Money Matters   Refunds
Payment   Making an application to Stanton School
Accommodation   Visas
Courses   Stanton School's buildings
Open a British Bank Account    
 
 
 
MONEY MATTERS

You can join the "normal" courses for one, two or three weeks. The cost of these is ¼, ½ and ¾ of the 4 week price respectively. The minimum charge on the Practice Classes is 100 pounds so if you study for less than 4 weeks you still pay 100 pounds.

There are no further reductions on the "normal" courses after 12 weeks. The cost of 24 weeks is double the 12 week price and 48 weeks is 4 times the 12 week price. To find the price for any number of weeks between 12 and 48 you should divide the 12 week price by 12 and multiply by the number of weeks you want to study. There is a special 48 week price for the Practice Classes of 709 pounds (£719 for 2007). The price for 24 weeks is double the 12 week price and 36 weeks is three times that price.

Practice Classes must be paid in full in advance. You cannot pay a deposit for these classes.

You can reserve a "normal" course of up to 12 weeks with the minimum deposit of 100 pounds. If you want to reserve a longer course than this you must pay 50% of the fees in advance.

The balance of course and/or accommodation fees can be paid on arrival at the school, and in any case by the end of the first week of course.

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PAYMENT
You can pay the school and accommodation fees by any of these methods:
  1. Bank Transfer
    (There may be bank charges to pay when you arrive)
    Our bank details are:
    Lloyds TSB Bank
    195 Edgware Road, London W2 1EY
    Account: 1182465
    Sort Code: 30-96-40

    IBAN GB86 LOYD 3096 4001 1824 65
    BIC LOYDGB21062
    SWIFT LOYDGB2L
  2. Secure Online Payment. Choose the Online Payment option on the website, and complete the required steps. This is the easiest and quickest way to pay.
  3. Bank cheque
    From a bank with a corresponding British bank or with a branch in Britain.
  4. Visa or Mastercard credit cards
    If you want to pay by credit card we suggest that you send your credit card details by fax because this is safer than by e-mail.

    The information we need is:
    Credit card number
    Expiry date
    Three digit security number on the back of the card
    Name on card
    Address where card bills are sent.
    VAT
    There is NO VAT on English courses or on accommodation.

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ACCOMMODATION

All the Homestay accommodation is inspected by the school before students are sent to the house.

Most of the families are in Zones 2 and 3, although we do have some in Zone 4 that we have to use if we are very busy (especially in the summer).

London is a large city and you should expect to travel by bus or underground from your accommodation to the school.

Journeys take an average of 40 minutes and can take up to one hour.

We cannot give you any details of your Homestay accommodation until you have booked and paid at least the minimum deposit.

Students who fail to arrive or complete their stay will lose £110 of their advance payment. The rest of the money will be refunded if you give the school at least two weeks' notice of your intention not to remain in the Home Stay accommodation provided.

If you reserve Bed and Breakfast accommodation you should not expect to use the kitchen.

Most families will agree to "light" use of the kitchen ( making hot drinks and sandwiches and sometimes using the microwave) but they do not allow students to cook full meals.

The British way of life will probably be very different for you - the weather, the food and the culture.

It may take some time to adjust so you may feel a little homesick for the first few days.

The average winter temperature is 12 - 13 degrees C and the summer average is 23 - 24 degrees C.

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COURSES

You can start our courses on any Monday unless you are a Beginner.

Ask the school for dates of Beginners courses.

There is no date limit for registration but you must leave enough time for your application to be processed and payment to arrive at the school.

All courses are Monday to Friday.

If you join a course in the middle of a week you lose the days that you have not studied.

The lessons are 50 minutes long and there is a 10-minute coffee break every hour.

Here are the main differences between the"normal" classes and the Practice Classes:

Practice Classes:

  1. Some of the teachers of these classes are trainee teachers or teachers with no experience.
  2. There are only 3 very general levels - Elementary, Intermediate and Higher Intermediate which are generally divided into 4 or 5 different classes. There are NO Beginners or Advanced classes (higher than First Certificate) on these courses.
  3. There are no level tests. Students stay in the same class until a teacher thinks they are ready to move to a higher level.
  4. The classes have big numbers - usually over 20 students per class.
  5. Students in these classes can use the Listening Centre for private study, but cannot borrow books or audio cassettes for use in the centre.
  6. You cannot change the starting date of these courses.

Normal Classes:

  1. All the teachers are qualified and have a TEFL Certificate.
  2. There are 11 different levels from Beginners to Cambridge Proficiency level.
  3. In all classes from Beginners to Higher Intermediate, there is a monthly level test. This test takes place on the final Wednesday of every month, and occupies 3 hours of class time. All students who pass the test move to the next level.
  4. The maximum number of students from 9-12 is 14, from 12-3 and 3-6 the maximum is 16. In the evening the maximum is 16.
  5. Students on these courses can use the Listening Centre free at any time during the day and can borrow books and cassettes from the school office.
  6. You can change the starting date of the course three times if necessary. You do not need to buy books. The teachers use a wide variety of books and give photocopies of the lessons they use.

All of our courses are 15 lessons per week. You can study for 30 lessons by taking two courses. If you do that we try to put you in two slightly different levels.

You can study on one Practice Classes timetable and one "normal" course timetable if you like.

You can join a Practice Class at the end of a "normal" class.

You can change from a Practice Class to a "normal" class and pay the difference. You do not get any money back or an extension of your studies if you change from a "normal" to a Practice Class.

You can extend a course and pay the difference between the two prices if you extend DURING THE FIRST WEEK. After the first week you must pay the full price for the extra weeks.

You can use photocopies of the application forms.

Our minimum age limit is 16.

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REFUNDS

We only give refunds when a visa is refused. We need to see a letter of refusal before we make a refund. If your visa is refused we refund unused fees of more than 100 pounds. The school keeps the minimum deposit of 100 pounds.

If you cancel your accommodation less than two weeks before the starting date for any reason (including a visa refusal) you lose the 110 pounds accommodation deposit.

If you want medical and cancellation insurance you can apply to the following company who have a special policy for foreign students:

ENDSLEIGH
Shurdington Road
Cheltenham GL51 4UE
Telephone: +44 (0) 800 028 3571 (Endsleigh free phone)
website: www.endsleigh.co.uk

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THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU MAKE AN APPLICATION TO STANTON SCHOOL

We process applications as soon as we receive the application form and course fees. If you fax the application form(s) we wait until the money arrives before we act.

There is no date limit for making your course application but you should allow enough time for the application and payment to arrive.

It can take up to ten days for money to arrive if you send a bank transfer (longer if the sending bank delays it or makes a mistake with our account details).

There is often a bank charge on the money you send to our account and so you may have to pay a few extra pounds to cover this when you arrive.

We try to process your application within 24 hours of receiving payment and send you your enrolment confirmation. If you have reserved accommodation it usually takes 2 or 3 days longer.

After we have processed your application we will send you a letter of acceptance (if you need a visa), an invoice showing any balance payable or a receipt showing that we have received the full amount. We will also send a copy of our school rules. Please read these - it is important that you understand these conditions.

We cannot send you your documents by e-mail because we do not have the school stamp on e-mail. We need a fax number or a postal address to send your documents.

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SOME INFORMATION ABOUT VISAS

There are two types of visas normally given by Immigration: Tourist (visitor) visa or Student visa.

If you reserve a course of less than six months Immigration at the port of entry normally give a tourist visa. If you reserve a course of longer than six months (at least 27 weeks) you may receive a student visa but this is not guaranteed.

You have to convince the Entry Clearance Officer that your main purpose in coming to England is to study, NOT to work. We suggest that if you reserve 6 months or more and want to apply for a student visa you should go to the British Embassy in your country and apply for a student visa before coming to England .

The stamp put in your passport at Immigration is more important than the stamp you receive at the British Embassy in your own country (if you have to apply for a visa before leaving your country). If you get a student visa at the Embassy and then a tourist visa at Immigration your visa is a tourist visa. If you have a student visa in your passport you can work up to 20 hours part-time per week.

You cannot work with a tourist visa. The school does not find work for you. If you receive a tourist visa at Immigration you cannot change it to a student visa until it finishes (usually 6 months after you arrive).

If you receive a tourist visa at Immigration you cannot change it to a student visa. If you want a student visa you must leave England , return to your country and make another application there.

If you have to apply for a visa before leaving your country and you get a tourist visa when you arrive in England , you CANNOT change this to a student visa at all. If you want a student visa you must leave England , return to your country and make another application there.

If you need to apply for a visa before you leave your country you should check with the British Embassy and ask them what papers they want to see. There may be small differences but every Visa Clearance Officer will want to see the following:

  1. A letter of acceptance from a school showing that you have reserved and paid for a course.
  2. An accommodation address in England to go to when you arrive.
  3. Some proof showing that you have enough money to live without working or taking money from the state during your course. It is very common that the Officer will also ask you where the money has come from and who has given it to you. You must also then show that this person can afford to pay for you. You will not receive a student visa if you have to work in England to pay for your course or your living expenses.
  4. It is helpful if you can show a letter from a school/university or an employer showing that you have to return to your country on a certain date to start your course or job. One of the concerns for the Entry Clearance Officers is that you will not leave England at the end of your language course.
  5. You should be able to explain why you want to study English in England rather than in your own country and it is helpful if you can show that you have already taken lessons at a school in your own country.
  6. The British Council estimate that you need a minimum of £800 per month (including accommodation) for living expenses. You have to be able to show the ECOs that you have this amount of money available and that it will not put a finantial burden on the person / people whose money will pay for your course of study. They will not accept a large amount of money suddenly appearing in a bank account. The account(s) must show regular in and out goings and a good positive balance at all times before they will be satisfied that the money is available.
  7. You should be able to give the interviewer some details about the course and show that you looked at other schools and say why you chose Stanton School . It is not possible for us to tell you exactly what grammar you will be studying because that depends on the level of your English and we won't know that until you have arrived and taken the level test.

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INFORMATION ABOUT STANTON SCHOOL'S BUILDING

Here are some details about the facilities at 167 Queensway, London W2 4SB:

  1. Listening Centre/Language Laboratory
  2. Welfare department and main administration.
  3. Internet bar.
  4. E-mail facilities
  5. Video.
  6. Cheap "Practice" Classes.
  7. Evening part-time classes.
  8. All classrooms fully air-conditioned.
  9. Lift to all floors.
  10. Located near Hyde Park , Kensington Gardens , Portobello Road Market, Porchester Leisure Centre and Swimming Pool, and next door to Whiteley's Centre.
  11. 10 Minutes to Bayswater (Circle and District lines) and Royal Oak (Hammersmith and City line) 12 minutes to Queensway (Central line) and 15 minutes to Paddington (District, Circle, Bakerloo and Hammersmith and City lines).
  12. 7 nearby bus routes.

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TO OPEN A BRITISH BANK ACCOUNT

It is usually difficult for English language students to open a British bank account. Banks need proof of your address (for example, an electricity bill showing your name and address), which can be hard for students to obtain. Some banks want to see that you have a valid UK visa for a year and that you have paid your school for a year; other banks want proof that you have been in the UK for at least 6 months and that you have paid your school for a further 6 months. The rules are always changing, and some banks are more relaxed than others about conditions for opening student accounts. Please ask the school reception office for information about which banks are at present the most relaxed in their rules.

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Registered Office: Stanton School of English Ltd.
167 Queensway, London W2 4SB
Telephone: +44  (0) 20 7221 7259
Fax: +44  (0) 20 7792 9047
Email: study@stanton-school.co.uk
Company registration no. 1998672
Copyright © 2007 Stanton School of English Limited