Rochester Independent College Summer School

We welcome students who wish to study multiple courses, however, each course can only be taken once per summer. If a student would like to complete two courses, please discuss this with your Admissions Manager.

Rochester Independent College facilities come equipped with a dining hall/canteen, dedicated common spaces, garden/courtyard, Wi-Fi, and laundry facilities.

You have a right to cancel your booking within 14 days from the date of the Confirmation (the “Cancellation Period”) without giving any reason.

All cancellations must be made in writing and take effect from the date we receive such notice. Where a cancellation is made more than 30 days prior to the Arrival Date, there will be a refund of all Course Fees paid, minus the Deposit.

The quickest and easiest way to find out whether you need a Visa is to check via this link here.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can travel to the UK for holidays or short trips without needing a visa. This applies now, after Brexit.

For those that do require a Visa, the application that you will need to apply for is the Standard Visitor Visa.

It is important to note that, depending on the country, applications can take around 20 working days (or 3-4 weeks) to process. You are advised to begin the application process as early as possible. Once the Visa is obtained, we will need to receive a scanned copy of the student’s passport and the Visa by email. SBC International reserves the right to cancel a booking, if a copy of the Visa has not been received 4 weeks before the course arrival date.

If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact your local embassy who should be able to offer you the correct support and guidance.

Yes, if you would like to make any amendments to your booking then you can do so by contacting your Admissions Manager. All amendments are subject to availability.

At the end of the programme, all students receive a certificate of attendance from their College Principal at their graduation ceremony.

At Rochester Independent College the minimum level of English language required is intermediate (B1+) or above.

We provide students with an online test to complete prior to arriving at Rochester Independent College Summer School. We will use the results to confirm their suitability for the course. In the case that a student does not meet the required level on the test, we will conduct an academic consultation to assess the next best step.

The safety and well-being of students is our number one priority. We have a comprehensive Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and procedures in place to which all employees, volunteers, visitors, and contractors are obligated to adhere to.

Each of our sites has a dedicated Social Welfare Manager to ensure that students have the best possible experience during their journey. All staff are given the tools through their extensive training to guarantee that students feel safe, secure, valued, and respected whilst studying with SBC. These friendly and caring staff are always available to provide high-quality pastoral support and remain on call 24 hours per day.

We have an extremely high ratio of staff to students throughout the summer. At Rochester’s Campus, we have a Social Welfare Manager, who oversees the welfare and safety of the students and would deal with any pastoral issues. We also have a team of Activity Leaders and House Parents, who are responsible for the day-to-day care of the students and are the first point of contact for students who need assistance.

Alongside these members of staff, all employees are trained before the summer in Safeguarding and each site has designated first aiders. There will also be a dedicated Admissions Manager for Rochester’s Campus, who will be the main point of contact for families with any issues or concerns.

Our friendly and supportive staff team are available 24 hours per day to support students. We pride ourselves on offering the best possible care to students, and achieved British Council area of strength in ‘care of students’ and ‘safeguarding under 18s’.

To support our vision of ‘uniting the cultures of the world through education,’ SBC offers an annual international summer school scholarship programme. This initiative is designed to assist students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend summer school in the UK.

Summer Boarding Courses offers fully funded scholarships to students aged 11-17 who need financial aid.

During excursions and local visits, all students with parental consent are allowed free time for up to 2 hours. Students must stay in groups of at least 3, during free-time. Staff will make students aware of the designated meeting place and time, with a designated member of staff who will be given a fixed location so that in the event of needing support, they know where to go.

All students will be given an SBC Gold Card which they must carry with them when offsite. Gold Cards have details of the emergency number to call in the event of a student becoming separated from their group.