Overview

The Young Prodigies (YP) programme challenges and inspires young learners from all over the world in the unique setting of St. Stephen’s house, University of Oxford. Over 2 or 4 weeks, students undertake an exciting academic and cultural adventure led by an enthusiastic and dedicated teaching team, and a supporting team of counsellors.

*** Please note that this programme books up quickly. We recommend early booking in order to secure a place for summer 2008 ***

Academic Timetable and Content

Morning classes run from 0930 to 1300 and consist of:

Topics from last summer’s programme included:

o       Reading sections of a play

o       Visiting Stratford-Upon-Avon and watching a play

o       Shakespeare’s famous sonnets

·        The Terrible Tudors

o       Henry VII vs. Henry VIII

·        Debating Contest

o       Students argue for or against the week’s motion. For example: “This house believes that it is unethical for certain states of the USA to still use the death penalty.”

·        Prehistoric England

o       Learning about Stonehenge

o       Visit to Stonehenge Monoliths

·        Latin Primer

o       A basic introduction to Latin including noun cases, basic tenses and vocabulary.

o       Life as a Roman Centurion vs. Life as a Roman Slave.  

o       Visit to Roman Bath and museum.

·        The Stock Market Challenge

o  Students compete against each other in the “Stock Market Challenge” and invest their virtual currency. The winning student is the one finishing with the greatest assets at the end.

o       Visit to London

·        Science of Love

o       Looking at the basic biology of the heart, blood and brain.

·        Modern Art

o       Talking about whether modern art should be considered “art” in the normal sense of the word.

o       Visit to Oxford Modern Art Gallery

·        Music

o       Listening and discussing selected works of Beethoven, Bach and Mozart.

o       Visit to Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford

·        Islamic History, Literature and Art

o       The 5 Pillars, basic tenets of belief, Sunnis, Shias, and Sufis.

o       Rumi’s Fables in Persian Literature

§         Staging a version of Attar’s “Conference of the Birds”

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.

Afternoon Workshops

There are three afternoon workshops per week in which the students take part in non-academic activities such as orienteering, kite building, debating, sports, music or and drama.

Location

The course takes place at St. Stephen’s House (SSH), University of Oxford. St. Stephen’s House is a completely enclosed, secure, hall of residence which was formerly a monastic residence in the 1950s. Today it is a graduate College of the University of Oxford and holds a quiet charm and grace which is particularly conducive to academic study and personal development. There is a virtual tour of the College.

Rooming Arrangements

The rooms in the College are singles, twins or triple rooms. If sharing a room, students will stay with students of the same sex. Room allocation is random and the name/country listings are released on June 1^st 2008.

Meals

The course includes breakfast, lunch and dinner in the SSH Dining Hall, with packed lunches usually taken during excursions. Soft drinks and biscuits are served each morning and afternoon in the common room.

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.

Sightseeing Tours

In addition to the above, there are two sightseeing tours per week taking place on Thursday afternoon and all day on Saturday. The sightseeing will take the students to historic and cultural places of interest such as Blenheim palace, Warwick castle and London. To see the timetable for July and August, please click here.

Pastoral Care and Support

The tutors and counsellors leading the YP 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

All the classrooms and lecture rooms are on site, meaning students do not have to leave the building and adding to the security of the programme.

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 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, OxfordSure is available at £16 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 4pm on the Sunday of arrival. The last commitment is breakfast on the Saturday of departure.

Deposit

There is a deposit of 365 pounds which secures the booking and is deducted from the balance payment.

Application

You can either book online or you can download a paper application form and send it back to us.

Further Information

If you require any support, please either email us or give us a call on +44 (0) 845 130 60 21.