BOARDING SCHOOLS
Adeline von Canstein - Germany
Woodbridge School
Our daughter greatly enjoyed her time at Woodbridge and we wouldn’t have found this wonderful school without the help of David Dobson. He went through great lengths to offer us a selection of
suitable schools even though our daughter only went for one term. During the consultancy process he was very organized, reliable, accessible, patient and flexible.
In school, Adeline felt challenged and supported in a great many more ways than in her German school. The teachers were extremely kind and accommodating, she had the impression that they
were truly interested in her academic development. This, in addition to improving her English, experiencing a different school system, and finding new friends from all over the world, made her
stay at Woodbridge a truly memorable experience.
Karoline Troldborg Dorph - Gentofte Skole, Denmark
West Buckland School
Dear David
Karoline’s year at West Buckland School has come to an end, but we believe that the school’s spirit will live on inside her heart.
She has had a wonderful time at the school. West Buckland School has fully lived up to our very high expectations. Karoline has improved her English tremendously and has grown in self esteem and self confidence. She has made a lot of new friends from both the UK and other countries. Karoline enjoyed and profited from her classes and we are very impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment of her teachers. Karoline also enjoyed and profited from all the extracurricular activities at the school. She has loved her inspiring dance lessons and being part of the dance performance team. She has also very much enjoyed being part of the choir, the CCF, playing netball, football, tennis, hockey, participating in the diversity club, taking part in excursions, and taking weekend trips to Barnstaple with friends from the school.
We also want to thank you again David for all your efforts and your support to us helping to find the best possible school for Karoline.
We will forever be grateful to you for this.
Kindest regards
Anders Dorph and Kirstine Troldborg, Parents to Karoline Troldborg Dorph
Samuel K. - St.-Anna-Schule Wuppertal, Germany
West Buckland School
Dear David,
Samuel is back home for almost two months in his old school and now that he wrote his first tests we can say that his academic performance is very good, as well as his attitude concerning work. His exercise books and working papers are neater than ever before! Obviously West Buckland taught him to organize himself. We are very happy about the mature and sensible young man that returned home after two terms in Great Britain.
He had a wonderful time, found nice new friends (in June he will return to visit some of them) and made a very nice personal development.
To send Samuel to West Buckland was a great idea! Thus thank you so much for your help choosing the school and organizing this stay! You did a wonderful job and it was very soothing to know you were there to counsel and assist! Talking to you was always a great pleasure and I'm actually a little sad that I have no fourth child and thus no opportunity to contact you again to look for the perfect boarding school. So the only thing I can do (and I already do) is to tell everybody, who is thinking about sending a child abroad, about this very nice and capable consultant of ours!
Again thank you so much and all the best to you
Carola
Niklas von Richthofen - Germany
West Buckland School
I joined West Buckland School for two terms and I really enjoyed studying at the school. As part of the boarding community, I felt like I was in a big international family. I really enjoyed the weekends where there would be regular trips and activities for boarders. My houseparents were fantastic and really supportive and became my second family. I will miss West Buckland very much!
Noah Herrmann - Cologne International School, Germany
West Buckland School – Year 10
OXSS – St. Edward’s School, Oxford – IGCSE
Revision
Felsted School – Sixth Form, IB Diploma
I really enjoyed my term at West Buckland School. I made great contact to international people and really enjoyed to study at the school.
David Dobson is very professional and helped me to find the perfect school for my short stay, which made me want to go to a British boarding school even longer.
Due to great communication and help, I have found a great school for my last two years – Felsted School. I am really looking forward to it and would like to say thank you, as David made a great effort to find the perfect schools for me. On top of that, David helped me to find the perfect revision course in Oxford, so I could tackle my IGCSEs more easily. I can only recommend David to everyone that would consider a boarding school or a summer camp.
Aurelia Schmiegelow - Cologne International School, Germany
Bryanston School
Dear Mr. Dobson,
I hope you’ve had a great summer. I’ve now started my third week here at Bryanston School and I wanted to thank you once more for all the effort and time that has led me to this wonderful place.
It has felt like a real kick-start into the new school year and the IB, and I already feel very at home, after only two weeks.
The music department here is spectacular and I think I will truly improve both my solo and chamber music, as the dedicated staff seem to want to make every music student reach his or her full potential.
The past weeks have also let me explore different things in regards to sports; from football to climbing and dance, and the facilities and teachers are spectacular. My teachers are all very enthusiastic, dedicated and understanding. Bryanston has been very welcoming and warm and the new headmaster too seems very keen to maintain and strengthen the excellence of the school.
Once again, thank you so much for helping me come to Bryanston, which I think is the best school for me, and I hope the next two years will be as wonderful as the first few weeks have been.
Sincerely,
Aurelia Schmiegelow
Perla Schumacher - Germany
Windermere School
Dear David,
Thank you so much for your support and guidance through the whole process of finding the right school for our daughter in the UK. We highly appreciated your close accompaniment from the selection of schools through the application process to making the right decision. We could always rely on your dedication, knowledge, experience and network. Plus: We know that we can always get in touch and find help if a problem might arise in the future.
Best regards,
Jasmin Schumacher
Sander Eppers - Kildegaard Privatskole, Copenhagen
Ellesmere College
Hello Mr Dobson,
My year at Ellesmere was excellent. I liked the teachers and the students a lot. The school was also enjoyable because it's so different from what I'm used to in the Danish school system. A-levels meant that I had less school and more study time. This was an attractive feature of the everyday week. The fact that we had a lot of time to do the homework meant that we could enjoy doing the work because it was not last minute. I also found Design and Technology interesting and enjoyed making physical products - (a coffee table and a lamp). Ialso decided to have extra written English lessons and enjoyed mastering the different writing skills.
All the free time was good as well because it also gave me and the others more time to enjoy the fantastic school facilities and take a break when that was needed. I have found a new passion, playing golf. I had never played before I came to Ellesmere. I spent a lot of time on the school’s golf course with friends who taught me how to play. Since coming home, I have already spent time with my dad on the golf course this summer.
Tennis at the school was excellent as well. I understand it's not common to have a four-court tennis hall just a five-minute walk from the boarding houses. The only negative thing there was the school food. It lacked some passion and variety, but that did not affect my view of the fantastic year in England.
At the end of the term, at Speech Day - I was given two prizes; Design & Technology award and the English Additional Language (EAL) award.
My house also awarded me with the Wakeman Lambert house tie - which I’m very proud to receive.
My plans for the next three years are to study the Danish A-levels in Denmark. I did consider returning to Ellesmere but the only problem was that they don’t accept the English A-levels in the Danish universities.
Thank you so much for helping me get this amazing year in England; I will forever be thankful for that.
Best regards
Sander Gregorius Eppers
Constantin Mendel - Irmgardis Gymnasium, Germany
Ellesmere College
Dear David,
Thanks for letting me know that Constantin represented Ellesmere in the boys’ senior team which was crowned Midlands champions after winning the LTA Schools Senior Competition.
We are very proud! He has had a great time at Ellesmere, especially playing tennis! And he is sad that he has to leave but on the other hand he is looking forward to see his friends and being back home.
Thanks for getting us there. It is a great school with very nice people!
Herzliche Grüße,
Annette
Meike Schietke - Germany
Rossall School
Dear David,
It is now less than three weeks ago since I have contacted you the first time about a boarding school in the UK for our daughter Meike. A few minutes ago I have booked the last puzzle piece, a rental car to drive with her from Manchester airport to Blackpool so that she can start on 03.09.2018 at Rossall School.
This was a crazy fast tour for us. Hence I have taken a few moments to think what has happened in these last nineteen days. Bottom line is that this would not have been possible without your outstanding help. Therefore we, Meike, my wife and myself, want to express our deepest thanks for what you have done for us.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Best regards,
Meike, Sabine and Jϋrgen
Nicolas Heller - Cologne International School, Germany
Uppingham School
Being a former headmaster David is an expert of the British school system. He invested a lot of time enquiring about our son’s preferences, in order to select the best options for him. Always being authentic his honest advice led us to a perfect solution. We are very grateful getting to know David and he is still accompanying our son’s curriculum.
Cornelius Holtmeier - Irmgardis Gymnasium, Germany
Culford School
Dear Mr Dobson,
First of all I would like to thank you for your recommendation before I went to Culford.
Based on my wishes you suggested for me a perfect school where I felt comfortable. The tennis, and especially the golf academy, taught me new skills and I had a huge development. Even though there were a lot of German speakers I almost spoke English the whole time because I hang around with different nationalities.
So all in all I'm really happy that I chose Culford and I’m grateful you helped me find the right school.
Thanks a lot
Best wishes,
Cornelius
Annik Ketterle - Germany
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
Last year, working together with Mr Dobson, I successfully completed my application for Strathclyde Business School which is part of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Having completed my Abitur I am currently pursuing an Undergraduate degree in Economics. Not only did Mr Dobson advise me on the application procedure and formalities, but he also gave me personal guidance such as academic advice and encouragement. Having studied at Strathclyde Business School for one academic year, I can personally say that this has been an astonishing experience and a real learning curve. The University offers exceptional and passionate teaching. The academic and non-academic staff have a very approachable manner and show their support by offering their time generously for additional help if required. I am looking forward as to what the remainder of my studies entails in the forthcoming three years of living in Scotland.
SUMMER SCHOOLS
Luis Kannerwurf - International School Braunschweig – Wolfsburg, Germany
Oxford Summer Courses - Physics at Oxford University
Dear David,
The course was great! I absolutely enjoyed the lessons I had in the two weeks and the stay in the college felt very authentic. I met great people and made good friends during my stay. The two weeks went by very quickly. All the activities we did with our course leaders were fun. A highlight was the trip to London on the weekend and the visit to the Science Museum. I was able to take part in a university fete at Worcester College, which was also very great.
All in all it was a perfect two weeks in Somerville College.
Sincerely
Luis
Hanna Takahashi Lund - Bjorns International School, Copenhagen
Oxford Summer Courses - Psychology at Oxford University
Hello David,
I highly enjoyed my Oxford summer course and found both joy in the social and learning aspects of my stay.
I am very happy that I got to experience it, and I not only made great friends but also was able to attend a very insightful class.
Everything ran very smoothly and I don’t have any criticism of importance.
I would like to thank you for a great experience, and for your advice in choosing a summer school.
Kind regards
Hanna Takahashi Lund
Charlotte Umbach - International School Braunschweig – Wolfsburg, Germany
Oxford Summer Courses - Medicine at Oxford University
Dear Mr Dobson,
I enjoyed the course at Oxford University very much; it was an amazing experience, and I was very impressed with both the tutors and the overall programme itself. The classes were challenging but incredibly packed with information and valuable knowledge for university applications and career advice, specifically the practice UCAT we did, which was very helpful. The itinerary of every day was diverse and fun, including many different activities around Oxford, culinary experiences, and many bonding opportunities with my classmates. Everyone I met on the team and in my courses was very friendly and welcoming; there were no conflicts, and everyone got along very well. I especially enjoyed the graduation ceremony and formal dinner; it was great to see everyone dress up and receive their certificates. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an educational as well as memorable summer course.
Thank you so much for your assistance in the entire process; both my parents and I are very grateful for your help.
Warm Regards,
Charlotte Umbach.
Alexander Høchendorff - Dyhrs Skole, Slagelse, Denmark
Immerse Education - Law at Oxford University
Dear Mr. Dobson.
I would like to share what I experienced at Oxford Immerse Education. When I first came, I was nervous, and even more so the first time I went to class, but my class welcomed me with such welcoming arms I felt like I fitted in immediately. I made so many new friends and had a great time there. Not only was the introduction good but we also learned so much about the law topic, and what it was like to work on a case. Our tutor taught us about the basics of law and certain categories like criminal law, and tort law (which when I started knew almost nothing about, but when the course was finished, I had a good understanding of it). As to the social aspects of the course, I made so many new friends who have already invited me to visit them, not only good friends but also friends who are in for the long haul. If I must point out one negative thing it would be that the course is way too short, because I had such an amazing time and just wanted to spend at least one more week there. In conclusion a very good investment for me, and I can only give my best recommendations to try this amazing summer school.
Alexander Høchendorf
India Kast - Cologne International School, Germany
Immerse Education - International Relations at Oxford University
Dear Mr. Dobson.
I had a great time in Oxford. I found the International Relations course really interesting and enjoyable. Outside of class I thought the programme was really well organised with lots of different activities. Most of all I made some great friends with the same interests and goals.
Kind regards
India
Barham and Bryan Azeez - Cologne International School, Germany
Immerse Education - Engineering at Cambridge University
Dear Mr Dobson,
Thank you for organising the summer course at Cambridge. It was an incredible experience. The course was super engaging and informative, especially the comprehensive introduction to engineering. Our teacher was well informed and dived into complex topics.
Furthermore the guidance throughout was well-organised, which made it easy for us to focus on learning and enjoy the experience.
My brother and I want to thank you again for setting up everything.
Best Regards,
Barham Azeez
Thomas and Lukas Wenzel - Germany
Discovery Summer (Radley College)
Dear Mr Dobson,
We are Thomas and Lukas Wenzel and want to give a feedback to Radley Discovery Summer School.
In our opinion, Radley was amazing. We had much fun, learned a lot and met new people. There was a good selec-tion of activities so everyone could do what he wanted to do.
There was nothing to complain about. We are thinking about going there next summer again, but are not sure. But if we go, then definitely to Radley again.
Yours
Thomas and Lukas Wenzel
Mara Herrmann - Cologne International School, Germany
Discovery Summer (Marymount School)
Hello, my name is Mara, and I am 9 years old. This summer I visited Marymount Summer School organized by Discovery Summer. I was quite nervous on my first day. However, everyone was super welcoming, and I found a lot of international friends, who I still have contact with. We had an amazing trip to London and I learned a lot. I also decided to do drama lessons in the afternoons. I’m happy to come back next year.
Gregorios, Ioannis and Philippos - Divonne-les-Bains, France
Discovery Summer (Winchester College)
Dear David,
Based on the feedback from the boys, I can say with certainty that this was a high quality programme, pretty much what we were hoping for!
I can also share that we saw impressive improvement in the case of Philippos both in terms of speaking and comprehension. He heard over the years a lot of English in the ambient environment, as I am mostly talking in English with my wife. However the 2 weeks in Winchester literally unlocked him, as we found out during our holidays. We are very happy!
All the best,
George
Maiia Kryukov - Odense International School, Denmark
Discovery Summer (Benenden School)
Dear David,
Maiia's feedback is very positive. She found it a bit difficult in the first days to get into the rhythm and in the evenings she rather missed parents. My impression is that she only had those sad moments in the evenings when she was having a chance to talk to us on the phone.
However, towards the middle of the stay at Benenden her mood improved a lot. We could see that her mind was occupied with something else like her new friends etc.
In the end Maiia concluded that next year she would probably go for 2 weeks as 1 week seemed too short for her because all her newly made friends were staying in Benenden for longer.
Thank you, David, for facilitating this great experience for Maiia and us.
We would love to continue with the abroad summer camps in the next years!
Regards,
Artem
Marie-Qu Leve Poulsen - Bjorns International School, Copenhagen
Cambridge Language & Activity Courses (Slindon College)
Dear David
I have been wanting to write to you because I am so grateful about the way everything turned out. Thank you so much for your help with CLAC! Marie-Qu has had the time of her life on this course. She's learned so much. She has gained a lot of confidence and is just speaking English now, even if not perfectly. Socially the course was also a big adventure. She is still wearing her CLAC-hoodie every day and all she wants is to come back next year for an even longer course.
Kind regards
Christa Leve Poulsen
Frank Cottam - Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, UK.
Nike Football Camps with Chelsea FC Foundation (Charterhouse School)
I really enjoyed the football camp at Charterhouse School. At first I didn’t know anyone, but I ended up making some great friends. The food was delicious, and the football was excellent fun. I learned so much from the coaching sessions. The highlight for me was the visit to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s football stadium. That was an amazing experience! Overall, it was a fantastic week, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who loves football as much as I do.
David Stratmann - Cologne, Germany
Nike Basketball Camp - University of Surrey Sports Park
Dear David,
David enjoyed the Basketball Camp and was very happy with the accommodation, the food and the programme. There was one thing he did not like so much - a training session in the evening from 8-10 pm. This was too late for intensive training and maybe could be rescheduled to an earlier slot during the day.
Besides that he really liked it and is considering coming again next summer.
Many thanks for all your help in the process. This was very much appreciated.
Best regards
Petra
Josephine Schiøtz - Bernadotteskolen, Hellerup, Denmark
Samiad (Box Hill School)
It was really a lot of fun to spend time at Samiad summer school at Box Hill School. I thought it was fun because we lived at the school and all the adults and children were so nice. It was also great that there were trips two times every week because in that way we learned about England in an exciting way. There was a programme for every day, so we knew what time we should be where and what we should do during the day. I found the English language classes were educational because the teacher was very kind and sweet and we learned a lot of things in a fun way. The Paris Saint-Germain football academy was also very enjoyable because the coaches were very kind and due to the small group, we learned a lot. The food was also good, and you could always find dishes that matched your preferences. I would love to come back to the school next year and will recommend others to go.
Jeppe Eskildsen - Dyhrs Skole, Slagelse, Denmark
SAMIAD – Box Hill School
Dear David
When we met Jeppe at Copenhagen airport on 22nd July, he was naturally happy to see us – but at the same time, he was ready to turn around and go straight back to Box Hill School!
Jeppe has had an absolute wonderful time with Samiad at Box Hill. He points out the atmosphere at the school and the team spirit among the students as highlights. Also, the fact that each day had a fixed schedule from morning till late with a huge variety of activities and experiences which were appreciated very much by Jeppe. As for the English lessons, Jeppe especially enjoyed that trips away from the school were prepared during the lessons, eg. learning about Warwick Castle before going there. Jeppe found all his teachers to be very kind, helpful and forthcoming. Jeppe now feels a lot more confident in expressing himself in English, and does this much more naturally.
As you may know, we travelled with Jeppe to Box Hill School at the start of the course. We got a very nice impression of the school premises and the accommodation facilities. We were welcomed by a young man named Martin, who was very kind and assured the boys that they could always turn to him for assistance or for answers to any queries, they might have. He also showed them, that his room was in the same building as theirs. This warm reception of our son was very reassuring for us as parents.
Jeppe has made a lot of new friends from several countries, and they now keep in contact via social media. He definitely wishes to attend a summer school in England again sometime, and even talks about getting a job in order to save up for a new trip.
As parents, we are so proud of our son, who has been on his own “far” away from home for the first time and done very well in taking care of himself – of course very well assisted by Samiad. And Jeppe bringing home the “Certificate of Excellence for Excellent Sportsmanship” just brought a proud mother’s tear to my eye.
Thank you very much for informing us of the possibilities for attending an English summer school and for facilitating the contact to Samiad.
Best regards,
Stella Eskildsen
Emil Kert - Dyhrs Skole, Slagelse, Denmark
SAMIAD – Box Hill School
Dear David
SAMIAD Summer School at Box Hill is definitely something we can recommend to others. The food was good, and Emil had a wonderful time. There have been only positive things about the stay.
Maybe we will return next summer with Emil’s brother and one of his friends.
Best regards
Martin Kert
Dear Mr Dobson
I had a great time in England at Box Hill, and it was actually the best two weeks in my life. It changed my life completely, in a good way of course.
Everything was good about the trip, the teachers were so sweet and every student at the campus behaved nicely.
However the best thing about the school was the friends I got there.
Best regards
Emil
Alberte Sofia Petersen - Dyhrs Skole, Slagelse, Denmark
SAMIAD – Box Hill School
Dear David
I have safely returned to Denmark and I have a lot to say about Samiad.
I thought it was an amazing experience and I’m really considering going back next year. I don’t really think I have anything negative to say about my trip. I absolutely loved it. The staff at the school were so welcoming, friendly and helpful. And the classes were so interesting. I really liked that we had a new theme each day. Oh and the activities were such fun. They always seemed to have something fun up their sleeves. I also loved the trips. So long story short I loved it. It was amazing and I only have good things to say about it.
Best wishes
Alberte Sofia Petersen
Millie Jensen - Odense International School, Denmark
BLISS (Kilgraston School)
Hi David
Mille had a very nice stay at Bliss in Scotland and she learned a lot of English and got confidence in speaking 👍
She also found new friendships and really enjoyed the outdoor adventure week.
Once again thank for your assistance 😉
Best regards
Helle & Mille
Christian Licht - Odense International School, Denmark
More Than English – Moor Park School
Dear David,
Christian really enjoyed his stay at the ‘More than English’ summer school. It’s certainly something he would consider doing again and indeed recommend to others. Here is what Christian thought of the experience in his own words:
“I enjoyed my 2-week stay at More Than English summer school very much. The school had a lot to offer, for an example it’s Get Ahead options where I choose Business Challenge and Golf, but also 2 daily activities, and each day had six different options.
The food was also absolutely amazing, cooked by a former Olympic chef. The teaching in the Core-English class was way beyond what I was expecting. I had an amazing teacher named Calvin who really not just made the lessons interesting, but also made sure that we individually learned as much as possible in our two weeks at the school.”
With kindest regards from DK
Christian, Dorthe and Peter Licht
Lina Ehlert - Germany
More Than English – Moor Park School
If someone were to ask me, with what three words I would describe More Than English (MTE) I would say: friendship, fun, family. These words may seem extreme considering I only spent two weeks in Ludlow and that it was my first time; however, once any person has been to MTE I believe they will agree with me.
The first few days after my arrival were filled with an array of new experiences, and coincidently I learnt one of the biggest life lessons, to have fun and make friends. You have to go out of your comfort-zone and simply talk to people – create a foundation for friendship. I truly think that the friendships made at MTE are ones that last, if not that at least the ones worth being remembered for a life time.
Throughout the day fun is a constant factor, the planned activities are meant to be fun and they are; but some people would think that lessons are a bore - not at MTE. At More Than English the lessons are fun because there is no need to stick to a set curriculum. Lessons are based on what you need and want to learn - so if you spend a lesson solely talking about a seemingly pointless topic that doesn’t matter as teachers will have found a way to incorporate some learning aspect into it without you knowing.
As for family, for me personally the housing already created a sense of family; everybody of one gender living on one floor with your house parents as well. This lets you become a family which is only enforced through the friendships that are formed. Lessons, Get-Ahead Options and overall activities only apply a bigger sense of familiarity. More Than English creates a family through, for example team work but also through the responsibility of older students over the younger ones.
My experience was one that I wouldn’t trade for the world. I am keen to see if I can attend next year as well, and if so I would even like to stay longer.
Aaron Moser - International School Braunschweig Wolfsburg, Germany
British Summer School - Professionals of the Future/Pre-University at Uppingham School
Hello David,
In general the BSS course gave Aaron more information and experience than he expected. Specifically the course allowed him to broaden his knowledge on the academic vocabulary for Business Management, as well as providing further insight on the deeper meanings of the word and phrases he learnt. He also confirmed that all teachers and staff were very friendly and that also gave a very positive feeling to enjoying the classes and enhancing his participation.
A highlight for him was the visit to the Williams F1 factory, as he is an ardent F1-fan.
He was also pleased that there were only 2 other German-speaking students, which made sure that English was the primary language of communication between him and the other students, widening his exchange with persons from other countries.
Accommodation was fine, no issues there at all. Food was okay. He admitted that the offered variety was good, but rather bland regarding taste.
Aaron had an accident in the 2nd week playing badminton and this was immediately reported to me by the person responsible for the care of the students. We discussed the treatment and further activities together, which were immediately implemented.
To summarise, Aaron confirmed he has benefitted from his stay with BSS and enjoyed himself very much. With a focus on widening and deepening his knowledge in Business Management, the course was very beneficial for him and his confidence in this subject.
Kind regards
Jurgen
Luzie Troelsen - International School Braunschweig – Wolfsburg, Germany
OXSS – St. Edward’s School, Oxford
Dear Mr. Dobson,
I like my stay in Oxford and at St. Edward’s School very much. My roommates were great, the food was amazing, the staff was always friendly and helpful, especially when I asked for their help about our trip back home. The classes were “very lovely” (cit. of Mr. Rhys). Kevin and me were the only pupils in Maths and Spanish which caused an intensive learning atmosphere. In Physics there was only one other student, so there, too, was a lot of time to ask my questions and receive understandable and helpful answers.
It was overall a wonderful experience and I will probably return for two weeks next Easter.
Thank you for all your help.
Kind regards and best wishes,
Luzie Troelsen
