A number-one priority for any internationally relocating family moving with school-age children will be finding their feet quickly in their new country. Children will be faced not only with challenging language barriers, but also with new academic programmes to master.Fortunately, there is more support than ever before, from a growing number of academic institutions, for families to immerse themselves in a new language and culture, alongside a welcome emphasis on supporting the child’s first language as part of their integration into a new school system. There are an increasing number of dedicated international study centres in British independent schools preparing older overseas students for post-16 examinations in their new country.Some even include parent-and-child cultural immersion programmes, to acclimatise whole families to their new life. Summer language courses, held during school holidays, are also offered at many independent and international schools, helping children to prepare for the English-language-based academic year ahead.

Growing opportunities

According to research from management-consulting firm the Parthenon Group, institutions offering programmes aimed at international students are experiencing significant enrolment growth. This is due, in part, to a growing demand for delivering a British education to foreign students, ultimately placing them in higher-education institutes in the UK. The knock-on effect has been that there are increased competition and a growing number of opportunities for pupils and students entering the UK for the first time to familiarise themselves with a new language and culture, and new academic expectations.

International Study Centres

For older children, a new breed of learning institution has emerged in recent years, in response to demand for international schooling in the UK. International Study Centres, which are typically offered by UK boarding schools providing programmes for non-English speakers, have sprung up as independent wings of a number of British public schools. They are usually aimed at students looking to enter GCSE, A Level or International Baccalaureate courses in the UK.Moreton Hall, an independent boarding school in Shropshire, established an International Study Centre in 2005 for girls and boys aged 13–18. The centre runs throughout the year, including the summer holidays. Like other similar study centres, Moreton Hall offers intensive English-language tuition alongside the pre-GCSE, A Level and International Baccalaureate intensive academic courses, to enable students to bring themselves up to speed to study for these exams in the UK.Sally Twiss, marketing officer at Blundell’s School, an independent co-educational boarding and day school in Devon, believes that the boarding-school experience can help students to integrate quickly. “International pupils are fully included in the academic, sports and social programmes, and because there are such a small number of foreign-language speakers here, they have an excellent opportunity to speak English all the time, integrate into boarding-school life, and improve their English significantly,” says Ms Twiss.Study Centres are accredited and inspected by the British Council, and, according to a spokesperson, only those that meet the high standards of the scheme are accredited and awarded an Accreditation UK quality-assurance mark.The Accreditation UK scheme monitors UK schools, colleges and universities offering courses in English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

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Summer programmes

Many schools run holiday courses, often in the summer, designed for international students, combining English-language teaching and/or academic study with other social, sporting and cultural activities. Courses such as these can provide children with a taste of school life ahead of enrolment, and can help to get their developing English-language skills off the ground.Matthew Cook, of the International Community School, London, believes that summer programmes can offer students and parents a supported transition into a new city, a new life and a new school. “There are a wide variety of programmes available for first-language and second language families,” he says. “Our summer programmes cater for second-language-speaking children and parents. “These programmes offer students opportunities to develop general and academic language skills to support their integration into the mainstream at the start of the academic year. Programmes cater for students aged from three to 18, and combine English-language development with fun, focus and a chance to socialise and make friends through the language.“Every year, we have children who are enrolled to start our main year-round school in September who choose to go to some, or all, of the summer school to enhance their English-language skills. In addition, sometimes students who have been to summer school want to stay on and enrol in the year-round programmes that we offer.” 

Parent-and-child programmes 

As well as offering students opportunities to develop their English, International Community School, London, understands the value of parents’ development in the language. “We are lucky enough to have an adult language school that we are closely associated with,” says Matthew Cook. “At English in London, parents can study whilst their children are in classes at International Community School. Parents and their children can live independently in London, or stay in host-family accommodation arranged by the school.” From July through to August, Moreton Hall also runs an international summer school and offers a popular parent–child course. These courses are designed to allow both parent and child to experience life in a UK school. They feature separate programmes for parents and children, and activities to share. Children and parents travel on excursions together. These include visits to local historic cities and other cultural and shopping experiences.

Intensive immersion

Ron Roukema, head of Marymount International School, Paris, believes that finding interesting activities for students to engage in not only expands their vocabulary but also allows them to explore the activities in English. Marymount Paris offers summer and weekend programmes for children to focus on intense English instruction and to immerse themselves through a mixture of activities. “Language programmes, or language camps, can greatly benefit children,” says Mr Roukema, “not only in their learning of a new language but also in their transition to new environments. It is not uncommon that we suggest to our parents that children participate in additional language programmes, either before coming to our school or after enrolling. “We host English camps focused on sport, arts and technology, beginning in the last week of June, through the second week of July. Our Saturday programmes focus on intense English instruction, both working in content areas as well as exploratory options in the arts, technology and sport.” The International Community School, London, has run a residential summer course in Ascot for the past few years, combining English-language classes with sports, study trips, and London sightseeing and shopping excursions.“This intensive programme sees students immersed in the English language. It caters for 10–18 year olds and is a tremendous opportunity to get an initial ‘hit’ of English,” says Matthew Cook. Julia Cole, a drama teacher at ACS Egham International School, in Surrey, who has led the school’s summer camp for the past three years, believes that all good international schools should offer programmes to help new students and their families to become immersed in school life throughout the year. “Even if a move does not coincide with the summer break, all students are supported in settling into the school community,” says Ms Cole.“One of our most successful programmes at ACS is our ‘buddy’ system, where new families are ‘buddied’ with a current family of the same nationality who have children of similar ages. Before the students start at ACS, and sometimes before they’ve even moved to the UK, their buddy will be in touch to say ‘hello’ and answer any questions they may have before the move. Once the student starts school, their buddy will help them find their way around campus, from showing them where to get lunch to introducing them to other friendship groups.”

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Maintaining a sense of identity 

It is important to bear in mind that, while acclimatisation to a new country and language will be a top priority for any family relocating internationally, maintaining a sense of their own national identity is also of great value to children. Good schools used to dealing with international students from across the globe will allow children to celebrate their differences, and will continue to support the child’s first language.The International School of London (ISL) schools in London, Surrey and Qatar have a strong commitment to helping children deepen their understanding of their own culture whilst maintaining literacy in their home language.The school runs a mother-tongue programme, which continues language and literacy training in the family’s first language throughout the child’s time in the school.“The academic justification for an embedded mothertongue programme goes beyond providing a ‘soft landing’,” says Heather Mulkey, group marketing and admissions officer for ISL. “Research over the past three decades increasingly demonstrates that continuing language and literacy in the first language, alongside the development of the new language, is in the child’s best academic interest, and in the interest of their overall personal and educational development.”According to Susan Stewart, head of mother-tongue languages at ISL, this is important on an emotional level, because it is a chance for students to express themselves in their mother tongue. “One of the challenges facing an EAL [English as an Additional Language] learner is that they may have been top of the class in their home school, but, in a new language, they are not able, initially, to excel in the same way,” says Ms Stewart.“The mother-tongue teacher helps to explain the topics and vocabulary currently being explored in the main classroom, which aids in the learning. As English becomes the dominant language, the mother-tongue lessons maintain the home language, literacy, identity and culture. This helps the transference of skills and knowledge, so that students then bring the mother-tongue learning back to the main classroom, fostering a wider world view.”As Susan Stewart concludes, children of internationally relocating families have a unique opportunity to foster this wider world view as they work hard to acquire their new language skills and develop their understanding of a new culture. While international relocation can be a challenging experience, it can also be overwhelmingly positive, offering rich cultural experiences and helping to equip children with the skills needed to compete in our increasingly globalised economy.And the need for young people to remain flexible in their approach to acquiring new language skills certainly seems to be reflected in the variety of options available to families looking to immerse themselves in their new life.^{This article was originally published in March 2013.}

Relocate Global’s new annual Guide to International Education & Schools provides a wealth of advice to anyone searching for a new school in the UK and in an international setting, and offers insights into what it takes to make the right school choice. 

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