All posts by David Meddows

Book with confidence

Updated: March 30, 2021

Full refund for any reason until 20th May 2021

There is a vaccine! People in Europe and beyond are already starting to receive the new Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. However, we understand that every person and every family is affected by Covid-19 in a slightly different way. Some people worry most about medical risks. Some people worry most about jobs and the economy. Every person has different emotions about and experiences of the pandemic and that is why More Than English is offering a 100% full money back guarantee for any reason until 20th May 2021.

A full refund for any reason until 20th May 2021

Let’s make it easy

Book with confidence
If you want to make a summer school booking you can book with confidence.

A £300 deposit will secure your booking.

If you decide on or before 20th May 2021 that you want to cancel, More Than English will refund all the money you have paid (deposit or full amount) within 14 days.

Reserve your child’s place with your education agency. Then, by the 20th May you will know more about your business or your job. You will know if it is possible to get a vaccine in your country. By 20th May you will be in a better position to make your final decision about summer school.

Will I get a refund after 20th May 2021?

On or after 21th May 2021 More Than English will still refund all of the money you paid if Covid-19 laws in your country or in England mean that your child cannot travel to the UK to participate in the course you have booked, for example:

  • If your child tests positive for Covid-19
  • If the UK government says that visitors to the UK must quarantine on arrival
  • If your region or your country is in lockdown
  • If the UK or Ludlow is in lockdown

Is Insurance included?

More Than English includes Personal Accident & Travel Insurance for every student. In terms of Covid-19, the policy does provide:

  • Medical: Covid-19 medical insurance (included)
  • Medical: Covid-19 Supplementary Travel and Accommodation Expenses insurance (included)

The policy provides cover for cancellation or curtailment in some situations, but not in relation to Covid-19. Please contact info@morethanenglish.co.uk if you would like to receive a copy of the insurance policy, or if you would like to discuss in detail what the insurance policy covers and does not cover.

A team you can trust

Claire Norwood & David Meddows: owners of More Than English

In 2020 More Than English cancelled summer school because of Covid-19. We gave parents two choices: (1) full refund or (2) postponement. Some parents chose to postpone and their children are already booked for 2021. Some parents chose a full refund and we refunded all the money they paid.

Please feel free to contact the team at More Than English: we are ready to answer all of your questions so that you can book your child’s place on summer school 2021 with confidence.

Email: info@morethanenglish.co.uk

Whatsapp: +44 75 956 36 575

Other page & articles you might be interested in:

Booking form

Terms and Conditions

Introduction to Summer School 2021

A team you can trust: how More Than English refunded parents in 2020

Reviews

Free Online Discussions

Your child’s invitation to join us online

This is an invitation for your children 11-17 from www.morethanenglish.uk to take part in our next free (€00.00) online Zoom discussions. We're giving students an opportunity to use their superpower (their language skills) to better understand their world - in this the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

What English level are the other students?

We have meetings for students at two levels:
High: B1+ > C2
Improving: A2 - early B1

Where are the other students from?

The performance of the students so far in our free online Zoom meetings has been FANTASTIC with incredible ambassadors from Romania, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Poland, UAE, Greece, Croatia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Mexico, Germany, Lebanon and the UK offering a truly international perspective on issues connected with coronavirus.

What’s the next meeting about? 

Countries in many parts of the world are coming out of lockdown. That's a big leadership challenge. That's also a big reason to celebrate. Please read on to find out more...

Meeting: Wednesday 17 June, 1600 UK time

B2 > C2 students

Topic: Leadership in a crisis

> What skills does a leader need to succeed in a crisis? 
> Unlocking a country: what to unlock first and last?
> Big Brother: how concerned should we be about coronavirus ‘track and trace’ apps that know where we are?

Meeting: Thursday, 18 June 1600 UK time

A2 > early stage B1 students

Topic: Planning a post-lockdown party

We have a fun job for you.  
Task: coronavirus lockdown is ending in many countries. Plan the perfect party for children and teenagers from all over the world. 

Registration

If you have not attended a More Than English Zoom meeting before, please register using the form below (?) and we will email you a free Zoom invitation + free lesson materials to download. If you have attended a meeting before, please don’t register again: please check your email for your zoom invitation and lesson materials.

Frequently asked questions: 

 How much does it cost to join the meeting? 

>> £0 🙂    


 I was in a meeting before. Do I need to register again? 

>> No, you only have to register for your first meeting. Please check your email for your Zoom invitation and lesson materials.


 Do I need a Zoom account to take part?

>> No, you don’t need a Zoom account. Please complete the registration form and we will send you your Zoom invitation and lesson materials.

 I have never studied at More Than English in the UK. Can I also take part? 

>> Yes. However, you must be aged 11-17 maximum and you must upload of a copy of your photo ID, including date of birth, with your registration form. 

Other articles you may be interested in:

Leadership + other study options at More Than English

Business Challenge

More Than English brochure

Postponements and refunds

Coronavirus

We are very sorry: we have taken the difficult decision, because of the coronavirus pandemic to cancel summer school 2020. Denying our wonderful students the chance to study and live together this summer was not easy, and we would like to thank all of you, the parents, for your incredible support and patience over the last few months as together we learnt more about coronavirus.

Your choices:

(1) Full refund

You can choose to have a full refund of all the money you have paid.

(2) Postpone until summer 2021

You can choose to postpone your booking until 2021.

?If you choose to postpone we will offer a 5% discount to your family, and a limited number of your children’s friends for life.

What do you need to do?

If you made a booking for summer school 2020, you must please complete this form to tell us if you prefer postponement or full refund:

Disappointment for children and teenagers

When you set your heart on something; when you dream big; when you set yourself a challenge it’s a big disappointment when the door closes.

That’s why we’re keeping that door open and keeping our international community of students connected by offering free Zoom meetings. Register your child today so that they can continue talking with the world.

The (re)union

FREE invitation to students to (re)connect

Dear Parents,
Class of 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 + future students

Most importantly, we hope that you and all of your family are well. Whether ‘juggling’ working from home and looking after your children and teenagers or bravely going out to work every day as a ‘key worker’, we know that all of our parents are facing big challenges as we all navigate our way through this pandemic. 

This is a time when everyone in the world, in their own way, in their own situation, is facing the same problem. Coronavirus affects us all. 

For the whole family, being locked in the house is a challenge. For children and teenagers, not going to school is a challenge. Living with coronavirus can be isolating and lonely for all of us. 

“A problem shared is a problem halved.”

In response, we are organising a project to connect new More Than English students and reconnect old More Than English students from around the world to share their experiences of living through this global crisis. We are very proud of all the work we’ve done since 2015 to bring teenagers from every corner of the world together to share ideas, find new perspectives and develop new skills. Now that the world is facing a global problem that requires a global solution, more than ever, we need to strengthen connections between young people around the world. 

We would like students to join us in an informal online Zoom discussion and share their personal experiences of the pandemic. It does not matter when you studied at More Than English: we want to hear from you! Maybe you are at university now or have started your first job. We want to hear from you! Equally, we want to hear from students who studied at More Than English more recently in 2017, 2018 and 2019! Also we want to hear from students who are booked to study at More Than English in 2020!

Register

The meetings are free of charge £00.00

Please register your child for our online discussion at this link:

<REGISTER>

We will send you a link to a Zoom meeting.

Meeting times: 

Class of 2015, 2016, 2017: 1600 UK time Monday 4th May

Class of 2018, 2019, 2020: 1600 UK time Tuesday 5th May

What will we discuss in the first meeting?

We want to know about your personal experience of the crisis. 

– Your town > how is it coping?
– Your education > impact?
– People > how are they reacting?
– ‘Lockdown‘ > your experience?

What will we discuss in future meetings? 

If you enjoy the first meeting, we will organise future panel discussions, projects and interviews to include more challenging topics connected to the pandemic:
– Virology > the basics
– Governments > the role of 
–  Communication > from social scientists to conspiracy theorists 
– Lessons of History > Pandemic of 1919
– Education – impact on
– A warning from nature? > do we want life to return to how it was before?

Other articles you may be interested in:

How we are responding to Coronavirus

Coronavirus policy

Memories of summer school 2019?

Summer 2019 revisited

Coronavirus

Our response (April 14th 2020)

In a few short months the Covid-19 virus has changed our world. The purpose of this message is to help parents and students by giving full information about how More Than English summer school is responding.

Even though we continue preparing summer school; even though the summer school booking system is still open, the reality is that right now, the future is difficult to predict and that is why we are taking a flexible approach and we are listening to you, our parents and students.

New bookings

If you would like to book a place on summer school you can using our online booking form. As a temporary measure resulting from the uncertainty created by coronavirus, from April 2020, new customers can now make a booking without paying a deposit. Please note that our standard Terms and Conditions still apply with 31st May as the deadline for full payment.

Existing bookings

If you have already booked and paid a deposit we are presenting 3 options to you:

Postpone your booking until 2021.

> If you choose this option, we will offer this year’s prices and give your family and a limited number of your children’s friends, a 5% discount for life.

If you wish to postpone your booking, please contact us using the form on this page (?) any time on or before 21st May 2020.

Request a full refund of your deposit.

> We understand that for many people the crisis is creating financial problems and general uncertainty. If you wish to cancel your booking and receive a full refund of your deposit, please contact us by using the form on this page (?) any time on or before 21st May 2020.

‘Watch and wait’.

> If you choose this option, you can wait and watch to see if the situation improves. You can still request a return of your deposit any time on or before 21st May 2020. You can still also request to postpone your booking until 2021 by using the form on this page (?) any time on or before 21st May 2020. 

Our offer to refund deposits up to and including 21st May is a temporary change in response to Covid-19. Please note, however, that our Terms and Conditions still apply.

What are other parents choosing to do?

Most parents are choosing to ‘watch and wait’. At the time of writing, only two families have contacted More Than English to request a cancellation.

Safety: our first priority

The protection, safety and wellbeing of all children in our care will always be our top priority. At the moment we are monitoring very carefully the advice from the UK government and English UK, which is a representative body for English language training institutions in the UK. However, if we think there is a risk to our pupils, we will not wait for the government to act. As per our Terms and Conditions, More Than English reserves the right to cancel summer school if we think that the safety of our students would be at risk.

Thank you ?

Finally, may we take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’. Thank you to all the brave people around the world, including shop assistants, hospital cleaners, medical experts and delivery drivers who support the rest of us by continuing to go to work every day during the peak of this pandemic.

Thank you also to you our parents and students for your patience at this time. Please stay safe and well. If you would like to contact us about Covid-19 and summer school, please use this form:

Student Ambassador, Maria, Katowice

Blog by David Meddows – More Than English director.

When you start on a journey you don’t always know how it’s going to end. When I arrived in Katowice, Poland, last weekend to talk with students and parents at the fabulous Project Travel fair, I didn’t expect to see Maria B. a former summer school student at More Than English: class of 2017 and class of 2018. What a fantastic surprise!

On behalf of all the staff at More Than English, I’d like to thank Maria for all her help doing a brilliant job of helping me to explain summer at More Than English to parents in Katowice. Who better to really explain the benefits of summer school in Ludlow than somebody who came twice?

Polite and professional, Maria, who is still only 17, spoke with parents with great confidence: not surprisingly, perhaps when you consider that Maria, who has C2 level English, did some of the most challenging ‘Get Ahead’ study options at More Than English including Model UN and Business Challenge and is an IB student in Katowice.

Former student Maria meets new student Aurora and her father

It was a real priviledge also at the fair to meet hundreds of students all of whom participated fully in our Model United Nations taster lesson. Thank you also to the team from Project Travel who made all the visiting schools feel so welcome, created such an ambitious event and who always put students first. We love the way you work.

Ukraine

After Poland, I went to Ukraine, and I’d like to thank all the people in the Ukraine who made me feel so welcome.

More Than English Director David Meddows in Kyiv

What’s it like to travel around Kyiv? AMAZING! I especially like the beautiful underground system. This video from The Kyiv Post will give you a flavour of this amazing city. Enjoy it!

Kyiv – magical!

As for where next, we’re going to Turkey in April, so watch this space!

Other blogs you might be interested in:

Never Underestimate Teenagers

Visits to Ukraine and Russia

International life

Blog by More Than English co-owner: David Meddows

One summer, when I was 8 years old my parents took me to the Austrian mountain resort of Mayrhofen where we spent a week walking in the mountains. This experience made a big impression on me. The people, the language, the sublime mountain scenery and new foods that we’d never experienced before such as the unforgettable apple strudel. This is where my love of experiencing other cultures began and I will always be grateful to my parents for giving me this opportunity.

That passion for reaching the hand of friendship across borders is what inspires our work here at More Than English today. We love historic Ludlow: the home of More Than English in the heart of England. However, sometimes, it is very refreshing to travel and see somewhere different. This month, team members from More Than English were lucky enough to visit Russia and Ukraine.

Travel with a purpose

Travelling on business means double the pleasure, You meet much more people than when you are on holiday. Also, on the way to meetings, you pass by incredible sights. Here’s what we saw:

Kyiv captial of Ukraine

Have you ever seen a cathedral like this before? St Michael’s Golden Domed Cathedral was renovated in 1999. The outside is a stunning example of baroque style:

St Michael’s Golden Domed Cathedral

Moscow

Nothing can prepare you for when you turn the corner at the end of Nikolskaya street and see Red Square:

  • Red Square
  • View from inside St Basil’s
  • St Basil’s Cathedral

Next we took the incredible Sapsan train from Moscow to St Petersburg: it looks like a rocket and it goes like a rocket. Imagine that it took less than 4 hours to travel in comfort from Moscow to St Petersburg.

  • The famous Sapsan super train

St Petersburg

You have probably heard that St Petersburg is a beautiful city. However, nothing can prepare you for how beautiful it really is. Perhaps St Petersburg is the most beautiful city in the world and certainly it is on a scale that challenges your imagination. We cannot think of another city in the world where you can see so many fine buildings in one place.

  • Kazan Cathedral

The splendour does not end even when you go below ground. Here is the St Petersburg underground:

  • Elegant lighting
  • Mayakoskaya Metro Station
  • Functional & beautiful: air ventilation system
  • Claire from More Than English

Food

After all of that travelling we got very hungry and tried many different foods, but there was one very simple one that we loved: black bread! It’s very filling and highly nutritious… in one inventive cafe they even used it as a bowl for soup!

  • Super healthy black bread
  • David from More Than English

People

What links a trip to the Ukraine and a trip to Russia? There are many things but one thing above all: if you go to either place, expect a warm welcome. If you only stop for a minute to look at a map of the underground in either country, someone will offer you help. So even when the temperatures are a little low in the middle of winter, you won’t feel the cold.

The next generation of travellers

Feeling the spirit of international friendship is also a magical experience for the students at More Than English. This year our students, who live and study together on one campus, were from 17 countries: Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, UAE, Ukraine and the UK.   In addition to learning to use their English in new ways our students took a step on an international journey that will continue for a life time. Now, we’re looking forward to bringing the world a little closer together on summer school 2020!

A surprise around every corner: inside St Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square. Only 4 people in this incredible choir.

International Network

Owner managers Claire and David from More Than English, have been in London at an event called ALPHE London meeting experts from education agencies from around the world.

Different students have different needs and requirements. One important skill of the education agent is to match the student to the right school for them.

What did the agents like about More Than English?

  • Personalised service: 100% individuals (no groups)
  • Challenging study options
  • Stunning campus in a unique location – for parents who think ‘outside the box’ and insist on true immersion in English for their children

This year at More Than English we received students 11-17 from 17 countries (no more than 20% from any country / language group):

The Americas

Mexico, Canada

Central Europe

Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine

Middle East

Lebanon, UAE

Western Europe

France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, UK

Our students 11-17 love living and studying in such a cosmopolitan environment. This mix of individuals creates a magical atmosphere. We couldn’t create this magic without you our international partners. Thank you.

Day 18 – Sunday, 28 July 2019 – Jungle Adventure

On Mondays, students take a break from Get Ahead classes and pick a half-day excursion option. Today we went on an exciting jungle adventure. But not before working on our English!

English beyond the classroom

Come with us on a brief snapshot of what’s going on in Core English this morning:

  • Presentations; discussions; listening to what other people say; responding to what other people say; analysing stories; developing writing skills
Core English snapshot

We’ve said it before. We’ll say it again. Never underestimate teenagers and never underestimate what they can do with their English. In this next video B2 teacher Ian explains how his class are learning about Crisis Mapping. To be more specific, your teenagers are learning how they can use their English in the real world to map and manage crises:

A fun way to work on personal skills

Our students love spending time outdoors. Especially when they can have a lot of fun doing so – for example by playing paintball or climbing up high ropes.

The jungle adventure is a perfect example of something that is a constant in summer school experience: students going out of their comfort zone. Students trying something they never imagined themselves doing. Students embracing new challenges.

Paintball isn’t just mindless fun – it helps students learn how to master teamwork. If they didn’t work together, their chances of winning a match would be slim.

The jungle adventure (Music: bensound.com)

A nice recharge

Running around, jumping, tactical thinking… All the jungle adventures made students very tired. Seeing the delicious food waiting for them made them quite cheerful! Tonight they had a rare, but tasty snack: pizza.

…And as every one of our students are individuals (there are no groups at More Than English) – our team of chefs made an individual pizza for every student too. Quite a feat, you’ll agree.

Pizza
Yes, it’s pizza!

More outside time

After dinner, literally just across the road from the campus, students entered the magical world of Mortimer Forest. They strode uphill surrounded by trees that were hundreds of years old. Makes you think…

Not too far from the summit of Climbing Jack, we asked students if they would like to stop and return back or push on to the summit. We were so impressed when the vast majority elected to go for the top. We were also impressed by how far the less experienced walkers had reached. Well done everyone!

We finished of the day with a nice gathering around the campfire with hot chocolate and marshmallows. What a long day it’s been! What an EPIC day it’s been. Let’s go to bed now and get some rest.

Forest walk
A gorgeous sunset in the forest

Day 13 – Tuesday 23 July 2019 – THE THEATRE

Also featuring: a journey back in time to Ancient Greece

Today is a very, very, very special day at More Than English.

A day when we celebrate students’ efforts and a day when students really, truly step outside their comfort zone. Everyone is down at the local art deco cinema for a feast of entertainment. Ladies and gentlemen, take a seat, grab some pop-corn, make a *smoothie and settle down in your favourite armchair for THE BIG SHOW:

(*no added sugar version)

On the stage tonight:

  • The Dance Choreographers (Get Ahead)
  • The Film Makers (Get Ahead)
  • The ‘Club Time’ Dramatists

First ladies and gentlemen, please give a huge round of applause for the greatest dancers the world has ever seen:

The Greatest dance show on Earth

Next up, our feature film: The Alien Invasion

Rated PG

Warning: contains scenes of extreme comedy.

Tonight’s featured film: “The Alien Invasion“

And now ladies and gentlemen, a feast for your eyes. This is the first year that we have had the pleasure of welcoming Greek students to More Than English, and so it gives us particular pleasure to present to you a drama inspired by the most eminent writers from ancient Greece: Homer, Herodotus, Sophocles and Virgil. Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the story of The Troy War adapted for the stage by our so, so hardworking Activity Design Manager, Anna:

Come with us on a journey back in time to Ancient Greece
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A note for the audience:

“I could never do that.”

Is this what you are thinking?
If so, we’d like you to think again.

‘Talent’ or ‘Hard work’?

Sitting in the audience and watching such an amazing show it’s easy for us in the audience to think that we could never do that. It’s easy to think “those people are so talented, I could never do that.”

At More Than English we prefer to talk about hard work and practice, NOT talent.

People are not born good at dance, acting, film making or anything else. People become good at something because of hard work and practice. Lots of practice. This is the basic idea behind “Growth Mindset”, which is the theory that every single one of us (yes, including you) can become good, very good at anything.

Read more about "Growth Mindset"

So, next year, it’s your turn.