Latest News from Capital School in Bournemouth

Trinity College London Examination Success

Capital School became a registered examination centre for the Trinity College suite of examinations. The first set of candidates took the Trinity Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE) on Thursday 1st December. There are twelve progressively graded examinations which have been designed for speakers of other languages and which set realistic objectives in listening to and speaking with English speakers. Eight candidates from Capital School of English took the GESE examinations on 1st December, ranging from Grade 3 to 8 and all were successful due to careful preparation on behalf of the teaching staff and hard work by the candidates themselves. Well done everyone and watch the website for more details about the Trinity examinations.

New scholarship initiative brings real Turkish Delight to Capital School

At the end of August 2011 one of our partner agents Horizon International Education Consultancy in Istanbul, Turkey contacted us to inform us that they would be sending over group of 40 students in September to study English with us and stay in local host families.

The 40 students had been specially chosen by the Ministry of Education in Istanbul for a new project to receive a scholarship from Horizon to study at Capital School for two weeks. The students came from 39 high schools from all over Istanbul and were chosen for their academic ability and due to personal circumstances an overseas study experience was an opportunity that they may not otherwise have. 
 
The owner of Horizon, Mehmet Gultekin invited our Assistant Director of Studies Emma Lusty to spend a week in Istanbul to provide an orientation programme for the 40 students. Emma prepared a week long syllabus to provide the students with some language skills and cultural awareness before their trip to the UK. While in Istanbul Emma had daily lessons with the students, she gave a welcome speech on the first day of the orientation which was part of a national press conference and the lessons were also filmed as part of a documentary which is to be shown on national television in Turkey in October. The documentary forms part of a promotional campaign to keep the project going and will be opened up to students from all over Turkey. The Turkish government plan to send 600 students over to the UK to study within the next year.
On September 10th 2011 the students arrived in Bournemouth along with their Turkish group leader Elif Pekmezci, the camera crew for the documentary and two employees from the Ministry of Education.   The camera crew stayed for the first week of the visit and were able to film in some of the student’s classes, they filmed the students in various in Bournemouth and the local area and they also went into a few host families’ houses for some interviews.
 
 
While the students were here they participated in morning or afternoon classes and had a varied daytime and evening activity programme. During their stay they visited London and Oxford on day trips at the weekend and during the week they took part in various sports activities at the beach, went shopping in Poole and Bournemouth, ate around the world at an International Food party held at the school and spent an evening with a local company doing a drama workshop.
The two week study programme was a complete success and we look forward to receiving the next group of students in the near future.
 
To view some highlights of the documentary of the project which includes Capital School please visit our link on You Tube:

 

Capital School win 2011 RALSA 6-a-side Football Tournament

Capital School of English's winning teamSummer started early for Capital School this year with the annual RALSA Football Tournament. This 6- a- side International football tournament saw students from Capital School competing against 5 other international language schools from Bournemouth.
 
The event took place at the Littledown Sports Centre and kicked off at 1.30pm, with each game lasting 10 minutes.
 
 
Capital School of English had 15 students take part in the tournament operating as a squad rotating places throughout the afternoon to ensure everyone had a chance to shine and enjoy a few games of football.
 
Capital started off well, with a 1-0 victory against United World 2, followed by a 0-0 draw with Anglo Continental.
Their success continued with a 2-0 victory against BEET to be followed by a 0-0 draw against Kings School and a 0-0 draw against MLS.
 
At the end of the league, Capital came out on top of the table and faced BEET in the final and what a great final it was!!
After 10 minutes of constant shooting at the goal but failing to score, (with the crowds going crazy!!), the winner was decided by an exciting penalty shoot out with Capitals’ Colombian Felipe Pinzon feeling the pressure in goal.
 
Both Capital and BEET scored their first two goals, and thanks to Felipe saving BEETs’ last attempt, Capital were crowned the RALSA 2011 Football Champions and lifted the cup with pride!!
 
A great day and many thanks to the supporters who came down to cheer the boys on!

Capital School of English lift the Trophy

 

Specialist English Courses for Mini Stay Groups

Starting to learn English from an early age is fairly common in Europe but we are also finding that extending that knowledge with overseas trips to England to further their knowledge is now being adopted by more and more groups. Recently at Capital School we were pleased to have had 3 young learners groups to study and improve their English language skills in the UK.
 
Having made 3 new contacts at a recent educational fair we welcomed 2 Italian groups and a Spanish group this March who attended our special English language mini stay cultural programmes.
 
The groups were closed groups from high schools ranging from 20 to 50 students who came over to improve their English language learning skills on our very popular mini stay programme from 7 to 14 days.
 
The groups were split according to age and linguistic awareness and taught by a group of 4 teachers with specialist background knowledge of the programme designed by our Junior School academic team, Lynne Roberts and Emma Lusty.
 
During the low season we often have school groups and over the last year we have had groups from as far away as Brazil.
 
The academic programme is designed to activate learnt language and to build linguistic confidence in their English language skills. The students are worked incredibly hard and have to present to their peer groups as well as tutors at the school. This coupled with a great activity programme meant the course was well received and year on year we welcome back groups from many existing school contacts as well as new ones made at the various fairs and events we attend.
 

 Capital School of English help ‘Pudsey Bear’ raise £1070 for Children in Need!

 
 
 
On Friday 19 November Pudsey turned up to help students and staff at Capital School of English collecting money, raffling prizes and selling cakes - all for this worthy cause.
 
The day kicked off with students helping to blow up balloons and decorate the school before their 9am lessons, which set the atmosphere off straight away (they all become very excitable)! Then from 10am- 4.30pm, each class had a 30 minute slot in which they came downstairs with their teacher and took out trays of cakes and collection buckets to try to sell cakes and collect donations. Some students stayed for the whole day even when their class had finished eager to help to raise more.
 
The school organized a special raffle with many local companies from Winton and Bournemouth contributing. The raffle prizes included: £30 Laser Quest vouchers, tickets for ice skating from the BIC, tickets for Wincanton Race Day, 10 passes for the students favourite nightclubs- kukui, Lava and V contributed by the infamous DJ Lenny! Also, a bottle of Cava from Waitrose, a gentleman’s haircut from Heaven Hair- Winton, a meal for 2 at The Hop and Kilderkin Pub directly, opposite the school, free subway sandwiches, free lunch at Rhapsody coffee next door to the school and various gift prizes contributed by the staff.
 
Students and staff all baked cakes, and from around 8.30am on Friday morning cakes were being brought in by the dozen, Sonia from Butlers Baguette and the ladies at Sturton and Tappers Furniture also gave the school some amazing cakes to sell.
 
Pudsey and his special helper, Clive, spent the most of the day outside with the students, which attracted a lot of public attention! Members of the public were really willing to donate, some cars even pulled over by the school especially to buy cakes, while many were just happy to give a donation.
 
Capital School of English would like to thank everyone who not only took part in such a great day but also all the people who gave so generously – next year the bar has been set…can we beat it? Yes we can!
 
Here are some more pictures from the charity day!
 

Capital School of English - Charity begins abroad?

Capital School of English recently held a Charity International Food Party at its year round English Adult School in Bournemouth.
Over 100 students and staff attended the event in support of Macmillan Cancer Research on the 7th October. The evening was the first in a series of different charitable events planned for the remainder of the year in support of Will Hume who is a teacher at the school. Will Hume will embark on a walk across Africa for the Charity later in 2011.
 
Students cooked delicious food from their country and the students sang their own national anthems making the evening a real success.
 
The highlight of the evening other than the incredible food was the auction. Mark Lewis the Schools’ Director of Studies was auctioned for 16 GBP to teach a 1:1 lesson on pronunciation. The lucky student was Dimitri from Switzerland who commented, “To get the opportunity to have a private lesson with the school’s Director of Studies was too good an opportunity to miss and to contribute to the schools Charity was an absolute bonus.”
 
6 other Swiss students also paid an incredible 125 GBP to spend the day working with Spencer Fordham - the Schools Managing Director. The 6 students were given an insight into how the school operates. They were keen to get involved with all aspects of the school and enjoyed their time swiping cards, helping Mark arrange the famous school T-Board. They were also treated to a lovely lunch which went down very well.
 
As part of their day the 6 students were asked to write a blog of their stay in the UK and at Capital School. Below you can read some of their comments on what has been an incredible last few weeks at Capital School of English in Bournemouth.
 
“Before we went to England we thought the people would all be a bit strange and the weather cold and rainy. But when we arrived, it was a bright sunny day. Our host family was lovely and open and the first sentence was: "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Staying in a host family is a really good way to improve your English. They'll help you for example to explain some words or give you important information.  

When you first arrive in England you have to be careful! Look right than left because they drive on the left side. That was what we had to learn.
 
Capital School is like a second family for us because they are all very friendly and helpful and the teachers have a lot of patience, so you learn a lot in a very short time. We really enjoyed the time in Bournemouth and if we had to go home we would be a bit sad because we have met lots of students with different nationalities and cultures. It's very interesting to talk to other students because all of them have a different accent and a different way of thinking. We had a great time” - Dimitri & Nathalie
 
Will Hume can be seen in the photo crouching down with (L-R) Siobhan Miller CSE Social Organiser and the winners Kerstin Mast, Stefanie Roethlisberger, Stefanie Fischer, Nathalie Flueckiger, Nadia Angelopoulos and Dimitri Angelopoulos

 

Capital School expands...again!

Capital School of English, since its beginnings in November 2003, has had ambition to grow. From occupying the top two floors at its current address to now operating over the whole site which has seen our capacity grow from 5 classroom and 64 student places to 11 classrooms and 144 student places with additional facilities during the summer at the Arts University College Bournemouth.
 
During the summer Capital School will have seen over 700 students pass through its doors from all over the world to enjoy learning English in Bournemouth. Having recently gained ‘Highly Trusted Sponsor’ status with the Border Agency, Capital continues to grow.
 
In celebration of the expansion and ground floor refurbishment Capital School of English performed an  ‘Official Opening’ at the school on Wednesday 4th August 2010 at 12.30pm.
 
The opening ceremony was conducted by Tony Millns, Chief Executive, English UK who was joined by Carolyn  Blackmore, Chief Executive, Quality English, Spencer Fordham MD, and Paulina Fordham Finance Director, Capital School together with a representative number of students and staff at the school.
 
Reflecting on the growth Spencer Fordham commented that “the only way now is ‘up’ but I think that will be a little while yet, in the meantime the addition of Residential facilities at the AUCB has been more than enough to keep us busy this year”.

 

All aboard for some Mad Hatters at Capital School

Eighty students from Capital School of English enjoyed an open top double decker bus trip to the Charity May Dance having started the evening off in Winton at The Talbot with a fancy dress event.

The Charity May Dance attended by the RALSA schools in Bournemouth in Aid of the Mayors Charity was held at Bliss club with a theme of the Mad Hatters Ball. More than 800 international language students from Bournemouth and Poole attended the evening.

Capital School actively encourages their students to join in on a range of activities throughout their stay in the UK studying the English Language as this is an ideal opportunity to practice their language skills.

Many students continue their studies in Bournemouth after they have qualified in their English Studies so their integration into Bournemouth life is an important aspect of their stay here.

During the summer Capital School of English will be host to over 700 students from around the world with specialist English courses for Juniors and Adults incorporating a wide range of events to keep everyone active and enjoying everything that Bournemouth and the UK has to offer.
 

Yellow Buses brighten Capital School of English

Summer is fast approaching and with it the number of overseas students arriving to study at language schools will steadily increase.

For the language schools a pressing issue is how to provide safe transport for their students. For some this could mean adding costly and sometimes unreliable private transport services, but for Capital School of English, a Bournemouth based British Council accredited school, this solution was simple: they opted to work with local public transport provider Transdev Yellow Buses.

“Capital School has been working with Transdev Yellow Buses for a number of years now and as our student numbers have grown we have found that the Yellow Buses have provided the most reliable means of local transportation for our students,” commented Spencer Fordham, Managing Director of Capital School of English.

“When students come to Bournemouth to study the English language part of the appeal of the town is the easy access to the many attractions and beaches. Transdev Yellow Buses provide this easy access with the weekly bus passes they issue that we provide as part of our summer package for our English language learners.

“We find this works best for all concerned; it saves students money and provides a safe and reliable means of transport during their stay.”

What’s more, this is a truly reciprocal relationship between the Bournemouth language school and the bus company. When Transdev Yellow Buses were looking to represent local language schools in their publicity, Capital School of English was their natural choice. Students from Capital featured in a poster campaign on some of the Bournemouth buses.

Jenni Wilkinson, Head of Marketing at Transdev Yellow Buses, added: “We have worked closely with Capital over a number of years, providing students with easy access to our extensive network of bus services.

“Working in partnership with the school to provide clear, easy to understand information to assist students enables them to travel both to learning and to other facilities the area has to offer.
“We aim to continue to be the trusted partner of key stakeholders such as Capital School of English, and look forward to developing our relationship with them in the future.”
For both Transdev Yellow Buses and Capital School of English the future looks bright and decidedly yellow!

 

Capital School launches Bournemouth residential English language summer courses

In keeping with the continued development of Capital School of English, the Bournemouth English Language school, they are happy to announce the launch of its newest venture – residential English language summer courses.

Throughout July and August 2010 the school will be offering residential accommodation to its Adult students, providing residential English language courses in Bournemouth.

Having established an amazing network of local home stay providers over the last seven years the school has reacted to the market forces where students are increasingly into greater independence.

The AUCB (Arts University College Bournemouth), home to Capital’s established Junior/Adult Summer Centre, is an incredible state-of-the-art facility and one the school is proud to call its second home. Capital School of English already has an established connection with AUCB and the addition of the student residence is the final piece of the jigsaw. It is the perfect location for these residential English language courses in Bournemouth.

Spencer Fordham, Capital School’s MD, said: “For us as a school we view the relationship we have with the AUCB as a very special one forged over the last four years, working closely to establish an incredibly marketable Bournemouth English language summer school. With the addition of the students’ residence the programme is now complete in terms of the provisions we offer our students. As a family run school we pride ourselves on the level of service and care we offer not only to our students but our partners and hosts. This is an amazing centre of which we are all immensely proud!

“AUCB gained University status in 2009 and the relationship forged between them and Capital is incredibly reciprocal. We have enjoyed taking many visitors around the university campus and they all leave with the feeling that the campus and all it offers gives their clients an incredible environment in which to study.”

Matt Desmier, Enterprise Manager at AUCB, commented: “We view the relationship we have with Capital School as an important asset to the university in terms of showcasing the wonderful facilities we have to offer. With the intended launch of further short courses to complement the English language summer courses offered by Capital in 2011 the AUCB is proud to call the school one of its valued partners.”

Spencer Fordham added: “We are already discussing plans for 2011 and beyond, where we are looking to launch a new summer programme, with the support of Matt Desmier and Hilary Colvey, Head of the International Office. The next few years are going to see the launch of some fantastic and innovative new modules utilising the environment and expertise the AUCB offers”

Capital School of English welcome a new Director of Studies

Mark Lewis recently joined Capital School of English in Bournemouth, an independent and fully accredited British Council English Language School, who are also a full member of English UK, as their new DOS (Director of Studies), having recently moved down from London to enjoy his new role by the sea.

Prior to that Mark lived in France for 6 years where he obviously enjoyed using his language skills having achieved a degree in French this was followed with an MA and Phd in Philosophy. Mark is married and enjoys literature, cooking and cycling – this included racing for a Division 3 team in France – he’s quick to add not in the Tour de France!

In welcoming Mark to the school, the MD, Spencer Fordham added “Mark chose the perfect time to join us – the summer rush is on and we’ve just implemented a new computer management system – the deep end is a good place to start”.
 

Capital School Celebrate 5th Anniversary

Based in Bournemouth, a well known centre for students wishing to learn English, Capital School of English is a relative newcomer but in the short space of 5 years they have established themselves as a leading English language school in Bournemouth.

Picture of school buildingSpencer Fordham, the Principal explained that “at Capital, being a small and friendly school, we like to treat all our students as individuals, after all they are leaving their homes and countries to come and live and experience the English way of life for up to a year. Students come to learn English in Bournemouth because it is such a vibrant town within easy reach of London, the Jurassic Coast and the New Forest. We often find students returning to us as they enjoy learning English in Bournemouth and especially at Capital School”.

Having reached their fifth anniversary Capital are not resting on their laurels as they have developed links with the  Arts Institute, Bournemouth to provide Summer Junior Courses for individuals and groups where they can enjoy learning English with other students aged from 14 – 18 in a fun environment. The fun doesn’t stop there as after class the students are then involved in a number of afternoon and evening activities that helps supplement everything they learn at their Bournemouth English school including beach games and activities, day trips to London, Bath, Oxford, the Purbecks and more.

Students usually stay with a Host Family or Homestay as they are known, here they will add to their English course in Bournemouth by integrating with local families learning about how we live and taking every opportunity to use the language they have developed in class.

Outside of the busy summer period students looking enhance their employment opportunities or further education often enrol for the academic year to learn English in Bournemouth and progress to taking one of the recognised exams that will improve their lives in this ever shrinking world where the English language still has an important role to play in worldwide business.

 

For further information regarding Capital School’s adult and junior English summer courses, as well as more details about our residential English language summer courses please contact Capital School by telephone +44 (0)1202 546875 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it