English Immersion Programme (2-6 Weeks)

Build confidence, improve English and experience life at our award-winning school in West Sussex.

Welcome to Westbourne House School

We are a coeducational day and boarding prep school for children up to age 13 (Year 8). The school is situated in over 40 ha of beautiful parkland just outside the historic city of Chichester, which has a notable cathedral, vibrant theatre, prestigious art gallery and bustling shops.

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2026 Dates

Monday 28 September - Friday 16 October
Monday 9 November - Friday 27 November
Monday 11 January - Friday 12 February
Monday 22 February - Friday 19 March
Monday 26 April - Friday 28 May
Monday 7 June - Friday 9 July

Location

Westbourne House has a vibrant boarding community of local children and your child will immediately feel at home here.

90 minutes from Heathrow
60 minutes from Gatwick
Direct train to London Victoria
Sunniest area of the UK
40 ha of stunning English countryside
City, seaside, beaches and countryside a few minutes away

“I joined Westbourne House School in 2024, and it is my paradise. I have so much fun every single day”

Julie, Year 6 boarder

Our daughter was very well taken care of throughout her stay and was amazed to see that it was possible to be surrounded by so many caring people – both pupils and adults. She was rapidly put at ease in this new environment, which allowed her to dare speaking in a language that she still doesn’t speak fluently. The teachers’ kindness and patience, the limited number of pupils per class and the great class equipment contributed to her learning new material in various school subjects without too much effort.

Amélie

Fees

Only £3,600 including VAT Fees include:

Pick up and drop off from Gatwick/Heathrow airport
A six-day school timetable (Monday to Saturday)
Extra-curricular activities in the evenings and at the weekends
Three meals a day and snacks at breaktime
All laundry costs
Trips which support curriculum learning every weekend
Books
Stationery

Fees Exclude:

Weekend Pocket Money
Optional individual music lessons

A deposit of £500 is required. You are required to pay in full three months ahead of the trip. If you cancel two months in advance, you will receive a 50% refund. There is no refund if you cancel with less than one month’s notice. Your deposit will be returned in full once your child has returned to you, providing there are no damages.

Safe and Sound

A member of our staff will meet your son or daughter at the airport and drive them to school.

Your child will have a friendly ‘boarding buddy’, a fellow pupil who will show them around and help look after them. Our school staff will care for and support your child during their stay at Westbourne House and ensure they feel safe, happy and secure.

The boarding houses are laid out like a family home with bedrooms, bathrooms, sitting rooms and gardens. Each boarding house is run by houseparents, who are always there to help and spend time with the children each morning and evening.

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Varied and Unique Learning

Our children enjoy a varied curriculum delivered by specialist teachers and have lessons in maths, English, science, languages, geography, history, art, music, drama and one of the following depending on the time of year: ceramics, robotics, food technology and design technology.

We will give your child a laptop or tablet, which will be used occasionally in lesson time. This must be returned at the end of their stay.

We ask that your child has a B1 level of English (or higher) to take part in this experience to ensure that they benefit as much as possible from their lessons.

Typical Day

7.45am: Breakfast
8.30am: Registration & Discussion
9.00am: Maths
10.00am: History
11.00am: Breaktime
11.30am: Sport
12.30pm: English
1.00pm: Lunchtime

2.00pm: English
2.30pm: Robotics
3.30pm: Breaktime
3.45pm: Science
4.45pm: Homework
5.30pm: End of School Day
6.00pm: Supper
8.30pm-9pm: Bedtime

Learn More

Three-week Immersion at Westbourne House School

Trips and Excursions

Our boarding team is comprised of talented, specialist teachers, and your child will have privileged access to their expertise in art, drama, sport and music. The team puts on an array of weekend trips and evening activities, such as outings to London, Brighton, Arundel Castle and Portsmouth’s historic dockyard. Evening activities include karaoke, outdoor sports, games and movie nights.

Good To Know

We have an on-site nursing team
There is no access to personal electronic devices during the school day. Our boarders’ devices are looked after by staff and they are given scheduled access to phone home and connect with you
In the unlikely event that your child needs to see a doctor, the nearest medical surgery is only 1km away and the nearest hospital is 2km away
Our school is the winner of a national 'Kindest School’ Award
We have an exceptional pastoral care team
We are experienced at helping children overcome homesickness

Latest news

Old Westbournian News

05/07/2026

New school film - joy, energy and purpose of life at Westbourne House School

We are delighted to share our new school film with you, created in collaboration with our pupils, parents and Old Westbournian

04/07/2026

Year 3's marvellous moments

Our Year 3 pupils' learning has taken them deep into the Amazon rainforest, where they transformed into budding naturalists

04/07/2026

Year 8's show-stopping final moment

Mary Poppins - what a magical final chapter and a perfect sign off from our unforgettable Year 8 pupils As the curtain falls on

What was your stay like? Questions and answers with a pupil from France

Alors tu viens de passer trois semaines avec nous à l'école Westbourne House School et dis-moi un peu pourquoi est-ce que tu es venue?

Ben, je suis venue pour tester une nouvelle expérience, découvrir. Du coup je n'avais jamais eu l'occasion de vraiment venir en Angleterre, découvrir les écoles, la façon dont c'est fait et aussi pouvoir apprendre l'anglais davantage.

Q: You've just spent three weeks with us at Westbourne House School, tell me a little bit about why you came here?

A: I came to try a new experience and to explore. I’d never really had the opportunity to come to England before, to discover the schools, how things are done here, and also to improve my English.

Est-ce que tu avais des craintes avant de venir?

J'avais peur de pas réussir à suivre tous les cours, que ça soit compliqué et que j'arrive en plein milieu de l'année, que ce soit compliqué de prendre le programme en anglais, et alors que je n'ai pas commencé les mêmes leçons et tout ça, c'est différent par rapport à la France.

Q: Did you have any worries or fears before you came?

A: I was scared I wouldn't be able to follow the lessons, that they would be complicated and that I arrived in the middle of the year. I thought it might be hard to follow the curriculum in English, especially as I hadn’t started the same lessons, and it is different compared to France.

Et alors, après trois semaines ici, comment est-ce que tu te sens? Est-ce que tu es contente de ton séjour?

Je suis vraiment contente d'être venue ici. Ça m'a vraiment plu cette expérience. Certes, c'était un petit peu compliqué pour suivre les cours, mais j'ai réussi à progresser et à comprendre à peu près pour réussir à faire ce qui était demandé.

Q: So, after three weeks here, how do you feel? Are you please with your stay?

A: I’m really glad I came here. I really enjoyed the experience. Of course, it was a bit challenging to keep up with the lessons, but I managed to make progress and understand enough to be able to do what was expected.

Et donc tu étais pensionnaire aussi, donc tu restais ici. Raconte-moi un peu ton expérience.

Après les cours, on restait faire des activités. Après, on mangeait. Et après, on allait dans nos chambres et on allait jouer à des jeux de société ou regarder des films. Et après, on allait dormir. On faisait les jeux ensemble, on mangeait tous les repas ensemble et on faisait des activités et c'était sympa tous ensemble.

Q: You are a boarder here, so you stayed here. Tell me a bit about your experience.

A: After classes finished, we would stay and do activities. Then we would eat, and afterwards we’d go to our rooms where we played board games or watched films. Then we would go to sleep. We did the games together, ate all our meals together, and took part in activities and it was really nice being all together.

Tu penses que tu as formé des amitiés qui vont durer ici?

Je me suis fait des amis. Après, je ne sais pas si elles vont toutes durer, mais il y en a quelques-unes qui ont été assez fortes, ou peut-être qu'on va réussir à se revoir.

Q: Do you think you have made friendships that will last here?

A: I made friends. When I leave, I am not sure if they will all last but there were a few which were pretty strong or maybe we would manage to see each other again.

Qu'est-ce que tu as pensé de la nourriture ici?

Alors, la nourriture en Angleterre était parfaite. Franchement, c'est une bonne qualité. Il y a toujours quelque chose qu'on aime et c'est super bon. On n'a jamais encore faim après, on peut en prendre jusqu'à ne plus avoir faim. Le petit déjeuner aussi est très bon, très copieux.

Q: What did you think of the food at Westbourne House School?

A: So, the food in England is perfect. Honestly, it's a really good standard. There is always something that we like and it is super good. We weren't hungry afterwards and we can take food until we aren't hungry any more. The breakfast was also very good, and plentiful.

Alors, qu’ est ce qui t'a plu le plus, ou un moment mémorable que tu vas ramener en France avec toi?

Il y en a beaucoup. Tout ce qui s'est passé, c'est mémorable et je vais pouvoir m'en souvenir parce que franchement tout m'a plu, c'était super.

Q: What did you like the most, or is there a memorable moment that you will take home to France with you?

A: There are many memorable moments. Everything that happened was memorable, and I’ll be able to remember it because honestly, I loved all of it, it was great.

Est-ce que tu penses que tu t'es améliorée en anglais?

Oui, je pense que depuis le début j'ai fait des progrès, car au début je ne comprenais rien du tout aux cours. Et au fur et à mesure du temps, grâce aussi à mes copines qui m'aidaient, qui me disaient des mots, qui m'aidaient à m'instruire, j'ai réussi à me développer et maintenant, au bout de trois semaines, je suis meilleure que quand je venais d'arriver.

Q: Do you think your English improved?

A: Yes, I think I’ve made progress since the beginning, because at first I didn’t understand anything in the lessons. But little by little, also thanks to my friends who helped me, who helped me, who explained words, I managed to improve, and now, after three weeks, I’m better than when I first arrived.

Cela t'a pris combien de temps pour pour te sentir à l'aise ici?

Je me rappelle que j'étais totalement perdue le premier jour, j'étais pas du tout à l'aise. Et dès le deuxième jour, je me rappelle qu'on avait fait des choses assez cool, j'ai commencé à me sentir à l'aise. Et à partir de la première semaine, le vendredi, j'étais à l'aise dans l'école.

Q: How long did it take you to feel at ease here?

A: I remember that on the first day I was completely lost and didn’t feel comfortable at all. By the second day, I remember we had done some really nice things, and I started to feel more at ease. By the end of the first week, on Friday, I felt comfortable in the school.

So what's your favourite subject here?

I think it's art because we can create a lot of things and the room is really big and there are a lot of materials. And the teacher is nice. In France, I don't really like art, but in England it's really cool and we can discover new things to create.