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Learn English in Canterbury

Canterbury is in the heart of the English countryside, which is known as ‘The Garden of England’. This region of England has an amazing history – you will find castles everywhere you go! Our English school is just moments from the centre of this medieval city so is perfect for students looking for that classic English adventure! 

top 5 things to see in canterbury

The School

Capacity
225
Classrooms
15
Lessons
45 mins long
Students in class
Average 10 (max 15)

School Facilities

  • Student lounge
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Library
  • Outside courtyard
  • Interactive whiteboards
  • Self study room

360º VIRTUAL TOUR

Interactive tour with audio commentary from our school principal.
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360º EXPERIENCE

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Accommodation

Stafford House offer a range of accommodation options. Whether you would prefer to live independently in a student residence, or with an English speaking family, we have a flexible accommodation option for you.

Homestay

One of our most popular accommodation options, homestay allows you to immerse yourself in your English language studies with English speaking homestay hosts and gives you a unique opportunity to learn about British culture.

At Stafford House we do all we can to ensure we match you with the right homestay. If you wish to truly experience British culture by staying at one of our homestays, please allow us 4 weeks before you arrive at the school to arrange your accommodation to ensure we can find a homestay experience best suited to you.

*Dependent on availability some of our homestays may be arranged by a third party provider.

HOMESTAY CANTERBURY

LIVING IN A UK HOMESTAY

Year-Round Residence 18+

Completed in September 2020, Holmes House is a modern student residence offering students fully furnished rooms with private bathroom, study area and plenty of storage space. The residence is located just minutes from Canterbury city centre with a wealth of cafes, restaurants, shops, parks and points of interest nearby.

YEAR-ROUND RESIDENCE

UK INDEPENDENT LIVING GUIDE

 

Summer Residence 16-17

We offer fully supervised residences for 16 & 17 year olds in July and August. This comes with a bespoke social programme designed for this age group as well as full board catering.

The residences include breakfast, lunch and dinner at Stafford House canteen and live-in residential supervisors. This is a great alternative to homestay for students under 18.

SUMMER RESIDENCE 16-17

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Meet our team

All of our teachers hold teaching qualifications ranging from certificate to diploma level and are committed to continuous development and share our passion for learning English in Canterbury with our students.

 
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Social Programme

Speak English as much as possible - including at break time, lunch time, in the evening and at weekends! There are social activities arranged every week, an opportunity to make friends and practise your speaking skills.

The following sample timetable is illustrative only, social programmes will be made available to all students in school.

Social Feed

    Nationality Mix

    A healthy mix is key to students progression in our English courses in Canterbury and at Stafford House we are proud of a wide nationality mix across all our centres.

    Top 10 Nationalities

    • Chinese
    • Columbian
    • Emirati
    • Swiss
    • Japanese
    • Italian
    • Thai
    • Korean
    • Saudi
    • Turkish

    Meet our students

    To browse our student stories, click on their profile image below to read detailed student profiles.

    • Alexandra

      Alexandra

      Italy

      “I love my morning lessons – my teachers are really good and my English is improving really quickly. The classes really make you think – you get to discuss ideas and this helps you learn better.

      I chose Stafford House School of English because it was recommended by my cousin. I like that there are so many people from so many countries here.

      I love Canterbury, it’s beautiful. I love the shopping, the history, the Cathedral, the coffee shops – I love being here and getting to hang out with my friends.”

    • Asako

      Asako

      Japan

    • Bambi

      Bambi

      Thailand

    • Best

      Best

      Thailand

    • Daphne

      Daphne

      Belgium

    • Eduardo

      Eduardo

      Colombia

    • Ekaterina

      Ekaterina

      Kazakhstan

      "I like Canterbury, I wish I could live here always – it’s so small, safe, peaceful and clean.”

    • Giulia

      Giulia

      Italy

      “I hope to study medicine at university. I know that having a good understanding of English will help me with this.

      I love my lessons at Stafford House School of English. My teacher, Marina, really helps me with my English speaking – she is very understanding and friendly.

      There is a lot of freedom here. Everyone is free to do what they like (within reason!). Canterbury is a wonderful town – everything you need is here; shopping, coffee shops and the beach close-by, plus there’s a great social life.”

    • Hani

      Hani

      Saudi Arabia

      “Canterbury is a really friendly and safe city.

      My favourite thing about School of English is the teachers, because they make me feel so welcome - I really feel like I am in my own country!

      The other students are like my sisters and brothers - I feel like I am at home here. Canterbury is not too big or too strange - you can walk anywhere, explore and find great places to hang out.”
       

    • Hari

      Hari

      Indonesia

    • Helia

      Helia

      South Korea

    • Hosam

      Hosam

      Saudi Arabia

      The teachers here are very very good! I started here as a beginner and I didn’t know what I was saying, it was difficult to talk and understand others, communicate with people from different countries with different accents, now really I find it so easy to communicate with both internationals and native speakers and understand what they say. I think I’m ready to start my university studies and that means I’ve achieved my goal. I’ve passed the exams to start my pre-sessional course so Stafford House helped me to get into university that I wanted.

      Staff here is very helpful they always smile and always friendly – provide us help with everything we need. Stafford House is something else, it’s difficult to explain, it’s like my second home – I will miss it very much.

    • Insoo

      Insoo

      South Korea

      Teachers at Stafford house are so fabulous! I’ve learned from them not only English but also a lot about British culture. Classes are very enjoyable and fun – we learn by playing games and working in groups. When I arrived I could only understand about 20% of what people were saying to me in English but now I understand 80-90% so my English has definitely improved a lot! I was in Intermediate level and now I’m in Advanced.

      The staff here are very friendly and they are friends for me now not just staff. I’m staying in a host family and I’ve met the most angel-like host mother and father – I’m very happy living with them. They are very young – under 35 and it seems that they are like my friends. They have made my life in the UK much easier – they’ve even organised a special festival party for me. Social programme is great – excursions and activities change every week so we are not bored of it, and it’s a great chance to meet and socialise with other international students and practise your English.

    • Iris

      Iris

      Switzerland

    • Jan

      Jan

      Netherlands

      “Canterbury has a lot to offer; it has a great social life, it’s really welcoming to international students and it has a friendly atmosphere. I find the School to be an exceptionally pleasant place to study in – a really relaxed environment. The teachers are fun and approachable, and I enjoy mixing with so many other nationalities – learning about other cultures and making new friends."

    • Jinny

      Jinny

      Thailand

    • Jixing

      Jixing

      China

      “We always have fun in the lessons, plus they are always interesting – my English is improving all the time. Canterbury is perfect for studying – it’s so peaceful. Plus the coast is really close by – I love being able to swim in the sea and relax at the beach.”

    • Juan

      Juan

      Colombia

    • Kaoru

      Kaoru

      Japan

      "I’ve been learning English at Stafford House School of English since June. I studied in Canterbury School for two months and I’m studying in London for four months until December.

      I studied in a relaxing environment in Canterbury and I could get used to living in Britain. There are lots of places to see in London. It is easy to access anywhere in Britain from London. I’m learning not only English but lots of things now. I talk to teachers and staff if I have some problems. They kindly help me every time.”

       

    • Kevin

      Kevin

      Hong Kong

      Kevin spent 5 months at Stafford House School of English in Canterbury and is now preparing to begin the Pre: Programme at CATS College Canterbury.

      Kevin's story
      Kevin finished F.5 in HK in last July, but the result was disappointing, with an English IELTS of only 2.5.

      His mother visited Stafford House in September together with Kevin, and they decided it would be a good place for him to improve his English before further study.

      Kevin made many friends from around the world - Korea, Saudi Arabia and more.

      After only 5 months at Stafford House, Kevin's mother was delighted to find that Kevin had improved significantly – he is now able to speak English well and his listening skills are also very strong.

      For his accommodation, Kevin chose the homestay option, staying with a local family. This was so successful he has asked to stay with the same family when he moves over to CATS College Canterbury.

      Kevin's aim is to study the A level Business pathway at CATS and is looking forward to going to University in a couple of years.

    • Lea

      Lea

      Switzerland

    • Man

      Man

      Hong Kong

      “The teachers do not just teach us English, but they also understand how we are feeling – they are really supportive, they really care about you. Canterbury is good for shopping, and having London so close by is great."

    • Mizuki

      Mizuki

      Japan

    • Nasser

      Nasser

      Kuwait

    • Nataly

      Nataly

      Colombia

      I improved my English a lot! I started in Pre-Intermediate level and progressed to advanced. I had a lot of teachers in the time that I’ve been here and I think they are the best! They really care and help us with every question that we have. I also love the social programme and activity managers! I took a lot of trips over the weekends to Brighton, London, Cambridge, Oxford, Leeds Castle, Dover Castle so I feel like I’ve travelled all over and know Britain very well. And now my IELTS score will help me progress onto a Master’s degree in Manchester University. I live with a host family and I think that they are the most lovely host family that anybody can have!

    • Pat

      Pat

      Thailand

    • Pattanan

      Pattanan

      Thailand

      "The school provides everything a student wants and the teachers are very helpful, cheerful and kind.

      I chose Canterbury because it's a quiet town where I can concentrate on my studies. The environment here is suitable for studying in every way. The most important thing is that the staff care about what students think and listen to them."

    • Rahel

      Rahel

      Switzerland

      Recommended by a friend, I really like Stafford House! There are many activities and our activity leaders are very cool and I’m always socialising and traveling all around. All my friends are usually coming with me and we have this extra opportunity to speak and practise our English. I’m staying with a host family and I really like them! I talk with them a lot when I go home and have dinner with them. They are great and taught me how to play Lawn Bowling - it’s so much fun! My teachers are all very different but I like all of them.

    • Sasha

      Sasha

      Switzerland

    • Seren

      Seren

      Turkey

      I enjoyed all things about Stafford House. We have lots of activities and get to choose from many different options. Pub nights, museums, cinema days, pool competition. Every weekend we have a journey to another city - Cambridge, Oxford, London and Brighton - they are really unforgettable memories for us. I feel that I really improved my English at Stafford House - of course my main aim! Before I came here I didn’t trust my speaking and it was really hard to understand the English accent but now I can speak fluently and understand everything.

    • Sohayeb

      Sohayeb

      Saudi Arabia

    • Tinn

      Tinn

      Thailand

      In my opinion teachers in Stafford House are very good because they can give us examples and whenever I have a question they really take time to explain and make sure I understand. I have 4 different teachers in 5 months that I’ve studied here. The classes are very useful and it was a great choice to go for intensive class. I’ve made great progress – I used to speak very slow and made a lot of mistakes, now I still make mistakes but I’m much more confident and have a wider vocabulary. Staff in the school is very friendly and provide a good service! It’s important because when you live in a foreign country you need a lot of help and staff is here to help us and resolve any issues. Social programme here is very useful because you can use the language that you learn in the classroom and you can practise a lot more.

    • Victoria

      Victoria

      Switzerland

      Staff in the school is very helpful, I’ve just changed accommodation and now live in a student house with a lot of international students which is great because I’ve made a lot of friends. There are a lot of activities in the afternoon every day and we are having a great time here!

     
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    ENGLISH Courses IN CANTERBURY

    We have a range of programmes to suit all English levels. You can count on our specialised teachers to empower and guide you through your learning journey whilst studying English in Canterbury. All our staff and teachers aim to go the extra mile to immerse you in the language and culture.

    Sample Timetables

    The Standard programme consists of the Core English Course in the morning.

    Morning
    TIME MON TUES WED THUR FRI
    9.00 - 10.30 CORE ENGLISH COURSE
      BREAK
    10.50-12.20 CORE ENGLISH COURSE

    Intensive programmes consist of the Core English Course in the morning plus one module. There will be no classes on Friday afternoon

    Students will be allocated one afternoon module class
    TIME MON TUES WED THUR FRI
    9.00 - 10.30 CORE ENGLISH COURSE
      BREAK
    10.50-12.20 CORE ENGLISH COURSE
      LUNCH
    13.20-14.20                                                        MODULE 1 FREE AFTERNOON

    Super Intensive programmes consist of the Core English Course in the morning plus two modules. There will be no classes on Friday afternoon

    Students will be allocated two afternoon module classes
    TIME MON TUES WED THUR FRI
    9.00 - 10.30 CORE ENGLISH COURSE
      BREAK
    10.50-12.20 CORE ENGLISH COURSE
      LUNCH
    13.20-14.20                                                        MODULE 1 FREE AFTERNOON
                                                             BREAK
    14.30-15.30                                                        MODULE 2

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