All posts by David Meddows

Day 27 – Friday 3 August

Murder Mystery

Today ended with a murder. David, the co-director of the summer school was found lying lifeless in the main reception at around 1930.

Relentless

Luckily, an international team of trainee student investigators were on hand to solve this terrible crime. They listened to all the alibis. They considered all the motives. They examined all the clues. They interviewed all the suspects. They found out ‘who dunnit’ – they found the guilty one.

If you weren’t there, take a look at the suspects (above and below). Who do you think the guilty one was?

Some of the suspects.

Last English lessons

Today was the last day of lessons on summer school and the last opportunity to take photos with classmates and teachers.

Super active student Marta from Spain
Calvin’s class
Jai’s class

Get Ahead ‘came to a head’

Come to a head = if something comes to a head, you cannot delay it anymore: you must deal with it now.

Example:

"Finally the problem of plastic waste in the  sea has come to to a head. The government must deal with this problem now."
Leadership

Get Ahead Business students started a new company this week called Bright Knight, which is an especially good name for a business based in a medieval town!

As well as studying the basics of business, these Get Ahead Business students had to create a company identity, create a product, and create a financial plan. However, that was not the difficult part. The most challenging part of running a business is creating a team and a company culture.

In the course of planning, purchasing raw ingredients and creating their product, these young entrepreneurs discovered the challenges of learning to work together efficiently.

Starting the company
Success! Sales went well
So what was the result?

The result was a healthy profit with high demand for their smoothies. Displaying the ethical underpinning (foundation) of their business, the team then donated all of the profit to a local charity.

However, that was not the only reward. The customers loved the product, including teacher Lucy:

Lucy approves of the business students’ mocktails.
Get Ahead Performing Arts –  Film Making

Filming came to a head today on the Get Ahead film project. Students worked together brilliantly to get in all the final shots. The premiere will be tomorrow night.

Trip to Ludlow

Students enjoyed an afternoon trip to Ludlow.

The castle was built by French invaders in 1086. As the students discovered, the best view is from the tower.

Sunset

The day finished with a dramatic sunset. What a beautiful place!

Day 26 – Thursday 2 August

Terrifying

Bigfoot Hunters Jacob and Jai
Full English breakfast

Terrifying? No not these two – more about them later.  We offered students a terrifying start to the morning by challenging them to eat the notorious and much feared full English breakfast.

  • Fried eggs
  • Baked beans
  • Tomato
  • Mushrooms
  • Sausage
  • Bacon
  • Black pudding

For those not ready for such a test of human endurance so early in the morning we also offered scrambled eggs.

Could you meet this challenge, or would it be “a step too far”?

Inspirational speaker: Antarctica

Summer school at More Than English provides teenagers with the opportunity to ‘step outside their normal lives’ and think about their future.

What job do you want to do in the future?

We are delighted that Jonathan made a second visit to summer school to tell students about his life as an Antarctic explorer and scientist.

Window on another world
A personal story

If you want to get a message across, tell a personal story.

The students were fascinated by Jonathan’s account of his adventures in Antarctica.

Abandon ship

On one occasion,  a change in wind direction meant that the the scientists’ ship became frozen in the ice and could not move. The biggest problem was that a giant iceberg was travelling rapidly towards the ship and it was going to completely destroy their ship.

The captain had to give the order to abandon ship and the crew were rescued by an American ship with a more powerful engine.

Cutting a path through the ice
Happy ending

In the end the wind direction changed and so the iceberg changed direction. As a result, the scientists were able to go back to their ship which then, with the change in wind direction, was able to break free.

Antarctica is place where situations can become very dangerous very quickly. What is essential is planning, teamwork and the ability to keep calm under pressure.

4 strangers. 1 room. 2 years.

Could you share a room 6 metres x 4 metres  with strangers for 2 years?

A one room cabin 6 x 4 metres

In this situation, you have to do everything yourself: make water from ice, fix your clothes, fix the hut and be a dentist to your friends.

Yes, it’s true. With no medical knowledge and using only a book on dentistry for guidance, one of the team had to extract the tooth of another member of the team.

When you find yourself with strangers (people you don’t know) in a challenging situation “outside your comfort zone” you have to make friends fast. It’s true for summer school students away from home. It’s also true for antarctic explorers. It’s not always easy. In this situation, Jonathan says you need to be “tolerant” and you need “a good sense of humour”.  However, decades after his first expedition, Jonathan is still in touch with his friends from Antarctica and has just completed a hike across Wales with them.  The lesson is, stay in touch with your new summer school friends!

Life in a tent with -49 degrees outside

10 facts about Antarctica:
  1. It’s in the South not the North
  2. It’s three times the size of Europe
  3. The  geographical South Pole is elevated 3 KM above sea level
  4. 1899 was the date the first ever Antarctic explorer arrived, which is very recent
  5. 1959 Antarctic Treaty: this ensured that Antarctica  is not owned by any country
  6. Minerals: Antarctica is full of precious minerals but the 1991 Madrid Protocol ensures that no country attempts to harvest them
  7. Pollution, including radioactive traces and lead can be found in the ice even though it looks very pure
  8. Treasure trove of information: by drilling as far as 2000 metres down into the ice to get samples for analysis scientists can track climate change over time
  9. The temperature goes as low as -49°. At this temperature your arm will become frozen ice in 10 minutes if you aren’t wearing the right clothes.
  10. Antarctica is the last untouched wilderness on earth

Shock

Tonight we were lucky to be visited by a real explorer. However, then, we had the misfortune to be visited by two amateurs searching for the legendary ice monster: Bigfoot.

After a disastrous forest chase after Bigfoot the night ended with a serene and peaceful campfire.

Hunter Jacob mesmerises Big Foot with an orange highlighter pen
Big Foot and House Parent Val ‘photo bomb’ the hunters
The day finishes with serene tribal chants at the campfire

Day 25 – Wednesday 1st August

Happy birthday

Lisa – we wish you a very happy 14th birthday!

Special Goodbye to Liska from Germany

So sorry to say goodbye to Liska who had to go home a few days early. You know we are missing you!

Snapshot from Core English

Calvin’s C1 class focus on language register producing a guide for a billionaire’s house. Some sections require technical language; some require informal language.

Ian’s B2 class start to exploit the huge issue of cyber bullying as preparation for a research project. As part of this, they’ll be interviewing other students and making recommendations on how to solve this crisis that affects children, schools and parents all over the world.

Bethan’s lower level class role play ordering food in a restaurant and discover French and English recipes for making scrambled eggs.

A brilliant afternoon

What a brilliant afternoon.

Warning: *English joke

Equipment check:

  • *Oxygen masks
  • *Crampons
  • Water
  • Compass
  • Map
  • Compass
  • Biscuits
  • Fudge
  • *SOS flares
  • *Night Vision Goggles
  • *Satellite phone

Some students took on the Mountain Challenge climbing from the bottom to the top of the Long Mynd.

The challenge starts

No one said it would be easy. The walk started with a steep 30 minute ascent. Some of the students were used to mountain walking. For some it was a new thing. The important point is they all supported each other and made it to the top.

On the top there is a huge plateau with 360 degree views all around.

Together!

The more we walked, the more relaxed and happy we all felt. Mountain Challenge is a great way to get to know your new international friends even better.

Feeling on Top of the World!
Shrewsbury

Some students went to Shrewsbury and enjoyed a relaxed afternoon of coffee, souvenir shopping and spending time with friends in a new city.

Shrewsbury is the home of Charles Darwin, creator of the Theory of Evolution and some students had chosen to visit the fabulous museum.

Charles Darwin – biologist who created the theory of evolution
The fabulous Shrewsbury Museum
Canoe trip

With no rain and lower water levels the postponed canoe trip took place today.

Canoeing with Fabian and Julius from Germany, Clara from France, Edoardo from Italy and Martina from Spain
Coming very soon: you guessed it, House Parent Seth was there to take another home movie.

Chaos

Back on campus, Activity Designer Jacob had a surprise in store for students. A new game that has never been played anywhere  in the world ever.

It’s called: CHAOS.  

Clara from Spain takes the bold step of trying to explain the rules:

Well done Clara on a brilliant explanation!

This is CHAOS:

A desperate bid for glory

Nicole from Brazil proves she’s ‘Queen of Chaos’ with another home run.

Meanwhile, other students prepared for another expedition into Mortimer Forest in pursuit of the Black Panther by refining their archery skills:

Matilde takes aim for the first time
Dima from the Ukraine is improving fast

Day 24 – Tuesday 31 July

Sometimes you wake up, look outside your bedroom window and everything looks even more beautiful than usual.

This morning was one of those days. We were visited by a herd of deer from the mighty Mortimer Forest.

These deer are wild, but they visit the campus every day. A good time to catch a glimpse of them is early in the morning, however, they make appearances at any moment when the campus falls into silence.

Hard work

Students are working hard in Core English classes including Emma’s B1 class who in the last lesson today did presentations on their favourite books.

They followed this with a very in-depth and impressive discussion contrasting the experience of reading a book with that of watching a film. Key points included the fact that there is more detail in a book and that in a book the audience get greater access to the characters’ internal thoughts.

International Night

This week 14 nationalities are present on campus. As part of international night, students made posters with key information about their countries including the greatest moment in history. Not only that, students brought souvenirs and sweets to share from their countries.

Students went around the various stands gathering information, telling notes and asking their own questions.

Mikulas from the Czech Republic offered More Than English director a biscuit and told him a very, very shocking story linked to a famous Czech biscuit.

We’re sure that for David, eating biscuits will never be the same again.

We hope that International Night will have inspired students’ desire to travel, stay in touch and start new journeys to reach other’s countries long after summer school has finished.

Mexico

 

Day 23 – Monday 30 July

Get Ahead study options this week

This week our study options are:

  • Performing Arts: Film Making
  • Leadership: Business Challenge
  • Creative English: Shakespeare
  • Intensive English: PET
  • Professional Sport: Tennis, Golf

Green potion

This morning Zvonimir from Croatia was “under the weather” with a bad cold. However, with our special green potion (spinach, apple, ginger and carrot) he”perked up” and felt better enough not only to finish Core English, but also launch a new company in the afternoon during Get Ahead Business called Knight Bright. You can follow progress with the new company on Instagram. Any idea what they are selling?

Lunch

These are not just burgers. These are burgers from Master Chef Paul.

Gourmet burger

Club Time fun

This afternoon students relaxed doing:

Rounders with Emma

Rounders with Emma

Crafts with Anna

Strike

Monday night means fun off campus. This evening we went bowling.

Day 22 – Sunday 29 July

A fond farewell

We said goodbye to some lovely students today.

We also welcomed some new lovely students too.

Don’t worry – this is just the start of your journey

It’s very important to stay in touch with all the new friends you’ve made. More Than English students often visit their new friends in the months (and years) after summer school.

Stay in touch. Keep in contact. Visit your new friends soon!

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

The rain

We’d like to apologise for all the sunshine over the last 3 weeks. It has been sunny every day. We know it wasn’t what you were expecting. Today, however, we are pleased to report a return to traditional British summer weather. Rain. Black clouds. Umbrellas.

There was so much rain the morning that the river level rose and we had to reschedule canoeing. It was also too wet to walk to Ludlow Castle so we’ve rescheduled that too.

Time to recover

All the students have been working hard all week. This afternoon we relaxed a little bit:

Golf with professional golf coach Dan

Football with professional coach Kieron
Swimming pool with the lifeguards
Sunday afternoon swimming

Horse Riding

Because the rain “eased off” (almost stopped) in the afternoon the horse riders were able to go on their trek into the countryside.

Great views from the horse riding trek
Pony trek into the forest

The black panther

When you leave the campus, you’ll walk down a long drive. It takes about 12 minutes. Immediately opposite on the other side of the road is the mighty Mortimer Forest.

Warning: English joke

This evening we went to hunt the black panther that had just escaped from the local safari park.

The Black Panther Video

House Parent Seth captured the Night of the Black Panther on a homemade video.

Day 21 – Saturday 28 July

As if by magic

Today our excursions are taking us to The Roman Baths in Bath in the south of England.

However, we’re also at the National Football Museum in Manchester in the North of England.

How is it possible? The answer is “magic”.

Choice

Bath

In history, Bath has been home of the rich and powerful twice. Once as an important town in the Roman Empire. Subsequently, more recently, during the 19th century when Bath became a playground of members of the aristocracy (the elite landowners).

As any Italian will tell you, British weather is a lot cooler than in Italy, so in order to create some ‘home comforts’ the Romans took advantage of the naturally occurring hot springs and built a very extensive spa complex.

#ThankYouItalians

Jane Austen, the famous British writer set many of her novels in Bath. During this period, appearance was everything. The rich competed to see who could build the most beautiful and impressive house. Very often they spent a lot of money on the front of the house to make it look impressive, but then saved money on the interior. In her novels such as Persuasion, Emma and Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen satirises the superficiality of high society at that time. Today, we all benefit from being able to visit a stunning city full of history.

Moor Park, the home of More Than English used to be the country home of aristocrats too. We have to admit, we love experiencing the lifestyle of the aristocrats!

Manchester

The contrast between Bath and Manchester couldn’t be greater. Manchester also rapidly expanded during the 19th century, not as a playground of the rich, but as the workshop of the poor during the industrial revolution. Manchester became full of the factories which created the wealth that made Britain, for a brief time, an economic superpower.

Whereas the rich in Bath enjoyed fine architecture and spa treatments, workers in Manchester endured smog, terrible working conditions and poverty.

However, these factories made the factory owners rich and created a new class of rich people whose wealth was no longer based on ownership of land but on business. The rise of the new rich in Manchester marked the end of the dominance of “the old money” that had rebuilt Bath.

Today, Manchester has been regenerated. It is proud of its industrial heritage, but it’s also a very modern cosmopolitan city full of opportunity. Manchester is particularly famous for its football clubs and its music scene. Manchester has a strong identity, a distinctive accent and it is place that is full of energy.

Best excursion?

So which excursion is better? Manchester or Bath? Only you can answer that question.

Day 19 – Thursday 26 July

Morning briefing

Before breakfast, our lovely House Parent Seth gives the boys their morning briefing full of all the information they need for the day.

Cinema night

We go to the cinema to see Show Dogs.

Core English

Lucy’s A2 English class develop their team working skills, practise question forms and solve the mystery of ‘The Man and a Women on a Train’

There was a man and a woman on a train. At first they didn’t recognise each other, but then the woman did something. The man said: “It’s you!” The train went through a tunnel. Something happened in the tunnel. At the next station the police arrested the man, but 24 hours later they were forced to let him go free.

  • Who was the man?
  • Who was the woman?
  • Why didn’t they recognise each other?
  • What happened in the tunnel?
  • Why did the police arrest the man?
  • Why were the police forced to let the man go free?

So many unanswered questions…

Use these 5 words to help you ask more questions:

  • 30 years
  • Garden
  • Lover
  • Glove
  • Disappear

Can you solve the mystery?

Lucy’s class are ready for your questions.

Ghost walk

Also today students bravely go on the famous More Than English ghost walk. Here’s the video from last year:

New video out soon!

The night ended with Jai doing native relaxing chants by the campfire.

Day 18 – Wednesday 25 July

An amazing day:

Sacha and Clara

First, two of our youngest students Sacha and Clara from France show their superpowers in archery:

Haka

Team ‘Harry Potter’ terrify everyone with their Haka skills.

Hereford excursion

Being on campus is wonderful. However, it’s important to explore new places too.

Today we were in Hereford, a small city in Shropshire.

Hereford

Food glorious food

Did you know that the most popular food in the UK is curry?

This afternoon chef Paul served a mild beef curry and an extra mild chicken curry with poppadoms.

With beautiful blue skies, chef Paul organised a BBQ in the evening.

Active learning

B2 teacher Ian starts the day with Holiday Snaps: an activity that encourages collaborative learning and creativity.

Campfire

We chanted, we sang, we toasted marshmallows and we felt very together.

Coming soon: Campfire video.

Day 17 – Tuesday 24 July

Today…!

“What have you been doing in class this morning?”

In the Core English break at 1100 our roving reporter asked students:

“What have you been doing in class this morning?”

Serious Debate @ The Opinion Parliament

Opinion Parliament

Can you think on your feet? Can you give an opinion on a subject you’ve never thought about before ? Can you defend an opinion which is the opposite of yours?

You’ll need to work on all these skills to win the argument in the Opinion Parliament.

Rares, C2 student from Romania explains what happens in the Opinion Parliament

Debating the big issues

“What have you been doing in class this morning?”

Paulina B2 from Poland and Amy B2 from China give us a summary of their debate about capital punishment (the death penalty).

What is really impressive is how they are listening to, responding to and respecting each other’s views.

Negotiation skills

In Jai’s class B2 students discussed different negotiating strategies including:

  • Win Win
  • Win Lose

Welcome Edoardo

A big welcome to Edoardo from Italy who got delayed and arrived on Monday. Let’s all make him feel extra welcome.

Welcome Edoardo!

Other Tuesday news

Bubble Football

Bubble football returned today.

Look out for a video soon.

The Game

The Game returned today.

Look out for a video soon.