From studying English at Stafford House to politics at university

It’s always a pleasure to welcome back ex-students and this week we said hello to Na-Young from Korea who studied with us in 2010. Na-Young said ‘I have really fond memories of my time in Canterbury and I miss the city and my teachers.’ She was back in Canterbury doing some voluntary fund-raising work for the charity Future Sense Foundation.

After studying English at Stafford House Na-Young followed a Foundation Programme at CATS College Canterbury. After that she moved to Sheffield and is now in her second year of a Politics Degree at Sheffield Hallam University. She said ‘I really love my course. I’m the only international student so it is hard work. But I’ve got lots of friends on the course and many of them want to learn more about Korean culture.’ As well as being active in the Korean Society she is also a member of the Badminton Club and has her charity work.

Pat O’Donoghue, the Principal at Stafford House, said ‘It doesn’t surprise me that Na-Young is involved in so many different activities. During her time at Stafford House she organised a Korean evening with other fellow Korean students. She brought along traditional costumes to wear and I still have the photo of when she and I dressed up in them.’

2010

2013

Nature walks near Brighton

Brighton is a busy city.  But just a short bus ride and you can find yourself in beautiful scenic open countryside.  One of the most popular places for our students to visit is the Seven Sisters, which forms part of the South Downs, this always has the most numbers of students sign up as part of the social programme we offer.  The Downs are chalk cliffs which cover 260 miles of the English coastline. The name Downs is from the old English word Dun, meaning hill. The South Downs became a National park in 2009 and contains a number of nature reserves.   An alternative destination is Devils Dyke, again a short bus journey to what John Constable ( one of the greatest English landscape painters)  called “The greatest view in the World” At nearly a mile long, The Dyke valley is the longest and deepest in the UK. Legend has it that the Devil dug the chasm to drown the parishioners of the Weald. (Although scientists believed it was formed 10,000 years ago in the last ice age).

One of my favourite places after the cliffs to visit is near Patcham where you can find Jack and Jill, one black and one white windmill standing side by side, you will also be able to walk to the Chattri Memorialwhich marks the spot where the bodies of Indian soldiers were cremated. During the First World War, (1914-18) over one and a half million Indian army soldiers saw active service alongside British troops. Twelve thousand Indian soldiers who were wounded on the Western Front were hospitalised at sites around Brighton. These included York Place School, the Dome, the Corn Exchange and the Royal Pavilion.

The fifty-three Hindu and Sikh soldiers who died in Brighton were taken to a peaceful resting place on the Sussex Downs near Patcham for cremation, after which their ashes were scattered in the sea, in accordance with their religious rites. The nineteen Muslim soldiers who died were buried in a purpose built burial ground near to the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking. Built in 1889, the mosque is the oldest of its kind in north-west Europe. 

Written by David Burgess, Principal, Stafford House Brighton

Shopping in Brighton

The Laines in Brighton

Brighton is famous for the variety and quality of its shopping.  Churchill Square is a shopping Centre / Mall with all the usual high street names, but Brighton also offers a vast array of independent traders and unusual second hand shops. SnoopersParadise is my favourite, it is a collection of stalls, clothes rails and cabinets all overfilled, many of them themed.  Full of retro video games, old toys, vintage clothing, cameras, telephones etc.   This shop amongst many others is located in the lanes, (spelt "laines") which is a network of historic  twisting narrow lanes and cobbled courtyards in the city centre.  On our weekly  orientation tour which all students receive at Stafford House School of English, the laines will be pointed out to you, but it will be up to you to go and wile away the hours just looking at the vast selection of unusual gifts, designer fashion,  retro-Fifties wear, oriental and Balinese furniture and many jewellery shops,  and even  specialist shops such as the one  just offering kites. And the list goes on. Even when you leave the laines the streets are full of other weird and wacky shops, so it does not just resemble the usual British high street with all the usual retailers. 

Written by David Burgess, Principal, Stafford House Brighton

October in London

After the most fantastically sunny summer, we are now getting our jumpers, coats and umbrellas ready for the Autumn.  It’s a lovely time of year in England as the leaves on the trees change colour and the crisp cool mornings wake you up as you leave home in the morning. At Stafford House London October means two things in particular this year:

Firstly, our Cambridge Exam courses are underway! This autumn we have a full (First)  FCE class, a full (Advanced) CAE class and 7 students taking the (Proficiency) CPE. These are fantastic 11-week preparation courses for the B2-C2 levels and we are delighted to have so many students aiming for excellence in these exams! These are exams that are a lifelong certification that you have achieved a certain standard of English and are often asked for by employers and academic institutions around the world.

The classes themselves are intensive preparation for the exams which test Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking and Use of English. They are not easy exams and the students studying together usually have a wonderful shared sense of purpose that can lead to some close and lasting friendships between the students on these courses. For more information about these exams visit the links above or this page on our website.

We wish all our Cambridge Preparation Course students the best of luck with their studies and the exams in early December!

Secondly, at Stafford House this October, we have a “Halloween themed social programme”! There will be the “Jack the Ripper Walking Tour”, the “Haunted London Walking Tour” and a visit to the “London Dungeons” in the last 2 weeks of October. Spooky!

We also have some other new additions on the social programme, suggested by the students. We have a visit to St Paul’s Cathedral next week, the “Classic Duck Tour” on 10^th October and a Sunday Roast lunch on October 27^th. Finally, we have managed to get some great discounted tickets for our students to see The Lion King! Lots to look forward to! This along with our all our usual popular events to help you enjoy London and keep on speaking English! To check out the social programme in London visit our site here. You can even add the calendar to your phone.

Football at Stafford House Brighton

Stafford House Brighton have a weekly football match at the local park, just put your name down on the sign up sheet and you are in, no matter what level you are. Its great to mix practicing your English with doing exercise. We even have our own Stafford House kit! 

Stafford House Brighton FC

If you were looking for a more serious approach then you could watch Brighton & Hove Albion F.C , our local football club, founded in 1901. They play in the Football League Championship which is the division below our Premier League. They are unsurprisingly given our location, nicknamed “The Seagulls”. They play at the Falmer Stadium but as American Express sponsor them it is also called the Amex stadium which was opened in 2011 and cost £93 million and is located a 30 minute bus ride from Stafford House Brighton. The average attendance for home games is around 25,000 and ticket prices start at around £30.

They enjoyed a short spell in the early 80’s in the top flight of English football winning against sides such as Manchester United and Arsenal and even reaching the F.A. cup final. Since those heady days Brighton have faced many ups and downs with a precarious financial position and moving further down the different leagues. As I write this we are currently mid table, but I dream like all football fans have to, that maybe one day  we can reach the top flight of English football and once more beat the Arsenals and Manchester United’s of this world.   But for now our Stafford House Brighton team is happy to meet and play in the park. If you are interested in studying English in Brighton then check out our website: www.staffordhouse.com/brighton 

Summer in London 2013 – The Highlights So Far…

Afternoon trip on the London Eye

July in London- typically 21 degrees with a little sunshine- but July 2013 has seen daily temperatures close to 30 degrees and not a cloud in the sky! This has had a tremendous impact on London- making us all as cheerful and smiley as we were last year at the Olympics. I wonder if we could win an award for Europe’s happiest city right now?

Stafford House London has also been having a fantastic summer- the number of our students getting excellent IELTS scores on their way to UK universities and foundation programmes has been the highlight academically. Nearly every IELTS student has had a success story to tell this month.

  

Seiga got a 5.5 in IELTS and is going to study at FoundatiONcampus London in September

Outside Thorpe Park

Socially, the activities programme has never been so popular- and the photos below certainly show how much fun has been had. Highlights have definitely been day trips to Oxford and the theme park, Thorpe Park, but the wonderful weather has also encouraged a record number of students to take part in our walking tour­ of Westminster and Buckingham Palace.

The Sunday trip to Oxford

Next month, students have even more to look forward to as we take them to the world-famous Notting Hill carnival. Music fans will be delighted to attend the Canary Wharf Jazz festival, and our students from South America will surely feel at home when London hosts “Carnaval del Pueblo“ ­- Europe's largest celebration of Latin American culture.

You can follow all the events and photographs from the London social programme on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StaffordHouseLondon

Waiting for the Royal Baby in Brighton

Currently the UK is experiencing some of the best summer weather in over 230 years. Its a great time of the year to come over to study English in Brighton, London or Canterbury.  Brighton is fortunately located to benefit from cooling sea breezes and our students can be found most afternoons enjoying the beaches and swimming in the refreshing waters of the English Channel. But the real hot topic is not the balmy weather it is babies!

Brighton Beach

Will it be a boy or a girl? Royal babies are the topic of conversation in the UK this week. The Duchess of Cambridge lovingly known as Kate is about to give birth to a royal prince or princess! Britain will have an heir to the throne.   Street parties are being planned to celebrate the arrival of the new baby. In Brighton at Stafford House we will be organising a special Brighton Beach BBQ to welcome our future King or Queen. Kate decided with Prince William to not ask the gender of the baby. They wanted to keep it a surprise for themselves and the world.  Many names have been suggested for the new royal baby: George seems to be a popular choice if it is a boy and Edwina a possibility for a princess.

The Laines in Brighton

The UK is expecting a great boost to the economy when the baby is born. In the shops in Brighton’s fashionable Laines we will see many beautiful souvenir gifts to commemorate this happy event.

Prince William the soon to be proud father is planning on being very involved with the upbringing of the royal baby. He has always enjoyed a close relationship with his own father Prince Charles and will want the same for his child. The UK changes and evolves but the royal family remains forever popular.  Stafford House shares the excitement of this historic birth!

A Sketch of the Stafford House London teachers… Archetypes and stereotypes (just a bit of fun!)

Here are some images and associations people make with some of the teachers at Stafford House London.

Peter is “The IELTS Wizard”

Take a look at Gandalf:

Now take a look at Peter:

See any similarities? Well Peter also has the ability to make IELTS classes FUN! Now that is magical!

Sarah is “Little Miss Sunshine”

Frequently described as “a ray of sunshine” and  “one of the most positive people I have met” and “an inspiring natural teacher”. Sarah knows that happy students learn better!

We don’t often get a lot of this:

…so it’s great to have a teacher who makes you feel the sun is always shining!

John is “The Actor”

John is one of the few members of our team actually born in London, and his dramatic leanings make him and excellent pronunciation teacher.

John likes to take centre stage, but he also likes pushing his students into the limelight and helping them to improve their performance.

Sean is “The King of Comedy”

Sean loves teaching but he also has a real passion for stand-up comedy.  Sometimes he manages to combine the two!

After classes Sean can be seen performing or being the compere at comedy nights across the capital. Sean knows that laughing when you are learning makes the lesson memorable!

These are just 4 of the teaching team at Stafford HouseLondon. If you have any memories or sketches of other teachers on the team- leave a comment below!

Now that’s what I call English by Canterbury Principal, Pat O'Donoghue

It’s hard to believe the summer is already here, but Monday morning was the beginning of our summer school and we welcomed new students from 16 different countries.

With the summer come lots of Great British summer traditions and nowhere is this more noticeable than in that great passion of the British, sport. Our number one sport, football, enjoys a rest from mid May to mid August but that just allows us to turn our attention to many other great events. If you are in the UK studying English with us this summer you may be able to experience some of the following great British sporting events.

From Tuesday to Saturday this week is a personal favourite of mine, Royal Ascot. This is one of the highlights of the horseracing calendar and it is attended every year by members of the Royal Family, including the Queen, a great supporter of the sport. This event receives a lot of Press attention and usually the racing is overshadowed by the attention paid to what racegoers are wearing. There is a strict code of dress in the Royal Enclosure, where men must wear Top Hats and Tails and the TV cameras are always out in force on Ladies’ day to report on the latest dresses and hats.

Following straight on from Royal Ascot we make the short journey up to London for the tennis at Wimbledon. British fans will be wondering whether Andy Murray can make this the year that the first Briton wins a Championship since Virginia Wade in 1977. Strawberries and cream anyone?

Midway through Wimbledon fortnight we have the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and I will be cheering on Lewis Hamilton, who studied at our sister college, CATS Cambridge.

But if you want something even more English then I invite you to tune into cricket. This summer England hosts the ‘Ashes’ series against Australia. For English and Australians alike, this is the must win series, played only once every two years, alternating between England and Australia. It’s not a quick affair; there are five ‘Tests’ (matches), each one lasting up to five days. So it’s just as well that unlike other sports which have a short half-time break of 15-20 minutes, Test matches stop for lunch and for afternoon tea! Now that’s what I call English.

 

A Walk on the Wild Side with Brighton Principal, David Burgess

David Burgess

On a fine June day there is no place I would rather be than walking on Brighton Beach. Ice cream in one hand to sustain me as I gently walk my way along this iconic strip of living British seaside history. Please come join me on my walk!

Our Brighton school is just a two minute walk from the beach.  First landmark to surprise you will be the ruin of the old West Pier. Destroyed by fire and ravaged by storms it is now home to a colony of starlings famous for their mass flight formations. There is no need to worry this is not a Hitchcock film, but seagulls will gladly fly away with your ice-cream so better hold on tight.

Leaving the old pier a must see at sunset, we pass the Victorian splendour of The Grand Hotel.  A white wedding cake of a building serving a very fine Afternoon Tea.  It was here in 1984 that terrorists tried to murder Prime Minister Thatcher. Fortunately they were not successful and The Grand continues to serve a very fine cup of tea.

Brighton Pier beckons with rides and the sweet aroma of fish and chips. It was built by the Victorians and remains one of the UK’s most popular tourist attractions. A walk up and down the pier is highly recommended and we do need to walk off those calories from that large portion of fish and chips. If we had a little more time we could have a look at SeaLife, the oldest scientific aquarium in the world or hop on The Brighton Wheel and see panoramic views of the city and sea. But I must hurry us along as I am eager to show you Rottingdean home of Jungle Book writer Rudyard Kipling.  Though part of Brighton it remains firmly a traditional Sussex village. Here we will end our walk and enjoy a Cream Tea of fresh scones washed down by gallons of strong Darjeeling tea.  Our walk has ended and we are content as Kipling said:

“God gives all men all earth to love,

 But since man’s heart is small,

Ordains for each one spot shall prove

Beloved over all.

Each to his choice, and I rejoice

The lot has fallen to me

In a fair ground - in a fair ground -

Yea, Sussex by the sea!”