Christmas is coming to Stafford House London!

It has been an exciting week at SoE London with lots of fun things to do on our social programme. On Tuesday some of our students had a fantastic time ice-skating in front of Tower of London with our Activity Leader Snezh! Jackson from Hong Kong said "We had fun even though it was raining. I just enjoyed ice walking".

Yesterday we made some Christmas decorations to go around the school. Students and staff had a great time painting and making decorations for our Christmas tree and for in the student lounge. The students particularly enjoyed listening to Christmas songs played by our resident DJ/Teacher Chris.

Students and staff getting messy making decorations

With the festive season upon us it is an exciting time to be in London. There are lots of fun and unique things to do and see in the coming weeks. Stafford House will be visiting Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park,  shopping at the London's Christmas Market on the Southbank and my personal favourite eating at the London Chocolate Festival! Please see our calendar or the schools activities board for more details.

The London School- 3 months in!

Stafford House School of English London opened its doors 12 weeks ago and it has been an exciting whirlwind 3 months! We now have 60 students studying with us from 28 different countries. The most exciting thing has been bringing more and more technology into the classroom and we were recently commended by the British Council inspectors as having “the most proficient group of teachers using Interactive Technology in the classroom” that he had ever seen. A fine accolade but the teachers feel they are just getting started and there is much more to come.

The IELTS exam has been one of the main goals of our current group of students and alongside our well-subscribed IELTS preparation class, taught by the popular Peter, we also have a Pre-IELTS option running in the afternoons which has proved popular with students studying at the Pre-Intermediate level. We look forward to reporting on the successes of our students in future blog posts.

Peter teaching the IELTS class

The Certificate of Business Course started this week in London with 7 students subscribed- a good beginning and we are lucky to have Bridget teaching the course, bringing all her experience of training executives in South America and the UK to the classroom. This week they are focussing on a mixture of making their written communication more effective and delivering presentations in English. We’d like to wish our resident business English students good luck on the course!

Official opening ceremony of Stafford House School of English London

The 4th September 2011 marked the official opening of central London’s newest and most premium academic and English language schools – CATS College London and Stafford House School of English London.

Some of the most respected education consultants globally joined Fergus Brownlee (CEO of Cambridge Education Group) in a red ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a grand tour of the College's facilities. They were able to see for themselves the huge investment that has been made to ensure quality teaching is supported by the most modern of technology – interactive white-boards in every classroom – while also experiencing the beautiful Georgian surroundings of these period buildings.


Both colleges have welcomed over 300 students through their doors in their first month of opening
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10 days to go!

On the 22nd August, Stafford House School of English opens its doors in London. The building is finished and the furniture has arrived. We’re just installing our PCs in every classroom and testing our Interactive Whiteboards.
Our first permanent teachers have been recruited, of course with DELTA qualifications, and we look forward to welcoming our first students. We already have a good number of long term students from over 10 different countries.
This is a perfect opportunity for students to go to a school in London with very few of their own nationalities, really small classes and some of the best facilities in London!
To see some preview pictures of the school, check out our Facebook page - Feel free to "LIKE" us too!

Stafford House School of English London: an update

There’s only 2 weeks to go until Stafford House School of English opens its doors to students in London for the first time. The building work is now complete and we’re working hard to make sure our new school exceeds everyone’s expectations.

We are now putting our furniture in place and installing our teaching technology. All 15 classrooms will be equipped with the latest interactive whiteboards, computers and high-speed Wi-Fi, helping make Stafford House one of the most exciting places to learn in London.

New Directors of Studies in Canterbury and London

We are delighted to welcome two experienced Directors of Studies to our team, who will work closely with all students and staff to ensure our programmes are of the highest possible quality.

Vicky and Carl come to us with a wealth of teaching experience in the industry and will be working hard to maintain our reputation for teaching excellence.

 "I’m delighted to join Stafford House Canterbury. I’ve spent the last 8 years as a Director of Studies in Central London and it’s exciting to be back in Canterbury, where I went to University."
Vicky McWilliam
Director of Studies, Canterbury




"I've been an English teacher since 1999 and have worked in Barcelona and Rome as well as in London. I have been a Director of Studies for 5 years and love my job! My door is always open and I am keen to help students improve their English as quickly as possible."
Carl Roberton
Director of Studies, London

London School opening on August 22nd

We're really excited to be opening our London school on the 22nd August 2011. We now offer 2 year round schools, one in the heart of London and the other offering the best of the traditional English experience in Cantebury. Our press release is below:

Cambridge Education Group (CEG) is proud to announce the opening of a new Stafford House School of English in London on August 22nd 2011. Located in the heart of London, the school will be based in a fully-refurbished period building, boasting the latest facilities and teaching technology.

Our focus is on personal attention, student progression and allowing students to experience the best of the city they are studying in. 

Stephan Roussounis, Business Development Director, says “We’re really excited about this new opening. We are offering some of the best facilities in London, giving good value for money and growing expectations of agents and representatives in the hope they demand more from their partner schools.”

The school’s Bloomsbury Square location provides very convenient transport links and offers students a broad choice of local restaurants and cafes to enjoy whilst still being walking distance from London’s top shopping areas and tourist attractions. 

The school will offer all the standard features you have come to expect from a top of the range language school, however our students will also be able to benefit from the facilities at CATS College London, such as the canteen for hot meals and a student café. All students will also experience teaching using the latest Interactive Whiteboard technology and highly experienced teachers. Stephan Roussounis says: “too many schools are saying they have Interactive Whiteboards, and they really only have a few. This is great technology and our students in Canterbury are thrilled with our recent upgrade in January. Every teacher in every class can now take advantage of the internet and social communication to support their lessons. This sets us apart.”

Students interested in studying with Stafford House in London or Canterbury will have the opportunity to purchase combination courses, or even switch after they have arrived. Tuition fees until December 2011 will be exactly the same in Canterbury and London making things as easy as possible for students and counsellors selling to them.

For further information, please click here

School of English tutor completes the Brighton Marathon

Stafford House School of English Tutor, Annie Beraquit, has successfully completed the Brighton Marathon to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Talking of her achievement, English tutor Annie said:

"The decision to do a marathon first came as spontaneous one, on the eve of my 49th birthday last year. I toyed about doing something special for 2011, my 50th year.

So it was either sky diving, learning how to ride a motorbike or doing a marathon, which seemed less threatening. Besides, I'd already done one 28 years earlier, when I had knees and hips. Reality came to light when the confirmation letter, along with T-shirt arrived.

During the course of the training, my brother-in-law's cancer worsened, so I used that to further my motivation to succeed and run for Cancer Research UK. I also lost my dad to cancer 17 years ago, and his memory got me through the entire course. I'm training again for the next one and I hope this time to finish before they re-open the roads to traffic."

The 26.2 mile Brighton Marathon, which took place on the 10th April, saw over 7,500 participants running a route beginning in Brighton, through the city, out to Hove and back to the seafront for the finish line.

All of the staff and students at Stafford House wish to congratulate Annie on her fantastic achievement.