Downe House Summer School

The Downe House Summer School operates for two weeks from Saturday 11 July to Saturday 25 July 2026.

The fully inclusive price for two weeks is £4,800; the special early booking price is £4,500 (book before 15 January 2026).

One week only and non-boarding packages (day attendance only) are also on offer – please enquire for more information.

Included in the price:

Expert tuition: English language & academic sessions

Sports, activities & varied evening programme

Excursions and Experiences: sightseeing in London; Thorpe Park theme park (including entrance fee); British Army workshop; shopping; visit to Oxford University for symposium on Global Solutions

Accommodation on campus (maximum 4 students per bedroom – some rooms for 2 available at additional cost)

Access to on-site facilities including 25m swimming pool, sports centre and our state-of-the-art Murray Centre (with library)

All food, some snacks and a traditional British High Tea

Sports equipment, bedding & laundry service

Welcome pack including Student Handbook, T-shirt, lanyard and some goodies

Formal induction and graduation events including prizegiving and certificates

Transfers to and from Heathrow Airport (on designated arrival & departure dates only) – additional fee for other London airport transfers

Medical on-call facility & 24/7 pastoral care and support

A £500 non-refundable deposit is required at the time of booking to secure a place. Cancellation – Please contact us immediately if you need to cancel your booking . If you cancel before the Saturday, 11 July, 2026, a sliding cancellation policy will be in operation as follows: More than 60 days notice = Loss of deposit only 60-45 days before departure = 75% cancellation fee 44-20 days before departure = 90% cancellation fee 19-1 day before departure = 100% cancellation fee If you cancel before Saturday, 11 July, 2026, some or the full fee will be forfeited, as outlined above. Cancellation claims must be supported by documentary evidence. Where the reason for cancellation is due to a visa refusal, please see Student Visas, as separate conditions apply. Please note, bookings are non-transferable. Any unused portion of the course fee is non-refundable. If cancellation occurs the £500 deposit is non-refundable, however, we can consider rolling this over to the following year in certain circumstances.

We have a dedicated Summer School Director who overseas the operation of the summer school, they supervise all the staff and are supported by the heads of section for each area. Both the Academic Director and the Welfare Director report into the Summer School Director. There is also the Head of Activities and the Head of Excursions and Transport who work alongside the Project Manager, the House parents and the rest of the staff. Overnight supervision is provided by our expert team of boarding staff who sleep in the boarding houses with the students.

All staff at Downe House Summer School are already employed by Downe House school so they are very experienced in their various roles.
Downe House staff qualification requirements vary by role, with teaching positions needing relevant degrees and other staff requiring specific certifications and relevant work experience. All staff, regardless of role, are expected to embody the school’s values and benefit from continuous professional development opportunities.

Absolutely, our dedicated Human Resources team carefully conduct background checks on ALL staff and they can only begin work once their enhanced DBS checks have been completed. We also obtain references and follow up any employment gaps.

We carry out a detailed induction plan for all our staff so they are prepared for their roles in the summer school, this includes them attending INSET training sessions, they are also issued with a detailed summer school Staff Handbook, this includes all the information they will need to carry out their duties. All staff are included in our performance review process. We hold regular staff meetings before and during the two week period and undergo formal lesson observations. At the end of the Summer School we complete a full staff evaluation to ensure feedback is captured.

DOWNE HOUSE SUMMER SCHOOL
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
Downe House Summer School (DHSS) encourages all students to respect and to relate to other people regardless of race, gender, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, cultural background, linguistic background, special educational need, disability or academic or sporting ability. Particular regard is paid to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010. The school condemns any form of prejudice in these areas or denial of equal opportunity. Those in a position of responsibility will seek to ensure that all students at DHSS benefit equally from its provision. To this end, DHSS is committed to:

•accepting students onto its courses in a way that makes no discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability or religion.
•the promotion of a culture within the DHSS which actively discourages discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability or religion.
•providing lessons and activities that emphasise positive aspects of, and contributions to, a healthy and tolerant lifestyle regardless of culture or gender.
•an approach to worship which respects the faiths of all members of the community who will, nevertheless, abide by the rules and activities of DHSS.
•providing meals which promote healthy eating and also accommodate the needs of students with specific religious or dietary requirements.
•ensuring that disabled members of the DHSS community are not unreasonably disadvantaged as far as possible, within the constraints of existing buildings and location
•providing a member of staff (DSL) whose special responsibilities include being informed of any instances of discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion or disability and taking appropriate action.

Students are asked to agree to our DH Summer School Code of Conduct before they commence the programme and the safety procedures are highlighted to them during their formal induction talk and also within each of the boarding houses, we also use the noticeboards around the school to highlight this information.

Students are NOT permitted to use their phones during lessons, activities and mealtimes. However, students can use their phones first thing in the morning, at breaktimes, in the evenings and when on excursions. If they need to speak to their parents we allow then to use their phones.
Our Wi-fi network is filtered and monitored.