English Language Courses
There are two types of English language courses at Stanton School:
In both 'Practice' and 'Normal' classes:
All lessons are taught completely in English and are set in contexts that show how the language should be used in everyday situations. The focus of the lessons is that students should have as much opportunity for using the language as possible. It is not a lecture situation.
Students are expected to participate fully in all the various activities that each lesson will involve. These can include role-play, mime, running dictation, pair work and group work.
Lessons are prepared from a huge bank of resource materials including: course books with accompanying teachers' books & workbooks, supplementary skills books, audio cassettes, CDs, video tapes, authentic materials, games and teachers' own materials. Students are given photocopied handouts every day which they are encouraged to keep in a file for revision purposes.
All students' progress is monitored carefully by the teacher and it is on his/her recommendation that a student passes to the next level (1-4b) in a month.
Teachers are required to follow the Stanton School syllabus which sets out language to be covered from level 1 (Beginners) to 6 (Proficiency). A copy of the school syllabus is on display in every classroom so students can monitor their progress.
External exam courses ( for example the Cambridge First Certificate and Advanced) are 12 weeks long (10 weeks for IELTS courses).
Every student is given a written and oral level test when they first arrive in the school.
Full-time students enrolled at Stanton School of English study 3 or 4 lessons per day. Lessons are 50 minutes. Two of the these lessons involve new and revised grammar and vocabulary, reading writing and listening skills. The emphasis is on speaking English accurately and fluently although we also work on reading, writing and listening skills.
Students at all levels are regularly given homework, which they complete in their own time. We will issue a certificate at the end of your course to show the dates you studied and the level you reached.
It is also possible to take examinations while you are studying here (depending on your English level) which will give you a certificate from Cambridge University Local Examinations Syndicate if you are successful. The examinations we deal with are: Preliminary English Test (PET) First Certificate (FCE) Cambridge Advanced (CAE) and IELTS.
Normal Classes
All teachers are university graduates and holders of RSA/Cambridge CTEFLA or the Cambridge/RSA CELTA or the more advanced RSA/Cambridge DipTEFLA or the Cambridge/RSA DELTA.
Maximum class sizes are: 14 in the morning, 16 at lunchtime and in the afternoon.
Your progress is continually monitored and you are tested every four weeks to enable you to move to a higher level.
There are 13 different levels, ranging from beginners to proficiency level.
It is possible to use the language laboratory any time from 9am till 8:30pm
Practice Classes
These classes are cheaper because they are offered in association with Stanton Teacher Training Courses, our non-profit training organisation.
All teaching-practice sessions are under the supervision of course trainers who are experienced teachers of English, others are full-time Stanton teachers.
The classes are taught by a variety of teachers: some of them may be teacher trainees studying for their Cambridge Certificates in English Language Teaching to Adults (Cambridge CELTA).
The classes are larger, with a maximum of 22 students in each class. They do not include specific preparation for the Cambridge examinations. There are no regular monthly tests.
There are only four or five different levels at any one time. It is not possible to borrow books or tapes for use in the self-access language laboratory.