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Covid 19 brought international school trips to a standstill. Until 2020, overseas residential trips had enjoyed a steadfast place on the school curriculum. For language learners, these residential trips are a vital part of learning a new language and being immersed in a different country’s culture.
For our colleagues at Ardmore Language Schools, the pandemic pressed pause on the core of their business which provides English language learning experiences. Yet students still needed to learn English and, as the world slowly opened back up, families began moving around again with children who needed intensive language support to ready them for a new school.
Ardmore adapted. New products were designed, and existing programmes reviewed so that they would bounce back even bigger and better than before.
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Ardmore X
While overseas trips couldn’t take place, Ardmore designed and launched a new state-of-the-art interactive online learning platform, Ardmore X. As children around the world became more engaged with online learning, Ardmore X tapped into this digital familiarity with language courses and a video library that works with teachers to support learning in the classroom and deliver instant feedback on activities.
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Support for school Admissions departments
It is not uncommon for Admissions teams to work with overseas families on language support when their child is new to a UK school. Young learners will often benefit from an intensive language course that brings their English language up to speed before they join the school. However, not all schools have in-house expertise in this area, so Ardmore’s team have been working with UK schools over the past year to develop individual programmes that support both school and student. Before the student moves to the UK, they are supported through Ardmore X which links up with lessons and allows teachers to set homework. Upon moving to the UK, the programme is delivered during the first two terms and after school. Rather than serving as a general language provision, it can be tailored to the curriculum.
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International exchange trips
Being immersed in a different country’s culture and people has traditionally been a fundamental part of learning a new language and is typically a transformative experience. Following two years without travel, February 2022 saw the start of a three-month programme with 13 Chilean schools and over 200 students experiencing a five-week exchange programme in the UK.
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Martin Corr, Managing Director for Ardmore Language Schools, said:
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“We are delighted to be able to support schools once again as the international travel sector opens back up. Language learning experiences have a vital role to play in building confidence and shaping a young learner’s experience of the wider world and their role in it.”
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Ardmore have been running residential programmes for international students aged 7-19 for over 35 years. Their programmes pivot on offering a range of fun activities and excursions, whilst equipping students with the necessary language skills that will enable them to manage real-life experiences.
Research by the Erasmus Impact Study found that taking part in an international exchange programme increases a student’s chances of employability and helps them gain skills for their future workplace.
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Nigel Miller, CEO for Active Learning Group, added:
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“Ardmore builds educational experiences that support so much more than language learning. A global mindset is imperative when building effective and respectful future leaders. Through Ardmore’s overseas language programmes students gain exposure to a different way of living, collaborating and being that will benefit them for the long-term.”
