Page 41 - ELG1903 Mar-Apr Issue 464

FEATURE

We know NACE

what to do

this summer

NACE may be the new kid on the

summer school bloc but its
academic expertise may surprise you. Hattemer school
ake four summer schools, three of reputation for bilingual education and as young as three and attracting students up to
them new to the summer school language learning. eighteen with a new pre-university course.
market, two outside the UK and So why do they seem so different? NACE’s “We started from ICS expertise to develop
Tteaching languages other than English David Chalude explains. other programs within some of the group’s
One is an elite Parisian private day school, “NACE is a group of some 50 schools, schools.” Chalude tells the Gazette,
established in 1885 by Rose Hattemer, it is but we know that every school and school “Hattemer’s French language summer
renowned among le tout Paris for its “rigor community is different. As part of the creation school in Paris was successfully launched last
and attention to detail, its seriousness and of our summer courses, we are not looking for year, and we are planning to launch two new
the experience and knowledge of its teaching absolute uniformity,” he explains. residential programs this year, one at Agora
practitioners”. This summer, for only the “On the contrary, each of our programs is Lledo in Castellon, Spain, and the second at
second time on its august history, it is opening designed as a taster of the school in which the Stonar School in Wiltshire.
its doors to young learners aged between program takes place. Each program is developed The most innovative of the NACE
six and 11 for courses in French, with an and led by year-round school staff members… programmes is the bilingual immersion
accompany programme of cultural visits and our programs incorporate the strengths, values programme: English for Spanish students and
leisure programmes. and ethos of our schools,” he adds. Spanish for speaker of other languages. How
A quick look at the EL Gazette language exactly will that work?
NACE school rankings, published last month, shows Agora Lledo’s language teachers are native to
“Our program is developed in two languages.
that, on average, summer schools run by
educationalist do better on British Council the language they teach. Students will be in
inspections than those run by language school an English or Spanish setting during language
specialists. But while British boarding schools classes and sports activities, and will be gathered
have long run their own summer schools, few in the same residence,” Chalude explains
international schools have done so. “We also offer a host family formula, with
So why are NACE taking the plunge into families in our school community for students
the summer school market? The answer, as who want a maximum of Spanish immersion.”
The equestrian centre at the Stonar Chalude reveals, lies in the name of the fourth But can a chain of international schools
school, Wiltshire. school in their summer brochure. really pull off what looks like a quiet revolution
“In September 2017, NACE acquired ICS, in the summer school market? It’s too soon to
The second is a state of the art bilingual an international day school in London which tell, but agents in the markets where NACE
school established among the orange groves, has been operating a well-known summer operates its year-round international schools
mountains and beaches of the Spanish school for forty years.” sound convinced.
province of Castellon, just south of Valencia. ICS London, now there’s a familiar name. An “NACE is opening summer schools?”
Agora Lledo, as the school is called, was EL Gazette Centre of Excellence, it is the only commented one Spanish agent when we told
established in 2001 by ten partner teachers. independent day school in central London to him the news. “ I didn’t know, but that’s very
In 2018, it was ranked as the highest scoring offer summer programmes, starting with children interesting, very interesting indeed.”
IB school on the continent of Europe. It is
offering a dual immersion programme this
summer in Spanish and English. NACE
The third looks like a more familiar,
traditional English boarding school. It is
located just ourside Bath. With an extensive
equestrian centre among the many facilities
on campus, it is one of the best schools for
riding in England. And it is running residential
language and activity summer courses for ten
to seventeen year olds.
But what do they have in common?
They are all under the same ownership.
They belong to NACE, a multinational
chain of international schools with a strong Students at the Agora Lledo school in Spain.

editorial@elgazette.com 41