New Perspectives for 13 - 15s

Overview

New Perspectives is an academic and cultural programme taking place in July and August in the beautiful environs of Oriel College, Oxford University.

General Information

New Perspectives is a summer programme containing academic study, inspirational afternoon workshops, cultural immersion and social events on campus.

There is a two week session or a four week session available and students will take part in an action-packed timetable led by a dedicated teaching team and supported by an enthusiastic team of counsellors.

For a guided tour of the College please go to www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/orielcollege.

Academic Choices

Students staying for 2 weeks choose 1 morning option and 1 afternoon option. Students staying for 4 weeks choose 2 morning options and 2 afternoon options.

The morning option runs from 0930 to 1300 and the available choices are:

• Creative Writing / Shakespeare

• Essay Writing Skills / British History

• Experimental Psychology / Politics and International Relations

• Human Biology / Research Methods in Science

Afternoon Workshops

There are three afternoon workshops per week in which the students take part in non-academic activities. The list of options is given below:

• Public Speaking and Debating

• Young Enterprise / Business Studies

• Oxford’s Gardens and Colleges

• Leadership and Navigation

Private Tutorials

For students wishing to take subjects outside of the lists above, it is possible to include private tutoring in the programme at an additional cost.

Sports

During the programme, students have the opportunity to try out the English games of cricket and croquet, play football and grass tennis, and try Punting down Oxford’s rivers.

Music

Students interested in taking private music lessons can make arrangements when applying.

Rooming Arrangements

The rooms in the College are singles, with shared bathrooms. Room allocation is random and the name/country listings are released on June 1st 2008.

Meals

The course includes breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining hall, with packed lunches usually taken during excursions.

Visiting and Exeats

During the week, from Monday to Friday it is not possible for parents or relatives to visit the students. However, from Friday evening until Monday morning, it is possible to take the students out of the programme if the appropriate forms are signed by a parent or legal guardian.

Optional Sightseeing Tours

In addition to the academic component of the programme, there are opportunities for sightseeing tours taking place on Tuesday, Thursday afternoons and Saturday (all day). The sightseeing takes students to historic and cultural places of interest such as Stonehenge, Roman Bath, Warwick Castle, Blenheim Palace and Stratford upon Avon. There are also optional weekend trips to Paris, Brussels and Edinburgh for over 14s.

Students not wishing to take the sightseeing tours will be entertained by our staff in Oxford, for example with museums, galleries, punting and shopping.

Pastoral Care and Support

The tutors and counsellors leading the NP programme are particularly aware of how daunting it can be to travel away from home at this young age. Therefore, special efforts are made to welcome everyone into the group and to make sure that no child is left feeling isolated.

Graduation Event

Students end the programme with a graduation event where students, tutors and counsellors bid their farewells and exchange contacts. At the end of the weeks in which students depart, there is a graduation event at which the reports and certificates are handed out. The students that have contributed most to the programme are asked to speak publicly about their experiences in Oxford.

Safety and Security

Oriel College has 24 hour security and CCTV on site. Students and staff will have access to a 24 hour emergency telephone number.

Financial Aid

There is financial aid available for this programme for students meeting the criteria set out here.

Optional Items

Optional items include taxi transfers, private tutoring, sightseeing and insurance.

Insurance

All students must have comprehensive travel insurance for the duration of their stay in Oxford. If you do not already have comprehensive insurance, Oxford Royale Insurance is available at 16.00 per week details of which are available here.

Arrival and Departing

Students arrive on a Sunday and depart on a Saturday. The first event is the Welcome Reception for students and parents at 5pm on the Sunday of arrival. The last commitment is breakfast on the Saturday of departure.

Deposit

There is a deposit of 395 pounds which secures the booking and is deducted from the balance payment.

Application

To make an application for this programme, you can either fill out the form online or you can download the PDF application form and fax it to us on +44 (0) 845 280 01 22.