Personal Development

At Capital School we are always interested in a students progress and personal development of the English language for which we have a number of ongoing schemes and programmes.

Placement test
This is designed to enable us to gauge the approximate level of a student and to place him or her in a class along with other students of similar ability.

Needs analysis
This is used to find out what students need and would like to learn on their course.

Skills development
Development of the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking through meaningful practice.

Task-based activities designed to improve fluency, such as discussions, pair and group work, roleplays, problem-solving, project work and so on.

Systems work
Focus on and consolidation of the systems of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. Students will learn and use new language forms and vocabulary through practice in contemporary, realistic, everyday situations.
Supportive error correction and constructive feedback. This may take the form of writing projects- students are encouraged to re-write their own work with guidance from the teacher- and verbal correction in and out of class, which we place great importance on.

Learner skills development
We aim to teach students effective ways of learning, from efficient note-taking to ways of storing and activating vocabulary. In particular, we would aim to encourage students to use self-access resources, such as the library, video room, listening materials, CD-Roms, the Internet and so on.

Progress tests
These are designed to show us how well a student is learning new forms and vocabulary, and how well he or she is able to apply new skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking.  These take place at four-week intervals, mid- and end-of-term.

Homework
An essential part of every student’s course – consolidates classwork and provides extra practice in the skills and systems. The teacher is expected to use the information gained in the correction of the homework to inform the subsequent lessons.

Preparation for external examinations
Where possible, we would like to help every student to prepare for an external examination, so that he or she will be able to return home with an internationally-recognized qualification. Even if the student does not feel it will be of value to them professionally, the pressure of the course and the presence of other motivated students means, in our experience, that they will advance even more quickly than in a general English class. 

Long-term student meetings
We ensure these are conducted with a member of staff with whom the student is familiar but who is not their teacher.  This enables the student to talk freely about their experience of the school.  The student’s performance will be discussed with their teacher both prior to and following the meeting. The discussion will also cover aspects such as the study and social programmes and as well as the student’s host family

Constant feedback
From the induction students are encouraged to bring their problems to the teachers, the director of studies or the principal, to address any issues before they become serious.  Every effort is made to approach new students informally after two or three days to check that they are happy both in and out of school.

Maximising information
The various options open to students are made apparent from their arrival, in particular the additional “Culture and Communication” and IELTS classes running at lunchtime, and the suite of Cambridge exams for long-term students.  All exam students receive additional help such as the aforementioned writing tuition, and as many speaking practices as are necessary to give them confidence to fulfil the task in the exam itself.