Page 20 - StudyTravel Magazine November/December 2021 Issue

short-stAy courses

secoNDAry focus

A study abroad experience can do wonders for
a teenager’s educational and personal growth.
Secondary schools around the world remain
determined to provide a fulfilling short-stay
study experience for international students
despite Coronavirus-related disruptions,
Joshua Walton learns.

secondAry

t is clear that short-term secondary while the school has seen a decrease students per class, being required to
education providers suffered from in the number of one- and two-term respond quickly to policy changes,
Idecreased international student students, mainly due to high numbers and the creation of a face-to-face and
enrolments over the past two years of boarding enrolments. online hybrid programme.
as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, In Canada, Anna Parkhomenko, Sam Hollingshead, Head of
with many looking to next year for Admissions Officer at Ridley College Admissions at Bath Academy www.
signs of the sector’s recovery. ridleycollege.com, says, “As the pan- bathacademy.co.uk in the UK, notes
demic hit the globe, resulting in visa that the main challenge faced by
Pandemic pressures office closures and travel restrictions, the school during the pandemic was
international student enrolments coordinating students’ arrivals and
Remco Weeda, Director of Marketing declined everywhere. In 2019/20, their quarantine periods. This led the
and Admissions at Scarborough Col- Ridley College had 260 international college to implement a hybrid course
lege www.scarboroughcollege.co.uk students, but saw a decline to 230 in option to accommodate students who
in the UK, says the school has had to 2020/21. The numbers of international were unable to arrive in-person and
cancel its short-term summer course students are starting to climb back up on time.
for the last two years due to the for the 2021/22 academic year.” Matt Hird, Director of Student
pandemic. “As the main selling point Recruitment at David Game College,
of these is the contact with British The sector adapts www.davidgamecollege.com in the UK,
students and the immersive nature of says the school plans to start offering
the course, there has been no point Declining enrolments and pressures academic short courses from summer
in running this type of programme in created by the pandemic galvanised 2022 in fields including law, medicine,
any other format. The termly option schools to diversify their portfolios computer science and robotics, media
has survived but was watered down in and adapt their methods in an attempt and film production, business and
many ways, as has boarding life and to reverse the effects of the shortfall finance, and global leadership.
most of school life.” in numbers. Matt adds that the institution con-
He adds that many of the school’s Clara Ros at Sprachcaffe Language tinued to offer students their usual
boarders have been in either hybrid Plus www.sprachcaffe.com in Ger- course options with full academic
classes, fully locked down classes or many, says, “Much like other compa- provision online during government
fully offline classes this year. “I think nies, Sprachcaffe has had to adapt to lockdowns, as well as live-streaming
the main challenge in all of this has Covid-19 hygiene and safety protocols, classes for overseas students who
been to keep some kind of semblance as well as the individual requirements could not travel during this period.
of normality throughout.” of specific governments.” Clara notes Anna notes that provincial/
Remco also says that international the school had to overcome new chal- national closures and restric-
enrolments have increased this year, lenges, such as a reduced number of tions prohibited Ridley College

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