Frequently Asked QuestionsManor Courses FAQ's

Q. When is the deadline for applying?
A. Usually 2 months before the course starts, however we will always accept bookings if we have availability.

Q. How does the student get to the college?
A. Parents can drop students at the college and pick them up.
Most students come by plane and we meet them at the major London airports. 
We also return them to the airport and check-in each student.
This transfer service costs: Heathrow £130 return, Gatwick £100 return.

Q. How do you welcome students to the college?
A. The Directors and/or Welfare Manager meet all students at the desk in the
office.
Our check-in procedures are very welcoming, introducing ourselves by name.
We give everyone a campus map, an information sheet with photos of the
important staff.
We take pocket money and passports to keep in our safe.
We give each student a room card with the house name and room number on, and
outside the office they will meet a teacher, who they follow to the house.
At the house they will meet the house manager, who will show them their
room, the toilets/shower.
At 9am on the second day we start with a welcome assembly to introduce
ourselves and the nurse, then we talk about the rules.
At 6pm they have an orientation around their house again, and will see the
fire exits and meeting points.

Q. What are your 'excellent adult:student ratios'?
A. We have a maximum of 390 students and employ 60 staff. However, the
ratios alter at different times of day. During lessons 26 teachers are on
duty. During activities 14 activity leaders and 7 house managers/leaders are
on duty. During evenings each house has 3 staff on duty.
And the Directors, Welfare Manager and nurse can always be found in the
office.
There are always Hurst personnel on campus too.
There are also group leaders who accompany large groups of students from
their home country.

Q. Do you check police records of your staff?
A. Yes. We use a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) group ( www.fairplayforchildren.org ) to check if any new staff have a criminal record.
Some staff may have lived abroad, so we may ask staff to bring an equivalent check from that country.

Q. Do you have any other campus? Are you independent or part of any group?
A. No. We are a single campus summer school.
We are family-run and have a membership with English UK ( www.englishuk.com ) only.

Q. What if my child wants to study for longer than summer?
A. We can recommend schools in Brighton or other UK locations to continue study before or after summer school.
They might need a visa.

Q. Have you been offering the same service since 1970?
A. Yes. Our daily schedule always ensures students experience enjoyable and continuous learning throughout the day. Our formula for success has stayed the same – since 1970 we have combined several essential components to provide our students with the ultimate summer school experience:

  • A safe and healthy environment
  • A dedication to high-quality tuition
  • A stimulating sports and social activities programme with professional supervision
  • A fun learning experience discovering England

Q. Do I need a visa?
A. If you are a non-EU citizen you may need a visa.

Q. If I am non-EU, what type of visa do I need?
A. You need a Child Visitor Visa. Our courses are maximum 6 weeks. This visa is for maximum 6 months. You will not need any kind of Student Visa if you only come for summer.

Q.   Should I apply for a Tier 4 (Child) Student Visa?
A. No, do not apply for any Tier 4 (Child) Student Visa.

Q. How can I confirm this advice?
A. Visit these websites:

Education UK

UK Governments Visa

UK Home Office Borders Agency

Q. Do students need to pay any extras? If so, how much pocket money should I give my children?
A. Yes. We recommend between £50-£100 per week. 
We offer a school bank service where the students leave their valuables with us including their pocket money. Students come to the office every day to withdraw money from their account. 
We have a shop in the office, for snacks/drinks.

Q. How are bedrooms arranged?
A. Unless you reserve a room-mate in advance, we will allocate rooms when students check-in at the office on day 1. Students can only move rooms with the permission of the Directors or House Manager.

Q. Without a host family, how are students looked after in their houses?
A. Each house has a House Manager and Assistant. Every morning and evening
staff are on duty to help wake-up and turn lights off. Houses are supervised
in the afternoons too. 
Staff have walkie-talkies to talk to the Directors, Nurse, Security Guard or
other House Managers. 
There is a tour on day 1 or day 2 of every house to show facilities and fire exits.
Students return to their house at 10pm every night for a meeting and registration.

Q. Do boys and girls stay in the same house?
A. No. We have separate houses for boys and girls.

Q. Is there a bathroom in the bedroom?
A. No. Bathrooms and toilets are shared and on each floor of the boarding houses.

Q. Do you supply towels?
A. No.

Q. Do you supply bed linen?
A. Yes.

Q. Do you offer a laundry service?
A. Yes, at least twice a week students' laundry is done on campus.

Q. What to bring?
A. Bring all items that you would normally take with you on holiday. Plus sportswear, 2 towels & toiletries.

Q. Is there a doctor near to the college?
A. We have a residential Nurse, exclusively for our students attending Manor Courses. A local Doctor is also always available. The hospital is 30 minutes' drive from the school.

Q. Do you serve Halal meals?
A. Yes, at £15 per week surcharge.

Q. Will my two boys, 11 and 14, be in the same residential building?
A. No, not normally. 7-12 year olds are placed in our Junior Course and accommodated separately. There are ample opportunities to meet and see each other throughout the day. However if you request a Junior be accommodated with the Seniors we are happy to oblige.

Q. Is there internet access for the students?
A. Yes we have an internet room with 20 terminals, always supervised and always free. WiFi is available over most of the campus. Students can keep their laptop in the safe box in the office - we cannot accept responsibility for items left unattended.

Q. Can the students carry their mobile phones with them?
A. Yes, but not in class and not in activities and at their own risk - we cannot accept responsibility for items left unattended.

Q. Can parents stay nearby?
A. Yes of course and we can recommend the following establishments:

Q. How safe is the campus?
A. Students should be safe on campus. We have CCTV and a night security guard. 
All houses are supervised by staff and the Directors constantly maintain health and safety conditions. 
However, some sport activities may cause injuries. There is a Nurse for medical issues.
There are some roads running through the campus. We give traffic safety advice on our maps and posters. There are 2 designated safe crossing locations, shown to students on a college tour on day 1.
The directors have undergone health and safety training with, and our policy was published by, Northgate Arinso - www.northgatearinsoemployerservices.com.

Q. Is the college comfortable for all religions/cultures?
A. We encourage cross-language and cross-cultural communication in the houses and in lessons. However, not all students are equally respectful. 
Staff are always available and we have a Welfare Manager for emotional support, and a no-bullying policy.
There is a quiet room that students can use as a place to pray. On excursions we can find other places to worship.

Q. What is my child going to study?
A. We provide a General English course.
There is a strong focus on fluency and increasing speaking confidence. We provide this in a multi-lingual class where English is the necessary means to make friends and learn about many topics. 
We do this with a variety of activities, eg reading tasks; listening exercises; drama and role-play; writing letters; creating posters and class magazines etc.
Teachers plan the courses with a range of aims and objectives, eg. develop knowledge of the language rules and improve grammatical accuracy and usage; understand new vocabulary that students may see in books/magazines/posters or hear in songs or in films; learn about the world and UK culture etc.
Our programme is tailored to groups of students with different needs. Teachers create a syllabus according to the various needs of the class.

Q. Do you have classes for beginners? My child has never studied before.
Or for advanced students? My child used to live in Australia.
A. Yes, we provide classes for all levels from beginners to advanced. Students take a level placement test on day 2 and the Director of Studies will decide the appropriate level for each student.

Q. Are your English teachers qualified?
A. Yes. All our English teachers have relevant training. 
They provide interactive and communicative lessons that support a lively and challenging English course. 
During our induction course for staff, before students arrive at summer school, we train all staff. They also have ongoing professional development training sessions during the summer.

Q. Are all teachers native speakers?
A. No. Most of them are, and a few are near-native speakers with fluent command of the language, with appropriate experience and training.

Q. What materials can students expect to study?
A. See our English page to see the books we use.
Each day the students study one Language Awareness lesson. So, the students have lessons from a coursebook once a day.
Photocopies and notepaper will be given to the students, and they should keep them in a folder. 
These materials are chosen by each teacher to create student-centred Communication Skills lessons. 
The contents of the teacher’s week’s plan are checked by the Assistant Director of Studies.

Q Do we need to prepare anything before leaving?
A. No. Just bring pens/pencils etc.

Q. Where can we find more advice about language study?
A. Online study activities and bookshops are on our Links page.

Q. My child might need extra attention. What is available?
A. Private tuition is available at an extra cost. Please email for fees, and see Other Options for details.
However, study advice can be given if the child comes to the office. We can make an appointment with an Assistant Director of Studies.
If he/she is keen to practise more, we have a library of books in the office.

Q. How is the students’ learning monitored?
A. A review test is done once every 2 weeks, before the teacher writes the report and certificate.
Students must be responsible for keeping their work tidy and in the folder we provide. This should be taken home.

Q. Can children take exams while at Hurst?
A. No. Most exams have fixed locations and dates. 
However, we can offer advice on suitable exams to take when the child arrives at home.
We can also provide exam preparation in 1-to-1 lessons in the afternoons. See our Other Options page.

Q. What do they do after English lessons?
A. Students have a choice of at least 4 sports activities, plus arts/crafts and performing arts activities every afternoon and evening.

Q. How do students know what activity is on offer? How do they choose?
A. There is a notice board outside the dining room and students can see the same information outside the activity centre. 
At 2pm and 4.15pm there are meetings to register every child and show them what is on offer today.
They choose an activity and follow the leader in the afternoons. In the evenings they meet outside the activity centre.

Q. Do you teach/coach any sports?
A. No. These are sessions not lessons - they offer students an introduction and allow them to explore and develop their interest at their own pace.

Q. Are all the activities you offer on campus?
A. Yes. Except individually requested horse riding.

Q. Are all activities included in the fees?
A. Yes. Except individually requested football coaching or horse riding.

Q. Do you go on day trips?
A. Yes, twice per week.

Q. Should we bring our tennis rackets?
A. We supply all equipment for all sports & activities. However, if you wish, you can bring your own equipment; please mark your name on them.

Q. Are the activity leaders professionally qualified?
A. No, not all of them, not yet.
Most sports leaders are currently undergoing university training to be teachers in the UK education system. They have teaching practice and education theory in sports and other subjects. Therefore they have worked with children already.
Those not undergoing university training have relevant work experience in their speciality and some have qualifications in their skills, though not always teaching qualifications.
During our induction course for staff, before students arrive at summer school, we train all staff. They also have ongoing professional development training sessions during the summer.

Q. I am unhappy or my child is unhappy about something? What can I do?
A. We have a complaints procedure:

Students must…
1 - Make sure they can speak to somebody in their language as soon as possible, eg. speak to a parent/group-leader when they first have a problem.
2 – Go to the office. Tell the Directors as soon as possible. 
3 - Collect a Complaint Form (we can email it to the parent/agent).
4 - Complete the Complaint Form. They can ask a parent/friend/group-leader/teacher to help.
5 - Return the Form to a Director in the office (or by email within 24 hours).

We will…
Make a copy of the Complaint Form.
Try to deal with the complaint quickly. 
Make an appointment to talk to the child about the problem within 24hrs of receiving the Form. 
Investigate the problem before the appointment.

If the student is not happy with our response we will try to investigate more.
We cannot investigate complaints before students write a Complaint Form.
It may not be possible to investigate old problems.

Parents / Agents can…
Email info@manorcourses.co.uk. A written record of this communication is necessary, so we recommend email not phone.
It is possible to complain after the summer, within 1 month. We can email the Complaint Form. But it may not be possible to investigate old problems.
If you are still unhappy, you can also contact English UK within 6 months

Students must read, understand and follow these rules.
It is the responsibility of either the parent/agent/group-leader to show each student the following rules. Please use a dictionary if you do not understand: -

Students must…

  • Always carry the Manor Courses ID card with our telephone number.
  • Always wear the Manor Courses lanyard around their necks on excursions.
  • Go to all English Lesson/Projects, Orientations, and Registrations/Meetings in afternoon activities and in the evenings.
  • Register their name during Lessons/Projects, Orientations, Activity Meetings in afternoon, and House Meetings in the evenings.
  • Be punctual - attend Lessons, activities, meals and meetings at the correct time.
  • Stay in the area on the College Map all day.
  • Stay in their house after 10pm.
  • Respect everyone and the environment. Respect is very important.
  • Listen to the Directors/Teachers/Leaders when they speak.
  • Only enter another student’s bedroom with permission.
  • Keep rooms tidy and make the bed every morning.
  • Use the Office Bank to keep money and valuable property safe.

Students must not…

  • Leave the College campus without permission.
  • Have or use alcohol, tobacco or drugs - on campus or off campus - students caught buying or using either alcohol or drugs may be excluded from the summer school.
  • Throw rubbish on the floor - always use the litterbins.
  • Fight or bully other students.
  • Be late for lessons.
  • Boys must not enter the girls' houses.
  • Girls must not enter the boys' houses.
  • Steal or take without permission other students' personal property or Manor Courses / Hurst College property.

The following steps will be taken when the rules are broken and/or when any wilful act is judged (by the Directors) to have a damaging serious and negative impact on either: their own personal health; the health and safety of fellow students; the schedule; Manor Courses property; Hurst College property; or staff carrying out their duties.

When students break the rules…
1 time -  For the first offence students receive a Verbal Warning (talk to a Manager/Director).
2 times - For the second offence students receive a Written Warning. The Director sends a copy of the letter to the parents/agent.
3 times - For the third offence the Director speaks directly to the parent/agent. Students may be excluded from the summer school and repatriated at their parents' expense.

So, if students do not go to Lessons…
1 time = verbal warning
2 times = written warning
Again after this letter = the Director will speak to the parent/agent.
Students may not receive a certificate if they miss 20% of their English course (2 Lessons per week).

Damage- our advice to parents/agents/students …
All damage should be reported to the Directors as soon as possible.
Students will be charged for wilful damage.
Students will not be penalised or charged for accidental damage.

Serious offences- our advice to parents/agents/students …
We reserve the right to send home without either a verbal or written warning any student that: disrupts the harmonious running of the summer school; any students that continue to break our rules; students that commit a serious offence (especially one that involves the Police and includes theft, smoking in boarding houses, possession, purchase or consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs).  We will rearrange the student’s flight to incorporate an earlier departure, inform the parents/ guardians of the new flight details and we will escort the student to the airport and assist with check-in.