When taking a course at Peartree Languages you can be sure of quality language tuition with a flexible timetable and affordable prices. Our tutors are qualified professionals and our English language courses are accredited by the British Council.

ALL our English language courses have the following key aims:

 

The following information is for students on adult courses only. For more details on our junior courses, please visit our Junior Courses page.

Assessment (level) test and differentiation interview

To place you in the correct class and make good recommendations for your studies, we will need to meet you and understand your motivation for learning English and your previous studies before you start your course with Peartree. If you apply from abroad, we may ask to arrange an online conversation with you and also ask you to complete our online assessment test. If you are already in the UK, we will ask you to come to the school for the assessment test and interview face to face. If you are interested in taking an examination course or an ESP course, we would also ask you to complete an internal examination in order to assess your readiness for the course and examination.

All the information that you give us about your study aims in the initial assessment meeting, either face to face or online will be recorded on your Academic Profile and kept on our internal system, which is accessed by the Academic Managers and your teachers. This Academic Profile will be used to record all progress meetings, progress tests, examination results and private tutorials taken. You can access this document at any time. After we have carried out this initial language test, we can give you our study recommendations, explain more details about the course content, show you the study materials (book), give you advice on external exam options explain your timetable and payment options.

All initial assessment tests and interviews are free of charge, but we would ask you to visit our prices, terms and conditions and all course web pages before you book a test to make sure that this is the right school for you, as we will ask you for your preferred timetable options so facilitate your enrolment onto a course at the end of the meeting.

Continuous Enrolment

You can start your English course at any time, though we recommend that you start on a Monday. You will have a tour of the school and an induction, including a welcome pack. We will send you the student handbook by email, which contains our terms and conditions, a level comparison checker, useful websites, information on health and safety and much more.

Teachers have experience of how to integrate new members of the school into the class quickly and all memberS of staff will help you to feel comfortable as soon as possible. Peartree is a small school and this will help you to quickly feel part of our ‘family’.

In case the group is already more than half way through their course book, we will arrange for you to have a ‘catch up’ session of approximately 30 minutes with the Academic Manager or a Senior Teacher to help you understand the topics that have already been studied. You will then be invited to complete the self-access sections of the course book and access the online resources and the Academic Manager can meet you once again to check this work, if required. You can also ask your teacher if you have any specific questions about your coursebook and how to use it both inside and outside the classroom.

Class levels

At Peartree Languages, we offer group lessons that encompass the different language skills you need to improve your English, at levels A2 (Elementary), B1 (pre-intermediate / intermediate), B2 (intermediate + / upper intermediate) and C1 (Advanced). According to availability, or in the case of a student with a diverse learning profile, some levels / classes may be combined or a mixture of more than one level may be offered. You will be advised in detail on the levels we can offer during your assessment meeting and a timetable will be provided. Our curriculum and coursebooks aim to develop the skills described at the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), or according to a target examination level, such as IELTS.

For a full description of the levels, please visit; https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/the-cefr-descriptors.

Due to the great flexibility we can offer, some levels may be merged depending on class sizes and course demand, in which case students will work at a level that will keep them both motivated and challenged in order to achieve maximum progress.

We do not offer group classes to students at levels A1 (beginner) or C2 (proficiency), unless we are requested to form a private group. However, we do offer these levels on a private basis (one to one classes).

Progress and monitoring

It is estimated that a full-time student (15 hours of lessons a week) at the beginning of one CEFR level will take on average 12 weeks to complete it and progress to the next CEFR level, for example from B1 – B2.

 

Courses	Level progress
Part-time (9 hours per week)	18 weeks
Full-time (16 hours per week)	12 weeks
Intensive (22 hours per week)	8 weeks

The numbers above are estimated and your progress will depend on a number of different factors, such as how many contact hours you have during the week, your current level of English (lower level students tend to progress faster than higher level ones, for example), how much English language immersion you have outside the school and your own personal commitment.

In case you need to improve your skills more quickly, we recommend private lessons in addition or in place of group classes. From our professional experience, 1 hour of private tuition focussing on your specific needs would be equivalent to approximately 5 hours of group lessons.

Changing levels and improving your language

Most students will stay in one level for between 6-12 weeks, depending on the number of hours studied and there will be level tests in each class when the existing course book is completed, at which point you may progress to the next level. If you would like to change your class level before this point, you can request a meeting with the Academic Manager, who will then arrange a progress meeting and test to assess your progress.

Students aged 16 and 17 enrolled on an adult course

As the majority of our students on our adult courses are 18+, with the average age being students aged 22+, we would encourage students aged 16 and 17 to enrol on our junior summer school programme to be with others their own age, however we can accept students of this age range onto our adult courses, if this is the preference of the parents. In this case, we would require the students to complete a junior application form and parents or guardians must sign the application form giving consent for their child to study on an adult course. The students will be supervised as outlined on the junior application form and our Safer School Policy.

At Peartree we will:

• Identify students aged 16 and 17 to the teacher on the register / class profile to ensure that the lesson content is suitable
• Identify students aged 16 and 17 to other members of staff at school
• Have a welfare meeting with the student once a week during the course

We do not directly supervise students aged 16 and 17 outside of lesson times unless they are on an excursion / activity organized by Peartree Languages. In the case that they student is in Peartree homestay accommodation, they must obey the curfews established in the junior terms and conditions. If we discover that a student aged 16 or 17 has broken the law concerning the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes or otherwise behaved in a way that is not safe for a student under 18, we will follow the necessary rules and code of conduct.

Basic Conditions

When you book a course with us and sign the application form, you agree to our full terms and conditions. However, here are some of the most frequently asked questions.

1. There is no refund given for less than one month of classes for any reason. There are no exceptions.

2. All students must pay for the full course they choose or one month of classes minimum.

3. Prices are fixed and non-negotiable.

4. To change or cancel any group classes you must tell us ONE WEEK before, by 12pm on Friday at the latest

5. To change or cancel private classes or tests you must tell us two working days (48 hours) before. If you do not tell us two days before you will lose your class or test and no refund is given.

6. Any changes or cancellations must be communicated at the Welcome Desk, either verbally or via email on welcome@peartreelanguages.com . We cannot accept notice by messenger services or Whatsapp.

7. We are OPEN in half-term. If you cannot attend, you must tell us one week in before.

8. If you, or a person you care for is sick and you are unable to attend the class you lose the class.

9. If you cannot attend a class for any other reason, such as work, you will also lose the class if you do not tell us one week before.

10. All students, except day students, must buy a course book (approximately £25), and costs are specified when we agree your timetable.

11. ALL students pay the administration fee.

12. If you are more than 15 minutes late you cannot enter the class and you lose the class. This includes late return from break / lunch. You will be given the class materials, or shown the relevant section of the course book, and you can join the next class.