Hurtwood House Summer School, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey
Hurtwood House is a well-established residential school set in beautiful English countryside only an hour from London.
The summer course is open to boys and girls from the ages of 11 to 17. Students may join at any time during July and early August and may stay as long as they wish during this period. All the students are accommodated in school houses.
The school consists of Hurtwood House, its Lodge and Cottage, and three other delightful country mansions each situated in its own grounds in the nearby countryside. Each house has its own staff who look after the specific needs of the children in their care.
Parents can rest assured that everything possible is done to see that their children are well looked after. We give the students the brightest, busiest and best holiday of their lives. From lunchtime until midnight (earlier for the little ones) we provide the most amazing activities programme imaginable. Every minute of every hour of every day is full of activities, games, competitions, excursions, sports and theatre.
Out teaching staff have been chosen not only for their academic ability but also for their versatility, and between them they coach or supervise every single activity we organise.
We give the students the brightest, busiest and best holiday of their lives. After a morning in the classroom, followed by lunch, students enjoy the contrast of a physically active afternoon.
Boarding
You will be living in one of five country houses or their lodges, some of which are on the campus and some nearby. Each House has a Housemaster who lives in and a team of House Tutors. The Housemaster is the link between the school and your parents and is their first point of contact on all academic and pastoral matters. The House staff are responsible for looking after you, for monitoring your academic progress, for providing guidance and for creating a warm, supportive and organised family unit and what we like to think of as a sense of ‘structured informality’.
A wide variety of sport is on offer and children can enjoy, amongst other sports, football, tennis, horse riding, basketball, volleyball, hockey, squash, laser war games, boating on the river, ice skating, dry skiing, go-karting, table tennis, swimming, ten pin bowling and so much more you would not believe it! Our teaching staff have been chosen not only for their academic ability but also for their versatility, and between them they expertly coach every sport we play.
Dates in 2024
Students may stay for any number of weeks Sunday arrivals and departures are preferred. The Summer School runs from Sunday 30 June to Saturday 3 August 2024.
Also see our regular high school page and our regular Arts programmes
The 2024 English Language Summer School runs from Sunday 30 June to Saturday 3 August 2024. Minimum stay is 2 weeks. Sunday arrivals and departures only. (apart from final Saturday!)
English Language Course 2024
English Lessons are Lively! Children learn through involvement and there is plenty of pupil participation during classes. Small teaching groups of about 1:10 mean that everyone can be given generous individual attention.
Students on the Summer Course always say how much they enjoy their classes and how much they learn during their stay. The secret of this success lies in the fact that while lessons are a most important part of the course (classes being held every morning except Sundays) students are immersed in English around the clock while they are here. The learning process does not end in the classroom. All four language skills are consistently exploited throughout the day.
£ 1,850 per week 2024 There are NO extras. Fees include free board, accommodation, tuition and ALL sports, excursions and activities.
The Residential Intensive Actor’s Training Course dates for 2024 Sunday July 14 - Saturday 20, the age requirement is 14-19 years.
Price for 2024 £ 1,250 per week
Interested in performance? Think you want to be an actor? Want to go to drama school? Working with professional actors and directors you will get a real insight into what training to be an actor is like. Improve your chances of getting into drama school with top tips from a team who have assisted more than 150 people into drama school in the past ten years.
This course is a feast of workshops and master classes for aspiring actors who really want to move forward. You will work with specialist teachers on acting skills for the stage and screen, including voice, movement and stage combat. This is an intensive week. You will work hard and really stretch yourself. You’ll make friends and have fun. There will also be a chance to try out your audition speech in front of a real drama school audition panel. The week culminates in a public performance to celebrate the progress you’ve made.
You will work on: Acting skills, Audition techniques, Acting for Film and TV, Voice, Movement, Mask work, Stage combat
The Residential Intensive Musical Theatre Course dates for 2024 Sunday 21 July - Saturday 27 July For Ages 14-17
Price for 2024 £ 750 per week
The one week residential musical theatre course is designed for the aspiring performer who wants to improve and develop their passion for performance. The course is designed to introduce you to a range of musical theatre styles as well as develop skills that can be applied in performance.
Through a variety of intense and creative workshops you will learn to improve and develop your craft and work on individual skills and also as a member of the ensemble. Musical Theatre is about the collaboration of all three performance disciplines; Acting, Singing and Dance and by working with professional Directors, Musical Directors and Choreographers, you will learn more in this one intensive week than you ever thought possible! The week culminates in a public performance to celebrate the progress you've made although the focus of the course is on process, developing and growing as a performer and as a person.
Each day a different West End Masterclass will take place. This will involve working with a series of visiting professionals from different West End productions who will teach, inspire and share with you their experience from the industry. Previous guests have included West End Artists from Wicked, Hairspray, Parade, Mary Poppins, Singing in the Rain Mamma Mia and Chicago.
In addition to the Masterclass programme you will work on: Acting skills, Audition technique, Improvisation, Voice control, Group singing, Movement and Choreography
