Harrow House International School — language school in the UK (closed)

The school is really good, clean and spacious. Located in the cozy town of Swanage, on the coast of the English Channel, 2.5 hours drive from London. The area is very beautiful: sandy beaches, green fields, parks and seagulls. I recommend it to those who love nature and want to improve their English. The teachers at the school are good, the classes are well equipped, the lessons are interesting, with a great emphasis on communication and the use of modern teaching methods. The evening program is also thought out: discos, karaoke, table tennis, cinema and many other entertainments will not let you get bored in the evenings.

Also, usually the training program includes trips to London, the town of Bath (according to many Britons, the most beautiful city in England) and neighboring Bournemouth.
Meals at the school are three times a day and quite varied: spaghetti, chicken, fish, beef, vegetables and fruits. Often the school also indulges in more interesting dishes, like lasagna and Mexican quesadilla.

Harrow House is my favorite summer school. I don't know of any other school that compares to it in terms of infrastructure, organization, childcare, and staff involvement. This school is great for all ages. Suitable for those who want to see a real English town, admire the beautiful cliffs and socialize not only as part of their group, but also, really, dive into the international environment of communication.
Not suitable for those who want to visit museums every day, as trips are planned only for the program of culture and activities. Also for those who expect to go shopping every day! :)
I would safely give this school 10 out of 10.

Staying at Harrow House caused positive emotions among the guys. An ideal location, a variety of activities, delicious food and endless opportunities to communicate with students from different countries - all this contributed to the wonderful overall experience of traveling to England!

Accommodation

Accommodation in 2, 3 or 4-bed rooms with private facilities in the room or in a block on the floor, depending on the payment for accommodation made by the parents. All rooms are occupied by students from different countries. There are codes on the doors, there are lockers in the rooms, for which you need to invest 1 pound. Rooms and other areas are cleaned daily.

Nutrition

The food was very tasty, lunch and dinner - especially varied. Daily breakfast menu: jam, sliced ​​cheese, sausage, beans, tomatoes, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, toast, cereal, milk, yogurt, canned fruit.
For the duration of field trips, vouchers were issued that could be used to pay at McDonald's, Starbucks and other chain stores indicated on the back of the voucher.

Excellent sports equipment in this school, from sports activities: tennis, football, volleyball, basketball, archery, table tennis, badminton, swimming pool, billiards, darts.

The walk from the school to the city center took an average of 7-10 minutes.

Harrow House is a small Hogwarts, which is located on a hill overlooking the English Channel. The place is really picturesque and peaceful. Basically, pensioners live in the city of Swanage (three hours from London, with traffic jams - four), and on weekends everyone comes to the coast to sunbathe on the local sandy beach.

The school offers three types of programs: sports (three mandatory hours of sports per day): football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, badminton, archery, billiards, swimming pool, and other ball games. A program in which there are more excursions and entertainment (for an additional fee) - every day the children go somewhere and have a busy time. And sea sports (also paid extra) - children are taught sailing, surfing, kayaking. Separately, Harrow House offers a program for the smallest - up to 12 years old, it balances sports, excursions, going to bowling / laser tag, etc. Very interesting.

In general, if you go for several weeks, it may make sense to take different programs for different weeks, because at some point the abundance of sports begins to confuse even the most avid athletes.

We had a program of 3 hours of English and 3 hours of sports per day. Children studied both in the morning and in the evening sessions, who were distributed as they were. In the evening there was also often sports, from NOT sports: kakaorke, disco, cinema, needlework, talent competition, an evening of board games. There were not enough evening events where children were immersed in international teams and forced to do something collectively, because after sports and English, most often, they were looking for their friends, grouping with them and giving their brains a rest, talking in Russian.

Accommodation: there are several buildings, standard rooms, accommodation for 3-4 people, often with amenities in a common hall. The beds are two-story, the accommodation is international, so that you can communicate and get acquainted with guys from different countries. They settle everyone by age, apparently so that the level of English is approximately the same. There is a laundry - 4 pounds + drying 10 minutes - 20 pence. Cleaning every day, which is also not always seen.

Nutrition. 10 out of 10. I would never believe that I would give the highest rating for food in England, but this is a fact. Not the slightest complaint. It's like being in a 5* resort! There were always vegetables/fruits, a good selection of hot dishes, unlimited sets and even desserts for dinner. On the days of excursions, vouchers were issued for 4, 5-5 pounds, which could be spent both in cafes / restaurants and shops.

Lessons. The educational building is located in a separate building, there is also a computer class, where the children also had creative classes in creating presentations in English. Each classroom is equipped with a smart board, which enlivens the lessons. Classes are aimed at replenishing and consolidating vocabulary. After classes on Monday and Thursday, one of the teachers, Simon, runs a conversation club, where children with a more advanced level of English are invited.

There were only 3 excursions in 2 weeks: Bournemouth, London, Bath. From the additional - they themselves got out to the picturesque Corf Castle. The sports program included two more walking tours (medium and senior went, it would still be difficult for the little ones) - these are Old Harry Rocks and Dulston Castle.

WI-FI is rather weak and only in common areas (no rooms), because everyone has free time and changes at the same time, which means that the load is crazy.

In general, the school is very good with a good program, so if you do not have a goal to explore London (which is far from Swanage), then this is a great option in a calm and picturesque place.