Improving your child's English
The education plan which Camelot Studies will develop in conjunction with you will likely include the development of English language skills. The main options available for improving these and our comments on their effectiveness, are shown below:
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Summer language camp in England |
Fun, but with limited language benefit, depending on duration, quality of language teaching and presence of other Russian speaking children. |
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Private tutoring in Russia |
Tutoring by a qualified native English speaker should achieve good results over an extended period. May not be an option outside Moscow or St Petersburg. |
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Homestay in tutor’s home |
Full language immersion in an English teacher’s family during a school vacation. Short term but can be very effective. |
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Summer boarding school program |
More emphasis on language than a summer camp, provides introduction to life in a boarding school in England and may improve chances of admission to that school. Some schools offer this option for the second half of the school’s normal summer term – which Russian children can attend due to the early start of the Russian summer vacation. |
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International Study Centre |
Similar to a boarding school, with an English language and academic program aimed at preparing foreign children for English schooling over a period of 1-3 terms. Some are integrated with normal schools into which the child passes when ready. |
Summer Programs
The summer vacation is certainly a critical time for building English language skills, and if timing allows, we would certainly recommend a summer course as part of an overall education plan. However, it is easy to waste money on a camp which advertises itself as a language learning opportunity but does not have the structure and staff expertise to deliver any language breakthrough. One of the reasons for this is that outside lesson time, children team up with their compatriots and speak only their native language.
Obviously, English skills need to be retained and reinforced once back in Russia, and we can also recommend ways of achieving this.
