:

• Standard (15 hours a week – mornings only) 
• Standard Plus (21 hours a week – mornings and afternoons)

The morning classes are normally general English, but we have Cambridge exam preparation courses as well which can be taken at certain times of the year (winter, spring and autumn). In the afternoons, those students who are taking a Standard Plus course can choose between a variety of different options, including:

• English for Work Purposes
• Applied Skills
• Study Skills for FCE/CAE
• Academic English with IELTS  
• Communication Activities

The timetable is 9.30 – 11.00, 11.30 – 13.00 and then 14.00 – 15.30 (for Standard Plus courses only). There are no classes on Friday afternoons.

Every student is given a 90-minute level test on their first day – grammar, listening, writing and speaking – before they are put into a class corresponding to their level. The maximum class size is 14, but usually the class size is 8-12 students. All students are given a course workbook to keep, and the school lends every student a class coursebook.

Progress is checked by the teachers, and students are given regular progress tests on Mondays to assess their improvement. This is also the time for tutorials, when students can have 1-to-1 chat with their teacher to discuss anything that they would like to focus on or anything that they are having problems with. Students are regularly set homework by their teachers.

Students can also make use of the free extra learning opportunities provided by the school. They include:

• Monday – Tea & Conversation
• Tuesday – Help in the Library / Study Centre
• Wednesday – Help in the Language Lab
• Thursday – Grammar Clinic

We also help prepare students for the Cambridge and IELTS exams (which can all be taken in Cambridge), and we help students register for these exams as well.

Social Programme description

• students have the opportunity to practise their English as much as possible outside class
• it helps students to make friends more easily with students of other nationalities and from other classes
• it helps students learn more about British culture and way of life while they are here

The school offers a very active and varied social programme. We provide a range of activities to suit everyone. These include sports (football, tennis, volleyball), pub nights, museum visits, cinema trips, university tours, punting on the river, food nights at the school, parties, barbecues and weekend excursions. Many of the activities are free or cost very little.

The school organises full-day weekend excursions to various places of historical interest around the UK – London, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, York, Bath, Brighton and Stonehenge. The excursions cost £20-£30.