ST Giles Cambridge teaches English from a boutique school in the heart of one of Britain's oldest university cities. Founded in 1955, it has kept things deliberately small: classes cap at 12 students, averaging 10, inside a building of eight refurbished classrooms.
Triple accreditation from the British Council, English UK and Bildungsurlaub backs up the academic focus, and the school pairs it with an international student community and a central address, with easy train links to London.
This suits students who want focused, academic English study at a boutique school in the heart of historic Cambridge. If you're after a large campus or a high-energy, big-city buzz, you'd be better served elsewhere.
A good fit if you…
Start with the students. Start date, trip length and language level are set per student next.
To see all courses, exact prices and full details, use the planner above.
Everyday classes for speaking, listening, reading and writing. The starting point for most students.
€406–€649 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
See the 4 coursesOne teacher, one student. Content and pace follow whatever you need to work on.
€1,097–€1,709 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
See the 2 coursesGeneral classes plus a theme such as culture, work or a specific programme.
€567 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
See the 2 coursesTargeted practice for official exams, built around the exam dates.
€448–€588 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
See the 4 courses€359 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
Read about this course€1,652 per week
Read about this course4 ways to live in Cambridge, all booked through the school. The stay period follows your course automatically.
A building full of other students, with shared kitchens and common rooms. Easiest way to meet people.
€387 per week
Sunday to Sunday.
A hotel or aparthotel booked through the school.
€986 per week
Sunday to Sunday.
A private room in a local household, with meals at the table. The most of the language you will speak outside class.
€240 per week
Sunday to Sunday. Your family is matched after booking.
€400–€690 per week
Sunday to Sunday.
See how busy the school typically is throughout the year and choose the month that best suits your preferences.
The quietest stretch of the year. Ideal if you would rather take the school and the destination at a slower pace, with fewer people around you.
Busyness describes how full the school is, not class size or who you will study with.
Classes here stay small and personal: 10 students on average, never more than 12, giving teachers room to work with what each group actually needs rather than follow a fixed script. Teaching is active and learner-centred, built around discussion and classroom activities, with one-to-one feedback from your teacher every two weeks and regular in-class and progress tests. General English runs at 28 lessons a week, or you can take a lighter 20-lesson course scheduled for the morning or the afternoon. Group lessons run between 09:00 and 17:40. If you're on an afternoon course, the exact slot is assigned by level once timetables are confirmed on your first day, and you can't request a preference in advance.An online placement test before you arrive checks your level. Your level determines which course level is right for you. Courses run from Beginner through to Proficient, aligned with the CEFR framework.
You take an online placement test before you arrive, which gives an initial indication of your level. On your first day at the school, that level is checked in person so you land in the right class from the start. There is also a welcome session where you meet the team and other students before lessons get going.
You do not need to bring a course book with you. Materials are bought separately once you are here, for £35 to £50 per book.
Students at ST Giles Cambridge come from a broad mix of nationalities, and no single country makes up more than a small share of the school's community. Most travel here on their own, and the average age shifts through the year: younger and livelier over summer, older and more settled once term quietens down. Classes are grouped by level, so you meet people beyond your own class group elsewhere in the school. That happens over shared tables on the garden terrace, familiar faces in the student café, or whichever activity is running that evening. Here's where those connections happen.
An even mix of men and women.
Spain
13%
Italy
12%
Türkiye
11%
Switzerland
11%
Saudi Arabia
6%
Brazil
4%
France
3%
A weekday here, as most students experience it.
Enjoy four activities a week for most of the year, rising to six a week over summer. The social calendar covers afternoons, evenings and weekends, mixing free options, such as a general sports session, a historical site tour or a city tour, with paid outings like museum visits, theatre or concert trips and local festivals. Look out too for one-off events such as Portuguese Night, Cambridgeshire County Day and the Strawberry Fair, plus guitar classes, book club and quiz nights back at the school.
Garden terrace and café
Between classes, students gather on the garden terrace or in the student café to relax and chat.
Quiz and games nights
Regular quizzes and games sessions give students an easy, low-pressure way to meet outside the classroom.
Book club
The school's book club brings together students who want to keep talking about what they're reading.
Themed cultural evenings
Events such as Portuguese Night and the Cambridgeshire County Day bring the whole school together around food and local culture.
Accreditations
Memberships
Funding and study leave
You have a named student support contact throughout your course, reachable by phone, WhatsApp or the school's emergency line, and staff are available during school hours with an emergency contact outside them. On arrival you get a safety briefing and the emergency numbers you might need, and the school works to a formal safeguarding policy with background-checked staff.If something goes wrong, the response is practical. For a medical emergency, staff call 999 and give first aid while you wait for an ambulance. For smaller issues, they can take you to the pharmacy, help you register with the doctor's surgery next door, or call 111 on your behalf. If you lose your passport or another document, the school helps you report it and get the paperwork sorted. Every incident is logged and reviewed each year.
The school's average emergency response time is under five minutes.
No serious safety incidents have been recorded at the school in the past two years.
Every member of staff is trained in first aid.
52 Bateman St, Cambridge CB2 1LR, UK
You can fly into London Stansted, the nearest airport to Cambridge. You can arrange a taxi transfer through the school, straight from Stansted to your accommodation, or take the direct train into the city centre yourself.
“I spent a month at St. Giles Language School in Cambridge. During the four weeks, I had many positive experiences and made wonderful memories. The school has a family atmosphere and wishes and suggestions are respecte…”Mar 2024
“I spent a month at St. Giles Language School in Cambridge. During the four weeks, I had many positive experiences and made wonderful memories. The school has…”
“What a great place to learn English! My daughter was thrilled about the teachers and the kindness of the whole team. I didn't expect such a success and highl…”
“I strongly recommend this school to learn and practice English. The small size of the school enables students to have more proximity with teachers and the pr…”
The key school facts, terms and travel information in one place.
A down payment of 30% is due upon booking and the full payment is due 29 days before arrival.
Flexible date changes and a full refund, up to 15 days before arrival. 10% cancellation fee between 13 and 1 days before arrival. No refund after the course starts.
Flexible date changes and a full refund, up to 30 days before arrival, 50% refund between 29 and 15 days before arrival. No refund after 15 days before arrival.
Cambridge has the following national holidays. Please note that schools might be closed on these days. The school will inform you about the exact dates once you request a booking.
Practical answers about the school and your stay.
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From €316 per week, including course materials. You pay the school price, with no extra charge.
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