Student age
These ages are averages from recent years, a guide rather than a guarantee for your visit.
7 nationalities
Switzerland
24%
Italy
16%
Türkiye
8%
Brazil
4%
Germany
4%
France
4%
Spain
3%
This mix of nationalities is an average from recent years, a guide rather than a guarantee for your visit.
You'll learn English in Eastbourne, a seaside town on England's south coast, from a standalone school building with its own gardens and terrace. St Giles Eastbourne has taught here since 1978, keeping the setting calm and compact, five to ten minutes from the town centre.
Lessons start with a placement test, then teaching matched to your level across 20 classrooms fitted with interactive whiteboards.
ST Giles Eastbourne is right for you if you…
This suits students who want a small, personal school with a calm, seaside feel rather than a large campus. Students after a big, high-energy city-centre school would be better served elsewhere.
Start with the students. Start date, trip length and language level are set per student next.
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.
The offering of ST Giles Eastbourne
Everyday classes for speaking, listening, reading and writing. The starting point for most students.
From €471 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
See the 9 coursesEveryday classes for speaking, listening, reading and writing. The starting point for most students.
From €331 per week
See the 6 coursesOne teacher, one student. Content and pace follow whatever you need to work on.
From €1,164 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
See the 2 coursesTargeted practice for official exams, built around the exam dates.
From €461 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
See the 4 coursesCourses designed for young adults and teens.
€680 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
Read about this courseYour own room in a flat with housemates. You cook for yourself.
€257 per week
Sunday to Saturday.
Read about this stayA private room in a local household, with meals at the table. The most of the language you will speak outside class.
€182 per week
Sunday to Sunday. Your family is matched after booking.
How host family matching worksYour level is confirmed before you travel, through an online placement test taken ahead of the course. That means your first morning at the school starts with a welcome session, where you meet the staff and the other students beginning with you, before moving straight into the timetable built around your confirmed level.
Step 1 of 2
Meet the school staff and the other students during a welcome session on arrival.
The social programme runs most weeks of the year, with around four activities a week in winter, five in autumn and spring, and up to nine a week in summer. Free evenings on site might mean a board game night or the debate club, while a paid outing could take you on an old-town walk through Eastbourne that ends with a coffee stop, or out to a trampoline park or a round of laser tag. Evenings and weekends also bring trips, parties and meals out, so the line-up looks different most weeks.
Welcome session
A welcome session on arrival introduces you to staff and to the other students starting that week.
Conversation table
Join the free weekly conversation table to practise English with other students in an informal setting.
Garden and terrace
The large private garden and terrace are shared spaces for relaxing, playing games and chatting between classes.
Student café
Grab a coffee at the student café, a natural spot to strike up conversation before or after lessons.
Included for free
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Included for free
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Included for free
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Included for free
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Classes average 10 students and never grow beyond 12, which is small enough for your teacher to check in with you one-to-one every two weeks, backed by in-class tests on the same cycle and regular progress checks. Teaching follows a learner-centred method, with lesson plans built around discussion and class activities rather than a fixed script. Standard group lessons run from 09:00 to 15:40. During busier periods the school also runs an off-peak afternoon general English timetable from 13:45 to 17:40, and junior programmes combine morning and afternoon sessions.Before you arrive you complete an online placement test, which the school combines with an oral conversation to confirm your level. Courses span beginner to proficient, covering CEFR levels from A1 upward for general English.
No single nationality dominates the school's student community, which draws a broad mix of mostly European students alongside dozens of other nationalities over the course of the year. The average age shifts with the seasons too: a younger, summer-holiday crowd gives way to an older mix of twenty-somethings and young professionals for the rest of the year. Students get to know each other in the garden and on the terrace between lessons, at the school's free weekly conversation table, and during the welcome session on arrival. You can even connect with other incoming students before you land, through the school's pre-arrival community channel. The cards below point to the concrete spots and moments where those first connections tend to happen.
An even mix of men and women.
Switzerland
24%
Italy
16%
Türkiye
8%
Brazil
4%
Germany
4%
France
4%
Spain
3%
A weekday here, as most students experience it.
From where you study to where you unwind: this is what you will find at the school.
British Council
External inspection.
English UK
Requires a separate accreditation or inspected status.
ST Giles Eastbourne operates under a formal safeguarding policy with a Safeguarding Officer on site. As soon as you arrive, you're given a safety briefing, emergency contact numbers and guidance on the walking route to school, so you know exactly where to go and who to call if you need help.
You can reach the school's emergency line at any hour if something urgent comes up.
Every staff member completes background and police checks before working with students.
13 Silverdale Rd, Eastbourne BN20 7AJ, UK
Nearby
Most students fly into London Gatwick, the nearest airport to Eastbourne. The school can arrange a taxi transfer straight to your accommodation, and Gatwick also has a direct train link to Eastbourne if you would rather make your own way there.
Book a taxi transfer with the school straight from the airport to your accommodation.
Take the direct Southern train from Gatwick Airport station to Eastbourne.
Catch the Metrobus 500, a direct bus service between Gatwick Airport and Eastbourne.
Pick up an official taxi with Airport Cars Gatwick, who meet passengers in the arrivals hall.
“What a fantastic place! It was an incredible experience and a huge privilege to have had classes with such amazing people. Sarah is an excellent professional, as is everyone at St Giles. Thank you for being a part of …”Jul 2026
“What a fantastic place! It was an incredible experience and a huge privilege to have had classes with such amazing people. Sarah is an excellent professional…”
“One of the best schools I've ever been to, teachers are very prepared and they make learning fun (especially Sharon), there are a ton of activities you can d…”
“I had an incredible experience studying English at St. Giles International School for two weeks. The school is well-structured and organized, with attentive …”
The key school facts, terms and travel information in one place.
After the school confirms your booking, you pay a 30% down payment within 5 days. 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.
Eastbourne 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.
Pay easily with your preferred payment method
From €331 per week, including course materials. You pay the school price, with no extra charge.
