General Main English Course

Westbourne Academy

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Course description

GENERAL ENGLISH

LOCATION
Bournemouth and London (closed groups only)

DURATION
2-48 weeks

HOURS PER WEEK
Bournemouth – 13 hours and 20 minutes

CLASS SIZE
Bournemouth – Maximum 15, Average 12

MINIMUM AGE
Bournemouth 16

COURSE INFORMATION
General English (this includes the four main language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing).

Course topics

Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation, Reading, Writing, Vocabulary, Grammar and Activities

Class schedule

Course duration
1-52 weeks
Start dates
Every Monday (except for beginners)
Classes per week
20 lessons per week (each lesson lasts 40 min)
Class days
Monday - Friday
School holidays
13 Dec 2024 and 14 Dec 2024 - 03 Jan 2025

Westbourne Academy does not hold classes on the holiday dates above. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.

Class times

You can choose from the following class times:

Other session
09:30 AM - 04:30 PM

Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.

Class level

Elementary
Pre-intermediate
Intermediate
High intermediate
Advanced
You will take a placement test on your first day to determine your class level.

Class size

Average 10 students
Maximum 15 students

Student age

Age range 16 - 80 years old
Average 24 years old
(18 in the summer)

Certificate

A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course.
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school
photos

Photos

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  • Students of Westbourne Academy 7/33
  • Homestay housing offered by Westbourne Academy 8/33
  • Classroom at Westbourne Academy 9/33
  • City of Bournemouth 10/33
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  • Oxford 12/33
  • Teachers and Staff at Westbourne Academy 13/33
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  • Classroom at Westbourne Academy 16/33
  • Homestay housing offered by Westbourne Academy 17/33
  • Homestay housing offered by Westbourne Academy 18/33
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  • Computer room at Westbourne Academy 20/33
  • Classroom at Westbourne Academy 21/33
  • Building of Westbourne Academy 22/33
  • Homestay housing offered by Westbourne Academy 23/33
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reviews

Reviews

100% recommend

based on 8 reviews
5 stars
6
4 stars
2
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing

"This course is very specifically tailored to the student and you can learn a lot."

Marie Heylmann, student from Germany

The teachers are very friendly and explain things very clearly. All subject areas are covered, such as grammar, vocabulary, speaking and text production, as well as listening and reading comprehension. You also receive personal feedback on all texts you have written. The language school is a bit out of town, but it is easy to get to by bus. There were activities on offer to suit all tastes.
I would definitely take a course at this school again!!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
School location
Date of study
29 Jul 2024 - 2 Aug 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Mark Halls, PRINCIPAL at Westbourne Academy responded to this review.
08 August 2024

Thank you very much for your comments and we are pleased you enjoyed your stay and hope to see you next year.

"Wonderful experience"

Kay Scarsella, student from Italy

Perfect organisation with language international. Westbourne academy was the right choice and I enjoyed very much this experience and improved my language skills.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
8 Aug 2022 - 26 Aug 2022
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
MARK UDEN-HALLS, PRINCIPAL at Westbourne Academy responded to this review.
04 September 2023

We are very pleased you enjoyed your stay so much and hope to see you again.

"The teachers are very close to the students and listening."

Donatien Ribot, student from France

I enjoyed the class because we were less than 15 students per class and we had different teachers during the day.

I like that we can talk with many other students from different countries. We always practiced spelling and grammar that a good point. We could also talk to each other and the teacher was all the time present to correct us.

The school is easy to get because there is a bus stop just five minutes by foot. The advantage of Bournemouth city is the beach which is one of the most beautiful in England.

My host family was very kind with me and if something went wrong she could solve the problem.
About the activities I'd rather to have more choice.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
12 Aug 2019 - 30 Aug 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
MARK UDEN-HALLS, PRINCIPAL at Westbourne Academy responded to this review.
18 May 2021

Thank you for your feedback and it is very important that students have a good relationship with the teachers.

"My stay at the Westbourne Academy was an absolutely breathtaking adventure with new experiences and a lot of positive moments."

Lennart Grumann

In general the Westbourne Academy is qualified and very progressive in all the necessary aspects of a language school. Small classes at the Academy provide a remarkable success in education and allow students to develop better language knowledge in small teams. Furthermore, all teachers are natives and this fact shows the qualities of a very experienced school compared to others in Bournemouth. Especially with the activities with students from all over the world, an outstanding community feeling is created. During my time at Westbourne academy all the students had a lot of fun and enjoyed they accommodation. All the facilities are always clean and easy to use. With the location being very near to cheap supermarkets, cafes and restaurants it allows students to get a wide range of products. Another strength of the academy is that it is a very short walk of only ten minutes to the lovely beach of Bournemouth.

All in all i would highly recommend Westbourne Academy to friends and family members in Germany, because i'm sure that they are able to get an outstanding experience abroad studying there.

With kind regards
Lennart

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
24 Jun 2019 - 18 Jul 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
Mark Halls, PRINCIPAL at Westbourne Academy responded to this review.
04 September 2023

Thank you for your valuable comments and hope to see you again soon in Bournemouth.

"I didn't want to leave!"

Katrin Steger

Where shall I start? Well, at the beginning:

Even though I had already been to England before, I felt a bit lost when I arrived at Heathrow Airport with all the people rushing past. However, this feeling vanished quickly when I arrived at my homestay family. I was welcomed with a warm smile, a cup of tea and a chat including many funny anecdotes. While they gave me the opportunity to become member of the family as far as I wanted to become one, they also always granted me my privacy.

After such a wonderful start, I went to school with quite high expectations and at the end of the day, I am glad to say that they weren't belied. All the teachers were very friendly, enthusiastic and always ready to give some advice. With the typical pinch of British humour and this big-family-atmosphere, the lessons didn't feel like school at all. Only the afternoon lessons could become a bit tiring since everybody was looking forward to the beach rather than spending a sunny day indoors with English Grammar.

Since the school is located in Westbourne and thus close to Bournemouth, it only takes about 15 minutes to get to the town centre and enjoy a nice afternoon with your friends and classmates. Of course, there was also the opportunity to take part in the school's social activities such as film evenings, bowling, laserquest or quiz evenings. And of course those who took their studies very seriously or wanted to take an exam weren't disappointed. Apart from discussion evenings, the school provided a listening centre for everyone to use.

All in all, I can only say that my time at Westbourne Academy was a wonderful experience and I learned a lot, not only regarding English but also life in general.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
3 Sep 2018 - 28 Sep 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
mark halls, head of school at Westbourne Academy responded to this review.
22 July 2019

Thank you for your positive feedback. We hope that you continue to use your English in the future.

"Family-like atmosphere and very good language courses"

Lena W-H

When I came into the school on my first day, I was warmly welcomed to the school and I felt very comfortable. Finding friends was not very hard as the school offers a great variety of social activities after school. WA has got a nice mix of nationalities and breaks were always a lot of fun. There are also conversation clubs during lunch break, where teachers talk about English traditions and the area around the school for example. In addition, the school also offers excursions on weekends which I really enjoyed. I spent time with friends and learned something about British culture and cities at the same time. I really recommend going to Brighton, Bath & Stonehenge and Cardiff.

Westbourne Academy's location is very near to the beach and the city centre which is quite convenient if you want to go shopping or to enjoy the beach after school. The city centre offers a wide range of shops - there is nothing missing.

The school's facilities are big - each classroom has its own Interactive Whiteboard. The staff is very lovely and they treat each of the students as an individual. They always smile and make you feel even more comfortable during your studies.

I attended the preparation course for CAE and after the course I felt very well prepared and ready to pass the exam with success. The teachers always found a balance between speaking, written and grammar practise and used very modern teaching methods. My class was lovely and I believe I will stay in contact with them for a long time.

My host family was very lovely and supported me. They are like a second family to me.

I strongly recommend Westbourne Academy and I definitely would go there again.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
17 weeks
Date of study
5 Mar 2018 - 7 Jul 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
Mark Halls, PRINCIPAL at Westbourne Academy responded to this review.
04 September 2023

It is great that you made the most of your stay in Bournemouth and at the school.

"It is the best opportunity to improve your language skills in this lovely school."

Martin Urbach

I enjoyed every day in the Westbourne Academy because all the students and teachers are very kind and helpful. You meet a lot of new people and becoming friends together. I like that you are in a small class with a teacher who help you by every question and it makes a lot of fun to practice the English skills. The location of the school is very well and close to the city centre or shops and you have no problem to take the bus or walking. I am very happy about my housing and would go to the same housing if I would come back again. The school offers a good range of activities for example sport, discussion and discovery trips. Also the office and the reception are very lovely. In my opinion is the Westbourne Academy the best place to improve your language school and to make friends quickly.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
3 Apr 2018 - 27 Apr 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
Mark Halls, PRINCIPAL at Westbourne Academy responded to this review.
11 September 2024

Thank you very much for your feedback and we hope that you can benefit from your English in the future.

"Simply amazing"

Janine Di Nicola

The classes were always well structured and the teachers show that they love what they do. The school is quite small and therefore, it is so very easy to connect with people because everyone knows everyone. In WA, the students are not just numbers. I always felt welcome and loved being there. The staff is helpful and friendly and they think about how they could improve our stay every minute of the day.

The school building was once a hotel and despite its slightly old-fashioned looks, there is nothing missing. Every classroom has an interactive whiteboard, the school café is run by a lovely woman who is always smiling and there is enough space inside as well as outside to eat and chat during the breaks.

Every weekend, the school proposes an excursion to different places. I went to Bath, Oxford, Salisbury, the Jurassic Coast, and Stonehenge. During the week, there are different activities as well you can take part: beach volleyball, football (soccer), there are films in the afternoon sometimes or barbecues. In the Square, students meet up for conversation sessions in cafés and bars in the afternoons and for the older students, it's always a lot of fun to go to the Brasshouse together. The beach is beautiful as well.

My host family was the best. Normally, each family takes between 1 and 3 students, but where I was, we were up to 10 students and I just loved it. There was always someone around to talk to and it really felt like being one big family. We ate together every evening and the cooking was delicious. I did gain some weight, though. My host family did everything for us and I love them like they were my grand-parents.

I loved being in Bournemouth and at the Westbourne Academy especially, because I really felt at home and the people were just amazing. I made friends from all over the world and I improved my English so much.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
11 weeks
Date of study
4 Jun 2017 - 26 Aug 2017
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
mark halls, head of school at Westbourne Academy responded to this review.
22 July 2019

Thank you for your thoughtful feedback. We are so pleased that you really made the most of your stay.

housing

Housing

Westbourne Academy offers the following housing types:
homestay

Homestay - Single-person room 16+ - Breakfast and dinner on weekdays, 3 meals on weekends

252 €
weekly
Age range: 16 - 80 years old
Location: Outside the city center of Bournemouth
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast and dinner on weekdays, 3 meals on weekends (16 meals per week)
Facilities: Laundry, wireless internet, free internet, carpet, and heating
Distance to school: 5 - 25 minutes by bus
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Saturday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
252 €
Westbourne Academy can arrange accommodation for students who take courses at the school. Most students choose homestay accommodation because it is an important part of the experience and involves living as a member of the home. Students are treated as a full member of the household, eating together and sharing the common living areas. It gives them the opportunity to practise their English and benefit from an English home atmosphere. Please note that we do not place more than four students in the same homestay.

Some students prefer ‘Private Home Accommodation’. There may be less of a family environment in these homes as there can be more than 4 students accommodated at once. Students will still experience eating together with the hosts and sharing the common living areas. If you are not happy to be placed in ‘Private Home Accommodation’ please let us know at the time of booking.

Living with local people is the best way to get extra language practice and it also helps you to understand English culture and customs.

The safety and security of all our students is a priority. In the case of problems, there are several full-time welfare officers available to give advice and help. The school also operates a 24-hour emergency telephone service for students.

•All homestays/Private Home Accommodation are carefully selected by the Academy’s accommodation department
•All homestays/Private Home Accommodation are regularly inspected by our Accommodation Officer
•All bookings are part board which includes bed, breakfast and evening meals. A snack lunch is provided on weekends
•Bedrooms will have a mirror, wardrobe and drawer space for clothes together with a desk, chair and lamp for students to have a place to study
•Bedrooms are cleaned weekly at no extra charge
•Clean bed linen is provided and fitted weekly at no extra charge
•One load of clothes washing per week is included at no extra charge. Additional loads of washing may be arranged at a cost of £5.00 per wash. Alternatively, there is a laundry room at Westbourne Academy for student use at a cost of £5.00 per wash
•All students receive a front door key. Students under the age of 18 receive a key to lock the door and unlock the door when they leave / enter. The key will be kept in an agreed place in the home whilst they are in
•Only nationals of an EU country will have access to free medical treatment. We recommend all of our students to make sure they have medical insurance before they depart for the UK. We recommend all students register with their homestay provider’s doctor.
•Special diets can be arranged with advanced notice. This is offered at an extra cost. Please contact the Academy for further details.
•Students aged 16 and 17 years old are required to return home by 10.30PM Monday – Thursday and 11.30PM on Friday and Saturday (as of 01.01.2018).
visa

Visa support

We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.

If you are studying in the UK for over 11 months, you will receive a reference number called a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) that you need to submit to the UK embassy along with your General Student Visa application. Students who have successfully booked a language course and have paid their fees will receive a CAS from . Please note that UK law states that a CAS can only be issued to students who intend to pursue English language studies for over 11 months.

If you are studying in the UK for 11 months or less, you have to apply for a special visitor visa called a Student Visitor Visa. As a student visitor, you will not be able to work part-time while studying. If you plan to study in the UK for 11 months or less, a letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you. If you wish to receive your paperwork by express mail, you will be charged £ 120 when you register.

Learn more about how to get a UK visa »

Flights and airport transfer

Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Bournemouth based on your budget, schedule and preferences.

Travel insurance

Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.

Learn more about our insurance plan »

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Questions and answers

Have questions? Get answers from Westbourne Academy staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

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