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If you are an international student and are attending a summer school in the UK this summer, then you will definitely find this blog post useful and informative as it will tell you about the important things you will need to pack before you leave. For students who have already booked onto either our Intensive General English or Pre-IB Course, we will be sending you a detailed handbook in early June. For now, here is a quick checklist for you…

1. Be prepared for the unpredictable UK summer weather…
Any student attending an academic or English course in the UK should be prepared for the unpredictable British weather in the summer! A traditional British summer boarding experience means enjoying the sun, rain, clouds, hail, thunder and temperatures that vary between 10°c – 35°c degrees…all in one day! Perhaps this is a slight exaggeration of what the weather is like at a UK Summer School, but students should definitely pack for variable and unpredictable weather. This does mean bringing clothing that covers both hot, cold, wet, and dry weather!

2. Pack the right amount of clothes

At Whitgift Summer School, we wash students’ clothes every Friday. Therefore, if you are coming for 2, 3, 4 or even 6 weeks, you only really need to pack clothes that last for 7 days! Here is a list of suggestions for what to bring for your summer experience:

• Enough underwear and socks for one week
• 2 sets of nightwear
• 2 or 3 pairs of jeans/trousers/shorts/skirts/dresses
• 7 T-shirts
• Sports clothes (depending on the activities and academies you want to choose, enough for four sessions per week)
• 1 or 2 warm jumpers
• 1 waterproof jacket for outdoor activities
• 1 pair of trainers
• 1 smart outfit for prize-giving/graduation. Boys: trousers/chinos and a shirt Girls: dress or smart skirt/trousers and blouse (heels must not be higher than 4cm) If you wish, you may attend prize-giving events in national dress.

Additional clothing items for girls:

•Tights/leggings

Toiletries/Cosmetics:

•Shampoo
•Conditioner
•Shower gel/bar of soap
•Hair Brush
•Toothbrush and toothpaste
•Roll-on deodorant
•Moisturiser
•Sun block

4. Buy an alarm clock…seriously!
An important thing to pack when you come to London for your Whitgift Summer School experience is to bring a small alarm clock. We know that most people use their smartphones as an alarm clock, but at Whitgift Summer School students are not permitted to have their phones in their bedrooms overnight because we want students to sleep well and not have late night screen time. Therefore, students must give their phones to their House Parents, who will put them in a secure cupboard overnight. In the morning, students simply collect their phones for the day. As a result, students must have a small ‘old school’ alarm clock with them. Of course, our House Parents will be knocking on doors and ringing the handbell at wake-up time in the morning, but it will be important for all our international summer school students to set their own alarm as this will help them get into a good routine and quickly adapt to their new summer school home.

5. Do some last-minute summer school research
Make sure you find out about Whitgift Summer School, check our social media accounts, read our website, watch our virtual tour of the school and the residence you will be staying in (see below) and ask us questions! By doing all these things you to be better prepared for your ‘Whitgift Experience’ here in London and be able to make the most of your time at one of the best summer programmes in the UK!