The world is your classroom
Students learn faster and more successfully on our young learner courses, because they are inspired, engaged and have opportunities to learn everywhere.
The route to a rewarding future
We live in an ever-changing world and it is critical that young learners develop essential language and life skills to prepare for their learning, life and work in the future.
Be an explorer
Our young learner courses at Bell bring English language learning to life for students from ages 11 – 17 years. We will encourage them to aim high, exceed their goals and become confident and capable individuals.
Building confidence to communicate in an additional language takes guided support and practice, practice, practice.
That is why we take a different approach to your child’s learning. We create opportunities for your child to learn everywhere – a core principal of The Bell Way – through a fully-integrated learning experience based around a theme.
Each week, students work collaboratively to achieve a shared project based on this theme. This project-based approach allows your child to learn inside and outside the classroom, which develops breadth in language use, vocabulary, and encourages fluency.
Of course, it also helps students to discover new interests, hobbies and personal strengths, which is a great bonus!
On all our young learner programmes, we place caps on class sizes to allow us to focus on developing your child as an individual.
Make lasting friendships
Meet Mariana, Lena, Vitoria, Lisa, Francisca, and Teresa – six students from Italy and Portugal whose friendship flourished at Bell, proving that language and borders are no barriers to lasting connections.
Outstanding student care and support
Creating a supportive and friendly home-away-from-home experience with excellent student welfare.
A supportive and welcoming community
Our approach is simple. We create a strong support system around your child, so that they can safely and confidently grow as individual and independent learners.
Our Bell community – of fellow students, staff and teachers – are here to support your child’s well-being throughout their time at Bell (and beyond).
Safe and secure schools
Your child will have a dedicated support team looking after them on our secure residential location, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We take great pride in our student:staff ratio of 6:1 for students aged 11-17 years (5:1 for juniors aged 7-10). Anyone working on a Bell young learner course must pass safeguarding checks including ISA Children’s Barred List clearance, a criminal record check and supply full references covering the last five years.
Staff also complete a course in child protection and every centre has a number of staff who hold the Advanced Safeguarding Certificate.
Boys and girls have separate accommodation on site with their own secure storage for valuables. Students are required to give pocket money and all medication to the centre manager for safekeeping, and this will be carefully managed and distributed by staff members throughout your child’s stay.
The maximum age of our Young Learner centres is 17. However, occasionally in a school group that joins us, there may be a small number of 18 year old students as they are in the same year as the rest of their group.
House meetings
Our houseparents are responsible for caring for the welfare of students outside of the classroom. Your child will have daily house meetings throughout their course to discuss what they have achieved and share any concerns.
We have questionnaires, a suggestions box and a student council – and we act on requests right away.
Each evening, children have access to WiFi and computers so they can contact friends and family. We also have a 24-hour emergency helpline if you have any urgent concerns.
Nutritious meals
Your child will be offered a choice of nutritious food at each mealtime: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Snacks are available during break times and at each evening house meeting. Packed lunches are provided on all study tours.
If your child has a dietary requirement, please let us know.
Medical support
If your child is unwell, they will be cared for by our on-site team. All staff have first aid knowledge and designated first aiders have additional training.
Bell has agreements with local health providers and a member of Bell staff will always accompany a student should they need to visit a doctor or dentist.
Inclusive learning
We will always endeavour to accommodate students with additional learning needs.
We will work with you before your child arrives in order to tailor the programme to meet the needs of your child, so they have care and support they need to thrive while studying at Bell.
Meet our Head of Young Learners, Sam
‘We live in an ever-changing world and it is critical that young learners develop essential language and life skills to prepare for their learning, life, and work in the future. Our Young Learner programmes at Bell bring English language learning to life. We encourage our students to aim high, exceed their goals and become confident and capable individuals. Building confidence to communicate in an additional language takes guided support and practice, practice, practice. That’s why we focus on developing core English language skills through project-based learning activities and interactive learning – an effective way to learn language quickly and successfully. With expertly designed lessons, activities, and study tours, students will be inspired to reach their full potential. They will take on new challenges, surpass their expectations and experience what life could be like at an elite boarding school or university, kickstarting their road to academic success.’
Sam Scaife, Head of Young Learners
Young learner courses
Our courses support people at any age, language level and goal. With courses available throughout the year, we are confident we can support you to achieve success.
Autumn Explorer
1 - 3 weeks
13 October - 19 October 2024
20 October - 26 October 2024
27 October - 2 November 2024
Summer Explorer
Up to 9 weeks
Bell RMS:
13 July - 9 August 2025
Bell Badminton School:
6 July - 16 August 2025
Bell Tudor Hall:
9 July - 5 August 2025
Bell The Leys:
2 July - 12 August 2025
Bell St Albans:
15 June - 16 August 2025 (weekly enrolment)
Why study with Bell?
Here are just a few reasons why we think Bell is the right school for you.
- Track record of success
We are proud to be recognised as the top 2% of UK language schools for young learner courses, based on our latest British Council inspection in 2019. This is a testament to the high-quality student experience we provide, including strengths in:
- Teaching
- Course design
- Learning resources
- Care of students
- Care of under 18s
- Premises and facilities
- Accommodation
- Leisure opportunities
- Academic staff profile
- All-inclusive courses
Our courses are fully-inclusive, including everything students need to thrive during their time at Bell. This means you can feel confident and assured that everything is taken care of before your child arrives in the UK. All our courses include:
- Tuition, study materials and course portfolio
- Residential accommodation and all meals
- A full programme of educational and social activities
- A full programme of study tours
- Transfers to and from airports/stations (designated airports/stations and times)
- Comprehensive supervision by qualified staff
- Comprehensive insurance
- Free internet access
- Free laundry service