Vacation Courses

• Largest city in south-west England (pop. 500,000+)
• History and heritage combine with shopping and entertainment
• 2 hours drive from central London; 1.5 hours from LHR
• Bristol International Airport is 30 mins drive from the College

• Safe, elegant, residential suburb
• Known for its village atmosphere and famous Suspension Bridge
• 15 mins walk or 5 mins bus ride from Bristol city centre

• One of the UK's most prestigious independent schools (founded 1862)
• Excellent academic and sporting record
• Very high levels of student supervision and welfare
• Venue for our International Summer School since 1999

• Total number of students per summer = 900 (150 Kids + 750 Teens)
• Average number of students per week = 350 (50 Kids + 300 Teens)
• Student nationality breakdown: 
  35% Italian
  15% Spanish
  10% Turkish
  10% Hong Kong
  5% Latvian
  5% Romanian
  5% Korean
  3% Ukrainian
  3% Serbian
  3% Chinese
  3% Russian
  3% Macedonian

• 9 boarding houses situated around the main college building
• 20 - 50 students per house
• Boys and girls on separate floors
• Single, twin, triple and multi-bedded rooms
• Group Leaders in single rooms; Teens in 1 - 4 bedded rooms; Kids in 2 - 6 bedded rooms
• Communal bathroom facilities on each floor; average ratio 5 students : 1 shower
• Common room, small kitchen, and payphone in each house
• Weekly laundry service for underwear
• Clifton College residential staff in each house

• Meal-card system
• 2 self-service dining-rooms
• 3 wholesome meals per day
• Daily choice of soup, main course, pasta bar and salad bar
• Packed lunches for full-day excursions
• Weekly B-B-Q

• Designed and run by International House Bristol
• Accredited by The British Council
• Oral & written placement test
• Average 15 students per class (max. 16)
• Specially-written teaching materials
• Kids' Course (8-12 yrs) = 12 hours per week; afternoon classes 13:30 - 17:10
• Teens' Course (13-17 yrs) = 15 hours per week; morning classes 09:00 - 12:40
• Attendance Certificate & Progress Report

• Organised and supervised by Clifton College Activity Staff
• Special Kids' programme (09:15 - 12:15)
• Teens' programme (14:00 - 17:00)
• Variety of on-site sports available everyday
• Sign-up system for football, swimming, tennis, volleyball, basketball, badminton, rounders, modern dance and many more…
• “Discover Clifton & Bristol” walks
• Arts, crafts and internet café
• Certain Kids’ activities together with English schoolchildren during morning activity sessions

• Organised and supervised by Clifton College Activity Staff
• Kids' programme (19:00 - 21:00)
• Teens' programme (20:00 - 22:00)
• Variety of on-site events every week including:
  
  Disco (themed and fancy-dress)
  Karaoke
  Student Talent Show
  Film Night
  Murder Mystery Night
  Scavenger Hunt
  Sports Tournaments

• Classroom preparation
• Information and task sheets provided
• Organised and supervised by Clifton College Activity Staff
• 1 half-day trip per week (Bath, Cardiff, Weston-Super-Mare)
• 1 full-day excursion per week (London, Oxford, Portsmouth)
• Choice of optional excursions on Sundays

• Tennis or Golf
• Group (minimum 4 students) or individual lessons
• 9 hours of professional sports coaching per week
• 1 or 2 week courses

WESTON-SUPER-MARE

Take a half-day or full-day trip so this traditional seaside town. Take a stroll on the Pier, play some vintage arcade games and visit the mirror maze! If the weather is nice, maybe even do some sunbathing on the beach!

Approx time to destination: 1h 00m

PRICE: £tbc per student (based on a group of 30 students)

CHEDDAR GORGE CAVES

Visit the famous limestone caves set in the beautiful Somerset countryside. Take the 247 steps to the lookout tower for some fantastic views over the local landscape, and maybe even buy some local cheddar cheese to take home for friends and family!

Approx time to destination: 1h 00m

PRICE: £tbc per student (based on a group of 30 students)

LONGLEAT SAFARI PARK

Longleat offers a fantastic Safari Park where you will see lions, tigers, giraffes and rhinos, as well as many other attractions including Longleat House and the adventure park. A full day excursion, this trip is a ‘must-do' when in Bristol.

Approx time to destination: 1h 15m

PRICE: £tbc per student (based on a group of 30 students)

WELLS & WOOKEY HOLE

Visit Wells Cathedral and have a wander around this traditional English town. Then jump back on the bus for a trip round the Caves at Wookey Hole.

Approx time to destination: 1h 15m

PRICE: £tbc per student (based on a group of 30 students)

STONEHENGE AND SALISBURY

Visit the famous pre-historic monument of Stonehenge, believed to have been erected in 2500BC! After your visit to the famous stones, get back on the coach and spend time in the beautiful city of Salisbury, where you can do some shopping or visit the Cathedral.

Approx time to destination: 2h 00m

PRICE: £tbc per student (based on a group of 30 students)

CADBURY WORLD

Love chocolate? Then this is the trip for you! Find out about the history of chocolate, the origins of the Cadbury company, how chocolate is made, and you may even get to try some!

Approx time to destination: 2h 00m

PRICE: £tbc per student (based on a group of 30 students)

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON & SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHPLACE

Enjoy a delightful day out in the beautiful home town of WIlliam Shakespeare himself; visit his birthplace and enjoy shopping in the picturesque town centre.

Approx time to destination: 2h 00m

PRICE: £tbc per student (based on a group of 30 students)

PORTSMOUTH & THE SPINNAKER TOWER

Take a walk around the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, and visit the designer shopping outlets in Gunwharf Quays. Climb the Spinnaker Tower and take in the breathtaking views of the South Coast.

Approx time to destination: 2h 30m

PRICE: £tbc per student (based on a group of 30 students)

CLARKS VILLAGE & EXETER

Experience some of the many discount designer outlets in Clarks Village, then jump back on the coach and head to Exeter to visit the historic cathedral.

Approx time to destination: 2h 15m to Clarks Village then 1h 00m to Exeter

PRICE: £tbc per student (based on a group of 30 students)

ALTON TOWERS

UK's number 1 theme park with the latest rides and thrills and spills will ensure you have a fantastic day out, not for the faint-hearted!!

Approx time to destination: 3h 00m

PRICE: £tbc per student (based on a group of 30 students)

GROUP COURSES: Kids’ Course (8 –12 yrs) / Teens’ Course (13 – 17 yrs)

SUMMER COURSE DATES: 10th July - 21st August (Tue - Tue)

2 Week Courses                      3 Week Courses

10th - 24th July                          10th - 31st July

24th July - 7th August                 31st July - 21st August

7th - 21st August  

COURSE FEES: prices on request

INDIVIDUAL COURSES: Teens’ Course (13 – 17 yrs)

SUMMER COURSE DATES: 10th July - 21st August (Tue - Tue)

2 Week Courses                                 

10th - 24th July                         

24th July - 7th August                

7th - 21st August  

COURSE FEES: 

2 weeks = GBP 1600

4 weeks = GBP 3150   

NOTE: these fees include student travel and medical insurance and return airport transfers from LHR and BRS; GBP 100 supplement for return airport transfers from LGW, LST, LTN. Any charges made by the airlines for unaccompanied minors are not included in the course fees and should be paid locally when the flights are booked. 

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS COACHING (optional 9 hours per week):

GROUP COACHING (minimum 4 students per group) 

Tennis = GBP 200 per student per week

Golf = GBP 300 per student per week

INDIVIDUAL COACHING

Tennis = GBP 400 per student per week

Golf = GBP 600 per student per week 

Language Network Ltd. (trading as LanguagesForLife.com) - Booking Terms and Conditions

These Booking Conditions, together with any other information brought to your attention before you booked your course, form the basis of your contract with Language Network Ltd., whose registered address is PO Box 55, Furneux Pelham, Herts, SG9 0TP, UK, hereafter "Language Network", "we" or "us". Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations and all bookings are accepted by Language Network subject to these Booking Conditions. In these Booking Conditions references to "you" and "your" include the lead-named person on the confirmation invoice (who must be at least 18 years old at the time of booking) and all participants on whose behalf a booking is made. LanguagesForLife.com is a trading name of Language Network Ltd.

1 Booking and Paying for Your Course

Places on all courses are limited. They will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. All applications must be accompanied by the relevant fee. For individual bookings, a non refundable deposit of 50% of the course cost should be received with all applications. For group bookings, the deposit and the balance payments are set out in the accompanying Agent Agreement. An acknowledgment letter will be sent out on receipt of deposit/full payment. After we have issued a confirmation invoice and received your deposit payment, a contract exists between you and us, effective from the date printed on the invoice.
We reserve the right to request additional information depending on the medical information supplied to us by you. Payment in full MUST be received prior to the attendance of any course, and must be received at least 6 weeks before the start date. If you book your course within six weeks of departure, you must pay the full cost at the time of the booking. . If you fail to pay any remaining amount owed by the date it is due, we are entitled to cancel your booking and the cancellation charges set out in Clause 5 below will apply. Please note that a £30.00 cash deposit will be required on check-in. This will be returned to the participant on departure provided that they have not caused any malicious damage to College property or behaved in a way which contravenes the College rules (cf. Clause 11 Behaviour). Where applicable airport transfers will be charged to you at the rates published on our website, in our brochures, or in the Agent Agreement. We require your child's flight details at least four weeks before the start of the course. In the absence of such details, we cannot confirm the airport transfers. If we do not receive these details at least 4 weeks before the start of any course, we may have to increase the airport transfer charge. These prices do NOT include any charges made by airlines for unaccompanied minors which should be paid locally when the flights are booked.

2 Pricing and Accuracy

We endeavour to ensure that all the information and prices are accurate both on our website and in our brochures, however occasionally minor errors occur and we reserve the right to correct prices in such circumstances. All courses, activities, venues and travel arrangements are subject to change according to weather, programming and a satisfactory level of numbers. We reserve the right to cancel any courses and/or to change any information given, should this be necessary for any reason.

3 Your Contract with Us

A binding contract between you and us comes into existence when we send out your booking confirmation invoice. We reserve the right to make changes to the details contained in any brochure or on our website before a contract is entered into. Any such changes will be communicated to you before a binding contract is concluded.

4 Changes by You

If you wish to change any part of your booking arrangements after our booking confirmation has been issued, you must inform us in writing as soon as possible. This should be done by the person who made the booking. Whilst we will do our best to assist, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your requested change. Where we can meet a request, all changes will be subject to any applicable rate changes or extra costs incurred.

5 Cancellation by You

If you or any other member of your party decides to cancel your confirmed booking you must notify us in writing. Your notice of cancellation will only take effect on the day it is received in writing by us at our offices. We recommend that you use recorded delivery. Cancellation charges will be applied as shown below calculated from the day when written notice is received by us.

Period before departure Cancellation charge
More than six weeks Forfeit of deposit
Within six weeks 75% of total invoice cost
Within two weeks 100% of total invoice cost

We recommend that you take out appropriate travel insurance to cover such charges as you may be able to claim back the cancellation fees if the cancellation is covered by a suitable insurance policy. See Clause 16.

6 Changes and/or Cancellation by Us

It is unlikely that we will have to make changes to your booking arrangements but occasionally, as we make the arrangements for your bookings many months ahead, we may have to make changes both before and after bookings have been confirmed and/or cancel confirmed bookings. Whilst we always endeavour to avoid changes and cancellations, we reserve the right to do so at any time. If a significant change or cancellation of your booking becomes necessary, we will inform you as soon as is reasonably possible before departure. All other changes are treated as minor in which case we shall have absolute discretion as to whether you are notified. If we have to make a significant change or cancel your booking, and provided that there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you three options:
a) Accepting the alternative course arrangements as offered to you
b) Transferring to an alternative course (please note that the price may differ from your original booking) and
c) Cancelling your booking (together with a refund of any booking fee paid)
You must notify us of your choice within 7 days of our offer of the alternative booking arrangements. If you fail to do so we will assume that you have chosen to accept the alternative booking arrangements. The above options are not available where any change is a minor one or where the changes or cancellation by us arises out of alterations to the confirmed booking requested by you. In addition, if we make a significant change or cancel your booking within 8 weeks before the date of departure we will pay you compensation in accordance with the scale and provisions set out below subject to the following exception: no compensation can be paid and no liability beyond offering you the above options (where applicable) can be accepted where we are forced to make a change or cancellation as a result of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised. Such circumstances may include, but are not limited to those listed under "force majeure" at clause 8 below.

Period before departure within which a significant compensation per person per booking change or cancellation is notified to you:

More than six weeks Nil
Between six and two weeks £10
Less than two weeks £20

The above sets out the maximum extent of our liability under this clause and we regret we cannot meet any expenses or losses you may incur as a result of inconvenience suffered. Please note: where accommodation with a higher price than the original accommodation is offered by us and accepted by you, the difference in price will be deducted from any compensation payable.

7 Force Majeure

We cannot accept liability or pay compensation where the performance of our contractual obligations to you is prevented by or affected by "force majeure". In these Booking Conditions "force majeure" means any event which we or the supplier(s) of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events are likely to include but are not limited to cancellation of a special event by the organisers, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural, nuclear, chemical or biological disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions, and all similar events outside our control.

8 Our Obligations to You

(a) Subject to Clauses 8 (b) and (c) below, we accept responsibility for ensuring that your course arrangements, which you book with us, are supplied as described on our website or in our brochures. If, after departure, any part of your course arrangements are not provided as promised, due to the fault of our employees, agents or suppliers, we will pay you appropriate compensation, if this has affected the enjoyment of your arrangements. However, our liability in all cases shall be limited to a maximum of twice the value of the element not supplied. The level of such compensation will take into account all relevant factors including the invoice price of the course, any steps it was reasonable for the participant to take to minimise the inconvenience/damage suffered and the extent to which the deficiency or improper performance can have affected the participant's enjoyment of the course.

(b) Please note that we will not be liable for any injury, illness, or death or consequent losses suffered by you or any member of your party, unless you are able to prove that such injury or illness was caused by lack of reasonable care and skill on the part of ourselves or our suppliers in the performance of our obligations under our contract with you. It is a condition of the payment of compensation that you notify us of any complaint or claim strictly in accordance with Clause 9 and, further, assign to us any rights that you may have against any third party in connection with your claim. You must co-operate with us and our insurers in this regard. If you suffer a personal injury, death or serious difficulties as the result of an activity which does not form part of the course you booked with us - including for example any additional services or facilities provided to you by a supplier which was not included as part of the original contract between us - we will not be liable to pay you any compensation but will offer you such advice and guidance as is reasonable in all the circumstances provided we are advised of the incident within 90 days of the occurrence. We will not be responsible where you do not enjoy the course or suffer any other problems because of a reason which you did not make us aware of when the course was booked.

(c) And in all claims of whatever nature we will not be liable where the alleged loss or damage results from any of the following:
i. the fault of the person(s) affected or any members(s) of their party or
ii. the fault of a third party not connected with the provision of your holiday which we could not have predicted or avoided or
iii. an event or circumstances which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not have predicted or avoided even after taking all reasonable care or
iv. the fault of anyone who was not carrying out work for us (generally or in particular) at the time.
Important notice in respect of limits on liability
In respect of international travel by air, sea and rail, the extent of our liability will in all cases be limited as if we were carriers under the appropriate Conventions, which include The Warsaw/Montreal Convention (international travel by air); The Athens Convention (with respect to sea travel); The Berne/Cotif Convention (with respect to rail travel) and The Paris Convention (with respect to accommodation arrangements). You can ask for copies of these Conventions from our offices, please contact us. In addition, you agree that the operating carrier or transport company's own 'Conditions of Carriage' will apply to you on that journey. When arranging transportation for you, we rely on the terms and conditions contained within these international conventions and those 'Conditions of Carriage'. You acknowledge that all of the terms and conditions contained in those 'Conditions of Carriage' form part of your contract with us, as well as with the transport company and that those 'Conditions of Carriage' shall be deemed to be included by reference into this contract.

Where we are found liable for loss of and/or damage to any luggage or personal possessions (including money), the maximum amount we will have to pay you and your party is £25 per person in total. We strongly recommend that you and your party take out adequate insurance for your particular needs whilst on your course and for the purpose of these Booking Conditions you and your party are assumed to have done so.

9 Complaints

If a problem occurs whilst you are on the course, you must inform us or the relevant supplier immediately so that the matter can be put right and we are given the opportunity to help. In the event that a complaint cannot be resolved at the time, you must write to us within 28 days of return from the course quoting the original booking reference and giving all relevant information. PLEASE NOTE: - Failure to take these steps will hinder our ability to resolve the problem and/or investigate it fully and in consequence, your rights under the contract may be affected. We regret we cannot accept liability for any claims which are not notified to ourselves and/or our suppliers strictly in accordance with this clause.

10 Cutting Your Course short (Curtailment)

If you are forced to return home early, we cannot refund the cost of any services you have not used, but you may be covered by your travel insurance. If you cut short your course and return home early in circumstances where you have no reasonable cause for complaint about the standard of accommodation and services provided, we will not offer you any refund for that part of your course not completed, or assist with any associated costs you may incur. Depending on the circumstances, your travel insurance may offer cover for curtailment and we suggest that any claim is made directly with them.

11 Behaviour

We treat as a priority the safety and wellbeing of all children attending our courses. We therefore reserve the right to remove from our courses without refund, any child who is found bullying, behaving in a way that may be a danger to others or who is generally disruptive.

All participants are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly and acceptable manner and not to disrupt the enjoyment of others. If in our opinion or in the opinion of any other person in authority, a participant is causing or is likely to cause distress, danger or annoyance to any other participants or any third party or damage to property, we reserve the right to retain their damage deposit and/or to terminate their booking arrangements with us immediately. In the event of such termination our liability to you and/or your party will cease and you and/or your party will be required to leave your accommodation or other service immediately. We will have no further obligations to you and/or your party. The cost of any damage caused by you or any participant you have booked on the course to any property or facilities will be passed on to you.

12 Special Requests and Pocket Money

Any special requests must be advised to us at the time of booking e.g. diet, room type and location, a particular facility etc. You should then confirm your requests in writing. Whilst every effort will be made by us to try and arrange your reasonable special requests, we cannot guarantee that they will be fulfilled. Any failure to meet special requests will not be a breach of contract on our part. We regret that we cannot accept any conditional bookings (i.e. any booking which is specified to be conditional on the fulfilment of a particular request).

We are happy to store participants' pocket money in the safe at Clifton College. However, please note that if you choose to leave your money in the safe you do so entirely at your own risk. We cannot accept any liability for any loss.

13 Building and Development Work

From time to time general refurbishment at Clifton College is necessary to maintain standards. We will notify you of any building/refurbishment works which may reasonably be considered to seriously impair the enjoyment of your stay which we are informed about as soon as possible. Please note public services and facilities may also be affected by maintenance, bad weather and so on, all of which are beyond our control.

14 Medical Problems

If any participant has any medical problem or disability which may affect your stay, please provide us with full details before you confirm your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of your chosen arrangements. In the event that a participant needs medical attention during any course, they will be treated by a qualified emergency first aider and/or taken to a local doctor or hospital. Please note that we cannot administer medicines of any kind to participants without specific written instructions from their parents.

15 Passports and Visas

It is your responsibility to be in possession of a valid passport and any necessary visas or health documents. You should contact your Embassy for information and advice on passport and visa requirements. Clifton College can issue a visa support letter to you and/or any member of your party upon request in writing, but only in the case of confirmed applications. We cannot accept liability or consider refunds for participants who cannot travel because of incomplete or incorrect documentation. Requirements can change and it is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with applicable passport, visa and health requirements and take all necessary documents in order to gain access to the country. If you fail to do so, you will be solely responsible for any cost, loss or damage which you, or we, incur as a result of your failure.

16 Travel Insurance

It is a condition of your contract with us that you have insurance cover for the duration of your course, and that it is adequate for your needs and the type of activities you will be undertaking as part of your course. We take out insurance for all individual students and this is included in their course fees (click here for full details) but all groups must arrange their own insurance. In this case, we reserve the right to request written details (insurer's name, policy number and emergency contact number) of your policy. Please note that we do not check insurance policies for suitability. You are responsible for indemnifying us in full in the event that we incur any losses or expenses arising out of your failure to take out adequate insurance cover.

17 Data Protection

In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements we need to collect certain personal details from you. These may include, where applicable, names and addresses, credit/debit card or other payment details and special requirements such as those relating to any disability or medical condition which may affect the chosen holiday arrangements and any dietary restrictions which may disclose your religious beliefs. If we need any other personal details, we will tell you before we obtain them from you. We must pass on your personal details to the companies and organizations who need to know them so that your holiday can be provided. For all courses, these companies are Clifton College Services Limited and International House Bristol. The information may also be provided to security or credit checking companies, public authorities such as customs/immigration if required by them, or as required by law.
Your information will be used to administer and provide products and services you request, to carry out market research so that we can improve the products and services we offer and to create an individual profile for you so that we can understand and respect your preferences.
In the case that an official photographer or film-maker visits the College for marketing purposes, participants will be informed in advance and given the choice to be present or not in any of the shooting.
We are entitled to assume you do not object to our doing any of the things mentioned above unless you tell us otherwise in writing. You are generally entitled to ask us what details of yours are being held or processed, for what purpose and to whom they may be or have been disclosed. We will charge a fee to respond to such a request. In limited circumstances we are entitled to refuse your request. Except where expressly permitted by the Data Protection Act 1998, we will only deal with the personal details you give us as set out above unless you agree otherwise. In the case that an official photographer or film-maker visits the College for marketing purposes, participants will be informed in advance and given the choice to be present or not in any of the shooting.

18 Jurisdiction

If there is any conflict between these terms and conditions and the Agent Agreement, these terms and conditions will prevail. These Booking Conditions and any contract to which they apply are governed in all respects by English law. Any dispute, claim or other matter which arises out of or in connection with your contract or booking will be dealt with by the Courts of England and Wales.