Sunday | Welcome to London

Welcome to our English and Engineering Pre University Program. Today, we transfer you from one of London's airports. We will take you to our dorm in the city centre or our Richmond neighbourhood close to the world-famous Thames River. After a short break, we will start exploring both neighbourhoods with our introduction to bus stops, supermarkets, pharmacies and other important local points. This is what you need when you visit a new place. A light welcome meal is served for tonight

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Monday's English Activity Programme : Walking Tour in Westminster City & Buckingham Palace

Your lesson starts at 9 am and our program aims to prepare our students for their upcoming university career while improving their communication skills in English. University taste programs extensively offer grammar, related vocabulary, reading, writing, listening and speaking in the context of an academic, career-focused subject. Lessons also focus on study skills and introduce our students to life as a student. Here is today's curriculum: Engineering design Professional Skills: - Describing design phases and procedures - Resolving design problems Listening: - A floor design Language: - Verbs for describing stages of a design process - Verbs and nouns for describing design problems Lessons finish by 12 pm. After lessons, hot buffet lunch will be offered in our school's refectory.

Today's afternoon exploration program starts with some of London's highlights. The Houses of Parliament, known also as the Palace of Westminster is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. They lie on the north bank of the River Thames in the London borough of the City of Westminster, close by other government buildings in Whitehall. The oldest part of the building is still in existence, Westminster Hall, which dates from 1097. The palace originally served as a royal residence, but no monarch has lived in it since the 16th century. Most of the present Houses of Parliament structure dates from the 19th century when the Palace was rebuilt after it was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in 1834. The architects responsible for rebuilding the Palace was Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin, and the building is an example of the Gothic revival.

Westminster Abbey is a Church, burial ground, coronation site and much more, Westminster Abbey continues to attract visitors over 900 years after its founding. In many respects the architecture is common. There's the traditional cross-shaped floor plan with a nave, north and south transepts and several round side areas. But both its execution and use raise The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster (the official name) to among the highest examples of church construction. Here at Westminster Abbey lie buried kings and poets, scientists and philosophers who have themselves raised humankind to the highest levels. Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell (discoverer of electromagnetic theory, which later lead to radio and TV), Chaucer and Kipling, Dr. Samuel Johnson (creator of the first English dictionary) and many other justly famous names are interred here.

Buckingham Palace is still the official residence of Britain's monarchy, as it has been since Queen Victoria's designation in 1837. Much of the Buckingham Palace was constructed as early as 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham House (as it was then known) was purchased in 1762 by George III, who used it as a private residence. Over the following 75 years the house was expanded to form three wings around a central courtyard. When Queen Victoria discovered Buckingham Palace lacked several 'necessary' rooms - such as a formal ballroom, a nursery, visitor's bedrooms and others - major additions were undertaken, including adding an entire wing to form a quadrangle. Buckingham Palace is the home of the Changing Guard Ceremony in London. The Changing of the Guard has been a tradition for hundreds of years whereby the Household Regiment, the Queen’s Guards at Buckingham Palace, change shift in a fascinating show of pomp and circumstance.

Imagine a park that is surrounded by world-famous landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Whitehall right in the heart of the city. It is arguably the city's best park in every season. St James’s Park is one of London’s eight Royal Parks and covers an area of nearly 57 acres. Summer, fall, winter and spring, St James's Park gives you great joy with the outstanding beauty of its landscape with animals, nature and the vegetation you can admire. The park’s famous flower beds at the front of Buckingham Palace are a familiar backdrop to pageants including Trooping the Colour, as well as state visits and other ceremonial occasions. Can you believe this? Pelicans have lived in St James’s Park for nearly 400 years. They were originally presented as a gift from the Russian Ambassador to King Charles II. If we go back to 1500's, Tudor times we should mention our big King Henry VIII who was also known for his love of hunting; he regularly used Regent's Park as a hunting ground. St James's Park wasn't quite big enough for his needs, so he put it to use as an area for breeding young deer — once they were old enough, they were shipped off to Hyde Park and Regent's Park to face their fate. Listen to other stories from our APTG qualified blue badge tourist guides.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Tuesday's English Activity Programme - Visiting St Mary's University (Or similar)

Today's lessons will be scheduled between 9 am and 12 pm and your curriculum will be: Engineering design Professional Skills: - Working with drawings - Discussing dimensions and precision Listening: - A drawing query Language: - Views on technical drawings - Phrases related to scale

In the afternoon, we'll visit one of London's well-known universities to learn about UK student life, majors, degrees and academic searches. For our students, it will be questions and answers based on an interactive visit.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Wednesday's English Activity Programme - Old Operating Brunel Museum

Today's lessons will be scheduled between 9 am and 12 pm and your curriculum will be: Technical development Professional Skills: - Discussing technical requirements Listening: - Simulator requirements and effects - Lifting options Language: - Phrases for referring to quantity and extent

In the afternoon we will visit the museum dedicated to the legacy of two of the UK’s greatest engineers, Marc Isambard Brunel and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The Brunel Museum is in the Brunel Engine House in Southwark which was designed by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel to be part of the infrastructure of the Thames Tunnel. Engine House was the foundation of the Thames Tunnel infrastructure which had steam pumps for extracting water from the tunnel while it was being built between 1825 and 1843. Brunel Museum tells a story of world-changing engineering family in London. The first underground concert party of the world was organised by Brunel here in 1827 and the museum celebrates acts, music and theatre as well as engineering. Yes, the party was right beneath the River Thames. Marc Isambard Brunel’s son Isambard Kingdom Brunel was also an ingenious Victorian engineer. He built dockyards, the Great Western Railway (GWR), a series of steamships including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering. Therefore, the family is called an engineering family that changed the World.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Thursday's English Activity Programme - The London Eye

Today's lessons will be scheduled between 9 am and 12 pm and your curriculum will be: Technical development Professional Skills: - Suggesting ideas and solutions - Assessing feasibility Reading: - Mammoth problem Language: - Phrases for suggesting solutions and alternatives - Idioms to describe the feasibility

In the afternoon we will take a ride on one of London’s greatest modern engineering achievements - the 135-metre-high London Eye. Our Millennium Wheel is the first-built and largest observation wheel in the world (a type of evolution on the Ferris wheel) and has been since its opening at the end of 1999. The London Eye stands 135 metres (443 feet) high on the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames in Lambeth, London, England, between Westminster and Hungerford Bridges. It is adjacent to London's County Hall and stands opposite the offices of the Ministry of Defence situated in Westminster which it overlooks to the west. The London Eye was designed by architects David Marks, Julia Barfield, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrow hawk, Steven Chilton, and Nic Bailey. The London Eye's wheel carries 32 sealed and air-conditioned passenger capsules attached to its external circumference. Rotating at a rate of 0.26 metres per second so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes to complete, the London Eye wheel does not usually stop to take on passengers (the rotation rate is so slow that passengers can easily walk) except for the wheelchair users. What a lovely panoramic sightseeing attraction in the city. Our APTG qualified blue badge tourist guides will gladly tell you the history of the landmarks that you will see from the sky.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Friday's English Activity Programme - Shopping in London

Today's lessons will be scheduled between 9 am and 12 pm and your curriculum will be: Technical development Professional Skills: - Describing improvements and redesigns Listening: - Hole requirements and forming a project briefing Language: - Verbs with re… to describe modifications - Idioms to describe redesigning

Oxford Street is one of London’s stretching between Tottenham Court Road and Marble Arch. It’s also Oxford Street is one of London’s artery stretching between Tottenham Court Road and Marble Arch. It’s also Europe’s busiest shopping street hosting around half million visitors daily. Today, there are more than 300 shops, cafes, restaurants, language schools, department stores and many more. It’s the heart of daily business, fun, leisure and of course shopping in London. Like everywhere in London, Oxford Street has its history. The street route used to be part of the Via Trinobantina, a Roman route that passes through London between Hampshire and Essex. It was known as the Tyburn Road during the Middle Ages when Tyburn Gallows was also known for its public hangings. It became known as Oxford Road and then Oxford Street in the 18th century and began to change from residential to commercial and retail use by the late 19th century, attracting street traders, confidence tricksters and prostitution. The first department stores in the UK opened in the early 20th century, including Selfridges, John Lewis & Partners and HMV. Unlike nearby shopping streets such as Bond Street, it has retained an element of downmarket trading alongside more prestigious retail stores. The street suffered heavy bombing during World War II, and several longstanding stores including John Lewis were completely destroyed and rebuilt from scratch. Oxford Street, with several chain stores on the street and a number of buildings listed, remains in demand as a retail place amid competition of other shopping malls, including Westfield Stratford City and the Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Because shopping is simply a tradition on this street and especially tourists love this experience during their stay in London.

Welcome to the heart and soul of the fashion industry in the city. Carnaby Street is a pedestrian shopping street in Soho City and its colourful history stemmed from when the street was built in 1682, taking its name from Karnaby House to the first men's boutique, being the epicentre of the Swinging 60s, home to the punks of the 80s and up to today. It is an iconic London area. Between Oxford and Regent Streets, fashion and lifestyle retailers are just located here, including a large quantity of independent fashion shops. In the heart of London's shopping scene, Carnaby Street brings you over 100 foreign and British fashion brands, independent boutiques, one off concepts, trendy beauty emporiums, grooming salons and custom jewellery specialists together. From brand-new flagships and UK firsts to presenting one-off and unique designers, Carnaby's 14 streets are lined up with women's wear, men's clothing, cosmetics and accessories like no other. Not just for shopping of course, more than 60 independent restaurants, bars, cafes and pubs selling cheap à la carte and late-night drinks, even yummy breakfasts bedazzle the tourists and Londoners alike. Now it’s your turn to explore this lovely district with us.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Saturday's English Activity Programme - Brighton Full Day Excursion

The city's nightlife as well as arts, shopping and festivals are also known. A striking landmark with its Indo-Saracen dome and ornate interiors, the Royal Pavilion is once Kings George IV's residence. In the garden, there are large collections of the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery from fine art to decoration where we will observe for today. The Royal Pavilion began as a humble lodging house in the 18th century. The Prince of Wales, Architect Henry Holland helped George turn his humbling seaside retreat into a beautiful, neoclassical villa– the Marine Pavilion. In 1815 the eminent architect John Nash was hired by George, now Prince Regent, to redesign it in Indian style. The work was finished in 1823 when George was reigning. It is the building that we see today, an instantly recognizable symbol of Brighton. During our visit, we would be very happy to give you a walking tour where you will enjoy strolling the narrow and colourful streets of Brighton. Consecutively you will visit cost Market Street, lively pubs, cafes, street performers, jewellery, fudge sellers and hundreds of shops selling almost all goods for shoppers. You will fall in love with the colourful ambience of the streets of Brighton. Nope, we didn't forget the beautiful Victorian masterpiece, Brighton Palace Pier. This is where you can enjoy different attractions even rollercoasters (not available in winter times). Brighton is also called the green capital of Britain. Brighton promises a day full of fun and joy.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Sunday | Transferring to the Airport

Today is the last day in London unless you continue our program. Well, all good things must come to an end. We provide your transfer service back to the airport with a private vehicle. This is the end of our service and we hope to see you in our various programs here in London.