Key Points
- Residential accommodation
- 24-hour supervision
- Teenagers aged 14-16
- Elementary to Advanced levels
- 20 hours of lessons per week
- Maximum class size is 12 students
- Excellent mixture of nationalities
- Wide choice of afternoon activities/sports
- Private tennis courts, sports hall, pitches and heated swimming pool
- 1 full-day and 1 half-day excursion per weekend
- All costs included in course price.
Course Structure
- Students can enrol for 2 or 4 weeks
- Four hour-long lessons take place daily, from Monday to Friday
- Learn vocabulary, grammar, speaking and listening through topic work
- Learn the English you need by doing the things you like to do
- Enjoy social activities in the afternoon and evening
- 30 minutes homework every day
- Excursions every weekend- usually shopping trips or visits to London or Cambridge
Social programme
Princess Helena College offers you some great activities and sport every weekday afternoon. There's a private swimming pool, tennis courts and a large sports hall. Here are some examples of what you can do...
In the afternoons, choose from:
Sports
- Basketball
- Football
- Baseball
- Volleyball
Art and Craft
- T-shirt painting
- Model-making
- Drawing
- Hair braiding
- Mask making
Activities
- Drama
- Music
- Dance
- Singing
- Chess
In the evenings, take part in:
- Cinema visits
- Discos
- Theme parties
- Quizzes
- Talent competitions
Location/accommodation
- Princess Helena College is a private boarding school, which in summer becomes the centre for CAE's teenage residential course.
- The school is a beautiful and safe building, and is surrounded by its own large picturesque park and gardens.
- Princess Helena College is in a great location, in the middle of some wonderful English countryside less than an hour by road from Cambridge and London.
- Students sleep in dormitories of up to 5 students (with a broad mix of nationalities in each bedroom).
- Teachers sleep in bedrooms next to the student dormitories and are on duty throughout the night.
Transfers
- Students are escorted to and from Princess Helena College for all airport transfers
- On the Sunday before the course starts, all students are met at the airport by a CAE representative
- On the Saturday at the end of the course, students are taken back to the airport, and helped with their check-in
- There will be an additional charge for any arrivals, departures or extra nights outside our set days and times.
Frequently Asked Quesions (FAQs)
What are the teachers like?
They will all be energetic, qualified and experienced in working with teenagers. They will not only teach English, but also sports and other activities.
What is the nationality mix?
The students come from all over the world. In the past we have had teenagers from over 20 different countries enrolled on this course!
How much pocket money do students need?
Students only need enough money for sweets, souvenirs and presents- everything else has already been paid for. The Course Director can keep students' money safe until they need it.
What happens if a student is ill?
We have staff with first aid training available at all times to deal with emergencies. All but the most minor problems are referred to the local doctor. In the most serious cases arrangements are made to fly the student home.
What's the food like?
All the meals will be in the school so students and teachers can eat together. Breakfast usually includes cereal, toast and fruit juice. For lunch and dinner the menu is varied and includes meat, fish, cheese, potatoes, rice, salad, pizza, fruit and vegetables. Vegetarian options are available. On excursions, everyone will have a packed lunch.
What happens if students feel homesick?
This is quite normal for the first day or so, especially if the students have never been away from home before. However, our staff are very experienced in dealing with this problem. A full and varied programme always means that homesickness is quickly forgotten.
Can friends enrolling together sleep in the same bedroom?
It's our policy to encourage students to use English on all our courses. For this reason, we decide who is going to sleep in which bedroom, so that everyone makes new friends and practises their English. This means that friends may sleep in rooms near each other, but not in the same room.
Do the students have their clothes washed?
If students are doing a two-week course, we ask that they bring enough clothes for that period. Any student staying for longer than two weeks will be able to have some laundry done. Bed linen is changed regularly.
Will the students be allowed to go out of the school grounds?
The teenagers at Princess Helena College are not allowed out of the school grounds unaccompanied. On excursions students will be supervised by our staff, although they will be given some free time for shopping trips.
Why is this course so special?
It gives today's teenagers the opportunity to make friends from all over the world.




