Reflections on the start of another Summer School Season
By Mark Greenow
Yesterday, with a huge amount of prep all done, British Summer School welcomed our first arrivals of the summer. Students flying in alone or in small groups from all around the world. Our staff waiting at the airports with a big welcoming smile. Here we go again!
Some say Summer Schools are like marmite – you either love them or you….”. we must love them. We worked out the other day that our team, between us, have done 148 summers and here we are back for more. Why do we do it we asked ourselves? “Because we have the chance to change lives and perhaps the world” somebody said. Another added “to make memories”. How many other jobs can give you that?
We have worked incredibly hard for 46 weeks - from clear up to staff induction – to make sure the remaining 6 weeks work. Even so, it never ceases to amaze us that the “minor miracle” that is a well operated Summer School, gets up and running so quickly. The operational logistics that have made all this happen range from centre liaison, transport hire, recruitment, brochure production, admissions, course preparation, benchmarking etc. To do all this well is really not easy. So the Summer School roller coaster has now begun, and we will strive to deliver the quality courses we are known for. There will be challenges along the way, there always are, but we will deal with them and ‘make it happen’ as we always do.
Also, the students haven’t just arrived by chance. They are here because parents, guardians and/or Educational Agents have chosen to put their trust in us. To earn this trust, we have had to build many relationships. We do this by marketing abroad in conferences and fairs, by knocking on doors, answering calls and emails and by all sorts of publicity. We know we have a huge responsibility to those who have chosen us from among a lot of other providers. We don’t take this responsibility lightly.
Our number one priority of course is to keep everybody safe – from their surroundings (risk assessments), from the interested and interesting staff we have recruited (DBS), from each other (Houseparents and Pastoral Managers), from illness and accidents (Medical Officer and First Aid trained staff) and from themselves (Designated Safeguarding Leads) etc. To make sure we are compliant in all this we are regularly inspected.
When all this is in place, as a value driven company, we can concentrate on our primary purpose and passion – to deliver transformational educational experiences to all our students. We realise it is more than just a camp. What all parents really want is the best possible future for their children and it shouldn’t be underestimated how important a good Summer School can be in that process.
At their best the safe, happy, caring environment Summer Schools provide can offer an amazing opportunity for students to learn more about themselves, discover new things, improve their social and cultural awareness, develop friendships, improve language and other skills and move on to the next steps of their future with increased confidence.
In August 2024 we will get back to work, reflect, learn from our mistakes and build on our successes. Then in July 2025 the adventure will begin again. There is nothing quite like it.