English course London | English courses London with Kingstreet

Key Points

General Information

Start any Monday. Students can start a course on any Monday throughout the year (except over the Christmas period).

Course length. Students can book a course for the exact number of weeks they want. The minimum length is one week and the maximum is forty weeks (52 weeks including holiday). If the course fee for the number of weeks you require (for example, 32 weeks) is not listed please contact the school.

Class timetables. Full-time classes are Monday to Friday from

8:30am-11:30am and/or
11:50am-2:50pm and/or
3:00pm-6:00pm

View a more detailed timetable.

Class size. The maximum number of students in each class (depending on the size of the class room) is 20. The average number of students per class is, however, 16. Small group options (conversation classes) have a strict maximum of 7 students.

Study materials. Students are required to buy one course book per term for their level. The books are on sale in the offices and cost appriximately £20.00. We regret that we cannot make photocopies of course books.

Choosing your timetable. Students who want to study full-time (15 hours per week) can choose which time they would prefer to study. Students who want to study 20, 25 or 30 hours per week will normally start at 8:30am. Part-time courses are also available in the evening.

Terms. Students work to complete one level of English each term using appropriate, up-to-date coursebooks. A term is approximately 13 weeks. Our terms are:

Winter: 4th January - 26th March
Spring: 29th March- 25th June
Summer: 28th June - 17th September
Autumn: 20th September - 17th December

End of term tests in 2010.

Winter term: 15th - 19th March
Spring term: 14th - 18th June
Summer term: 6th - 10th September
Autumn term: 6th - 10th December

Holidays. The school closes for 2 weeks at Christmas. During this time there are no lessons but the school offices are open for enquiries and bookings.

The school is also closed on the following public holidays in 2009:

January: 1st
April: 2nd, 5th
May: 3rd, 31st
August: 30th

Courses of 12 weeks or more have a holiday allocation. This means you can stop your course, take a break, visit your family, without missing lessons:

Weeks of study (paid for)	Authorised Holiday
1 to 11 weeks course	no holiday
12 to 21 weeks course	2 weeks holiday (including 2 weeks Christmas holiday)
22 to 31 weeks course	4 weeks holiday (including 2 weeks Christmas holiday)
32 to 41 weeks course	6 weeks holiday (including 2 weeks Christmas holiday)
42 weeks and longer course	8 weeks holiday (including 2 weeks Christmas holiday)

Academic Information

Director of Studies. We have a Director of Studies who has overall responsibility for the academic welfare of our students. She sets the syllabus, observes the classes regularly and is responsible for teaching standards. She is also responsible for our students' academic welfare: if a student has any problems related to their study they can speak to the Director of Studies.

Our teachers. Our teachers are RSA CELTA or DELTA qualified and experienced. All receive further in-service training. Most of the teachers have lived and worked in other countries and speak other languages. Each class has one teacher who stays with them all term.

Method. The classes focus on communication skills and vocabulary. They are practical and fun, but also hard work. We expect all long term students to prepare for - and pass! - the appropriate Cambridge exams.

We use a very practical method of EFL teaching: if we believe a technique works we use it. We use standard, up-to-date course books, grammar exercises, tapes and videos. We use dictations, pronunciation drills and memory games. We focus on communication skills: speaking and listening. A lot of time is spent improving students' use of vocabulary, idioms and phrasal verbs.

We find that although many students have learnt grammar at school, they have obtrusive accents, cannot understand natural English speech and haven't got enough vocabulary to express themselves easily. It is therefore our priority to help students communicate in English as quickly as possible while ensuring they have a solid understanding of English structures.

English only. All classes are conducted solely in English. Speaking other languages and using bi-lingual dictionaries in the classroom is strongly discouraged.

Level system. We have 7 levels of English course from beginner to proficiency. Students have a grammar assessment and a short interview with the Director of Studies before they start their course.

Homework. Homework is given every day and there are written progress tests in the middle and at the end of each term. Students who make exceptional progress can move to the next level before the end of the term.

Exam preparation. Cambridge exam preparation classes also spend time each week working on practice tests, grammar and writing skills. There is no extra fee for studying in an exam preparation class.

Diploma. Students receive a King Street College Diploma at the end of their course stating their level of attainment according to the Council of Europe's level system.

Please remember: Non-EU students must study FULL-TIME during the day to qualify for a Student Visa.