First Day at School
All new enrolments begin their course on Mondays morning subject to availability. Students staying in host family accommodation will receive directions for how to get to school by their host family on the first morning. Students without host family accommodation will have received their school details before their arrival and should make their own way to the school for 08.45am.
Testing
On the first day at the inlingua Cheltenham , students are given a test to determine their current level of English. The test consists of a multiple choice questions and an oral test. Students are then placed in a class at an appropriate level. Students are monitored closely and constantly by their teachers to ensure that they are always at the correct learning level.
Orientation
On the first day, students are given an tour of the centre and of the town centre, pointing out areas of interest and importance.
Medical and Travel Insurance
All students should obtain medical insurance in their own country before departure and students are also recommended to take out travel insurance in case of accident or loss of baggage. Students travelling from EU countries should bring the Social Security Form E111 with them. This only entitles students to free emergency hospital care and attendance at certain doctors. Please note that this will not cover elective procedures or dental visits.
Personal Insurance
Students are not insured by the school, or by the family, against accidents, illness, theft or loss of personal belongings. inlingua Cheltenham accepts no responsibility in the event of such occurrences. Personal insurance cover is therefore recommended.
Climate
Cheltenham has a variable but generally mild climate and weather extremes are rare. Students should come prepared for all types of weather during their stay in England . Students should bring some waterproofs or warm clothes with them, and of course an umbrella. For info rmation on English weather today and a forecast for the week visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather
Mobile Phones
Mobile telephones can be brought into England . Customers with subscriptions to GSM services, providing they have a roaming agreement with the English network operator(s) may use their subscription. Pay-as-you-go mobile phones are available in Cheltenham shops..
For info rmation on the major mobile phone operators in England , please see links below
http://www. vodafone.co.uk
http://www.orange.co.uk
http://www.o2 .co.uk
Banks
Banks are open Monday to Friday from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Automatic Teller Machines in England accept 'Visa' and 'Mastercards' symbols. Visitors are advised to change their bank notes at banks and Bureau de Change to get the best exchange rate.
For info rmation on the major bank operators in Ireland , please see links below
http://www.barclays .co.uk
http://www.lloyds tsb.com/
http://www.hsbc.co.uk/
Opening a bank account in England - procedures for non-nationals
For students staying for 3 months or longer, we are able to give advice on opening a bank account. We help with a form to fill in for the bank, and the student needs a letter from us and their passport to open an account. Full details will be given at Reception when the students arrive here at inlingua Cheltenham .
Shops
The opening hours of most shops in England are 9.00 am until 5.30 pm or 6.00 pm Monday to Saturday. Some of the shops have late shopping (8.00 p.m. or 9.00 p.m.) on Thursdays and/ or Fridays. In Cheltenham supermarkets and some shops are open on Sunday from 11.00am to 4.00 pm.
Telephone
Calling into England :
When making a call into England from another country, the lead zero of the area code is dropped and the country code for England (+44) is added. For example, to reach inlingua Cheltenham , you will dial the number as +44 1242 250 493.
Calling out of England :
When making a call out of Ireland to another country, the international access code is "00" followed by the country code for the country you are calling, followed by the area code then phone number.
To access a company or persons phone number within England please see links below
http:// www.118500.com
Travel to inlingua Cheltenham centres
For Cheltenham, the best airports to fly into are London Heathrow, Bristol International, Birmingham International, Manchester, London Gatwick or Cardiff are the best airports to fly into.
For Blackburn, the best airports to fly into are London Heathrow, Birmingham International, Manchester or Liverpool .
There are many low cost airlines flying to and from various airports in UK to European cities. These include
http://www.easyjet.com
http://www.ryanair.com/
http:// www.bmibaby.com
Travel within Cheltenham
Weekly bus tickets are available in Cheltenham which entitle you to unlimited travel on buses throughout Cheltenham . These are priced at GBP 9 per week, and are obtainable from the bus station. For further info rmation, you can visit www.stagecoachbus.com
Travel throughout the UK : Rail
Cheltenham Spa is Cheltenham 's railway station. It has excellent connections throughout the UK , including direct trains to London , Cornwall , Birmingham , Bristol and the north. For further details and train timetables go to:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk
Travel throughout the UK : Bus
National Express is the main bus service in England . It offers expressway coach services linking many cities and towns. For further info rmation see: www. nationalexpress .co.uk
Entertainment
Cheltenham has an wide variety of entertainments on offer including numerous shops, restaurants, pubs and bars, discos, 4 theatres, a 5 screen cinema, recreation cetnre and a number of beautiful parks - ideal in summer!
For further useful info rmation about Cheltenham and the Cotswolds, please visit the
http://www.visitcheltenham.gov.uk
http://www.explore-gloucestershire.co.uk/cheltenham.html
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