Summer English Plus Harry Potter at Downside School in Bath

**Classic “Harry Potter” style English boarding school **

Our Bath Residential Summer Centre is based at Downside School. This classic “Harry Potter” style English boarding school is one of the oldest and most prestigious private schools in the country. Downside occupies a beautiful 500-acre estate at the foot of the Mendip Hills and offers excellent facilities. The centre is ideally situated just 25 minutes south of the city of Bath in Somerset and two and a half hours from London.

Course offered Summer Course:

This 2-week course includes classes in magic, wizardry and a study of Harry Potter characters. Your child will go on a Harry Potter trail in Oxford including entrance to Christchurch College and an audio tour of the Bodleian library quad. They will also attend Harry Potter movie night, a themed disco and quiz plus a visit to the Harry Potter set at Warner Brothers Studio, London.

Course structure and content:

Students have 15 hours of English lessons per week and 6 hours of Harry Potter-related activities and learning

• Two classes per week in magic wizardry and the study of the characters in Harry Potter
• A potted history of the last 22 years of Harry Potter
• Harry Potter trail in Oxford including a visit to Christchurch College and the Bodleian Library Quad
• Visit to Warner Brothers Studios to see the set of Harry Potter
• Harry Potter movie night
• Harry Potter themed disco
• Harry Potter quiz

Key information:

Course length: 2 weeks Start dates: 2 August 2023 Arrival/ departure day: Wednesday Lessons per week: 15 hours of English 6 hours of Harry Potter activities Maximum class size: 15 Minimum entry level: Beginner

Included in the price:

• 15 hours of English lessons per week
• Two afternoons and one evening of Harry Potter-themed activities
• Full-board residential accommodation
• Additional sports and activities programme (daytime and evenings)
• Full-day excursions every Tuesday and Wednesday
• One half-day excursion per week
• At least one excursion entrance fee per week
• Placement test
• Internet access
• End-of-course certificate
• 24-hour supervision
• Weekly laundry service
• School bank service

Centre facilities:

100 acres of sports fields for football, rugby, cricket and other games Volleyball, basketball and tennis courts Large sports hall Indoor heated swimming pool (25 metre) Art room and 600-seat theatre Student café Large, historic dining room Residential Summer Centre 2023 Canteen - Serving Area Swimming Pool Arts & Crafts Suite

**Activities: ** Students benefit from a full weekly activity program, mostly on campus.

Typical activities include: Arts and crafts, Badminton, Barbecues, Basketball, Bushcraft/Woodcraft, Capture the Flag, Casino night, Cookery, Dance, Dodgeball, Disco night, Football, Frisbee games, Karaoke, Kings' Got Talent, Latin dances, Movie night, Murder Mystery, Pool parties, Quiz challengers, Swimming games, Tennis, Touch Rugby, Volleyball, Zumba.

Excursions: Typical attractions include:

• Bournemouth The perfect place to spend a day of sunshine and shopping by the beach; make sure to not miss its Pier!
• Cardiff Explore the capital of Wales, self-proclaimed record holder for the title of city with most castles in the world.
• Weymouth A lovely seaside town with sandy beaches to enjoy and, of course, its Sandworld exhibition!
• London Enjoy an overnight stay in London at the end of your stay! Our staff will guide you through the most iconic sights of the Westminster area (inc. Trafalgar Square, Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, the Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and more!) or visit historical museums of worldwide fame in the South Kensington area (Natural History Museum, Science Museum, etc..)
• West Midlands Safari Park Enjoy a drive-through safari with more than 100 different species to observe & rides to experience!
• Oxford Discover the home of one of the most prestigious universities in the world with its many colleges; full of history, fun facts and with many of its buildings used in the Harry Potter franchise (Christchurch, Bodleian Library, etc...)
• Portsmouth A beautiful seaside destination where you will board the world's most famous battleship, the HMS Victory.

Half-day excursions:

• Bath Spend half day wandering through the streets of stunning Bath exploring its shops, visiting the Roman Baths or cruising the river Avon.
• Bristol Enjoy shopping on the High Street, experience the science and art museum "We the Curious" or have fun in the Bristol Zoo.
• Cheddar Gorge Caves The most complete human skeleton in Britain was discovered here, estimated to be over 9000 years old!
• Salisbury Explore the beautiful Cathedral City of Salisbury which preserves one original copy of the Magna Carta to this day.
• Wookey Hole Caves A complex of limestone caverns which leads you straight to the earth's core... Make sure to not lose sight of your friends!

Accommodation:

• Mix of traditional accommodation embedded in the stunning main quad in addition to separate and self-contained boarding houses.
• A mix of single and twin with some triple rooms and a small number of rooms for 4 – 8 students
• Modern communal bathrooms
• Boys and girls are housed in different accommodation areas/ boarding houses
• 1 – 8 beds per room
• Student:bathroom ratio 6:1

Meal Plan:

• Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided every day.
• Lunch and dinner are usually hot; on excursion days students are given a packed lunch.

Special dietary requirements

• Vegetarian always available. Others available on request.