BLC Blog

February is coming to a close and it feels as if the winter is almost behind us. We enjoyed the snow, and Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year kept us warm temporarily, but we all look forward to the brighter and milder days of spring. Already it’s getting warmer and it’s a lovely time to be out and about enjoying life in Bristol. We think this city sightseeing tour captures the sights and scenery of Bristol beautifully, and hope you like it too! http://bit.ly/bEgyPa
I always think that spring is a good time for change, and that it is the time when plans for the year really begin to take shape. Throughout March we are trialling our interactive online learning platform which will bring an exciting array of new materials and learning opportunities to the classroom, we’re investing in even more interactive whiteboards and soon will be launching a whole new interactive area for students which means that we can stay in touch anytime, anywhere, and most importantly, will help our students to improve their English effectively, while having fun at the same time.
We have had a few staff changes this month and are very sorry to say goodbye to Jo, who has done an excellent job as Accommodation Officer for the last three years. Asia will be taking over her position and we are taking on Irene as our new receptionist. We wish them well in their new appointments and look forward to a busy and productive springtime!
Seonaid Birkett
Director, BLC

Hello everyone and welcome to a snowy 2010!   

New Year is the time for making new starts, planning and building on the successes and challenges of the previous year.  This year looks as busy as ever, with plans to develop two more foundation programmes in Law and IT, school expansion and investment in new facilities and technology, as well as developing more online resources for students.  As ever we look forward to welcoming students from all over the world, and this year we expect to receive students from as many as 40 different countries.  As ever we will be helping them reach their goals of going to university in the UK, or improving their employment or promotion opportunities in their home country.

Here at BLC, we are very excited about 2010, and are looking forward to working with students and  partners to make this our best year ever.  You could even make it your New Year’s resolution to keep up to date with events and courses at The Bristol Language Centre by joining us on Facebook http://www.visitorreview.com/bristollanguagecentre or following us on twitter http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Blc-Bristol/1433804630.  Please take the time to look at our unedited student reviews on the BLC Visitor review to get a real insight into Bristol and life at BLC http://www.visitorreview.com/bristollanguagecentre

With best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous year,

Seonaid Birkett

Director, BLC

Those of you have been reading this blog over the last couple of months could be forgiven for thinking that The Bristol Language Centre was more focussed on its social programme than language learning and academic preparation. This is not the case of course. It is just that we recognise that the social interaction of students is vital for their personal and linguistic development, their personal welfare and adaptation to life in the UK. This interaction is between the students themselves, students and the local families they are living with, the wider Bristol community and of course BLC itself.
Adaptation to life in the UK in a supportive environment is especially important for students who are going on to university in the UK; it is one of the great advantages of a small institution that students have the opportunity to learn about life in the UK in a nurturing environment, before progressing to a significantly larger institution. This is one of the many reasons why I am delighted that the BLC University Foundation in Business was successfully validated by the university of Wales this summer*. The first cohort of students will start this term, and those who successfully complete the course should be able to progress directly to selected UK universities. I feel that the quality of the programme, combined with the BLC learning and living environment will give our students the best possible chance of success in their future studies.
Well done to the management and teaching team for their hard work and preparation for the validation event. We look forward to welcoming our first BLC Foundation students.
With best wishes
Seonaid Birkett
Director, BLC
• *subject to verification by the board in October

Here at BLC we are enjoying the last few weeks of summer. This weekend’s social programme included the wonderful and colourful Bristol Balloon fiesta (http://www.bristolfiesta.co.uk/content.php?pid=18) and a coach trip to London.

I think that everyone agrees that the highlight of the summer so far had to be BLC’s First International Party, a night of music and dancing for all our adult students, which took place at Timbuk2 last Thursday. The night was a particular success for our students from France and Jordan, who between them managed to win the competitions for the best i-pod DJ, best dressed student and best dancer. You can see photos of the event and judge Pierre’s outrageous outfit for yourself on our facebook wall http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1433804630&ref=profile#

On Friday we waved good bye to our juniors group from China. As well as English language lessons every morning, juniors students enjoy a complete package of social and cultural activities. In just one week they managed to see the Clifton suspension bridge, Blaise Castle, Bath, Stonehenge, take a ferry trip around the harbour, play Lazer Quest and visit London! They even had the time and energy for a leaving party with all the other international juniors on Friday afternoon!

You can find out more about what’s happening in and around Bristol at http://www.visitbristol.co.uk

I would like to thank all our students from all over the world for making this summer so special, and hope that you have enjoyed it as much as we have. We are already planning for the new Autumn courses and student intake, but it’s not too late to come and join us for the last few weeks of August. If not, we hope you will be able to join one of our Autumn academic programmes, or make it over to BLC for next summer. We look forward to seeing you then!

With best wishes

Seonaid Birkett, Director, BLC

The first 3 week of July are the busiest weeks of the year at BLC. It is true to say these days that we are always busy, but during this period our student numbers rise from around 130 to 350. We have plenty of additional space for the students and have been preparing all year so we hope that we can provide the best possible learning and cultural experience for our students during this time. Between September and June we have students of many nationalities, and many of them are non European students who are preparing to go on to university in the UK. During the summer however, we host students from all over the world. This Monday for example, we welcomed students from South America, Europe, Gulf countries, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and more. The last time I counted there were students from 35 countries!
Part of the experience of coming to the UK and studying at an English language school like BLC, is the opportunity not only to get to know the English language and the culture of the UK better, but to get to meet students of many different nationalities. We insist that all our students speak English while they are at BLC so this is also an opportunity to practice your English and learn about other countries and cultures at the same time. The best way for our students to meet other students is to join the BLC social programme. Magdalena does a fantastic job of coordinating the social programme and you can keep up to date with her and our social activities on Facebook (,http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Blc-Bristol/1433804630), which has the complete events calendar, photos and comments from recent activities. You can also take a look at the events calendar on the BLC website at www.thebristollanguagecentre.co.uk and click on the highlighted days to find out what’s on, as well as meeting times and places. Magdalena even keeps a regular blog on BLC World (http://blcandyou.ning.com/), our own social networking site so there’s really no excuse for not keeping up to date! Already for this week we have planned a ferry trip, a visit to Clifton Suspension Bridge, a cinema trip, local music venue and a Saturday trip to London. I’m exhausted just thinking about it!
Personally I love summer at BLC. I love the buzz of having so many students around, the chance to meet new people and looking forward to Bristol’s summer calendar of festivals and events. I think there are few cities that can match Bristol for its beauty and diversity – whether it’s just hanging out with friends in one of our lovely parks, walking along the historic harbourside, visiting a museum, attending one of the many summer festivals, or events from our very own social calendar….
We look forward to seeing you there!
Seonaid Birkett
Director, BLC

Did you know that there is a fab network of caves in the Redcliffe area of Bristol right near the school? Redcliffe is one of the oldest areas of Bristol. Taking a tour of the caves is part of our social programme. Check out their website and go underground:  http://www.bristoltours.com/Redcliffe.htm

Remember there are so many things to do in the city when the weather is a bit wet.

And if you have time, take a tour through St Mary Redcliffe church to see  old photos of the city and the old pump carriage that was used to put out fires! There’s supposed to be a big chunk of iron that landed on the grass around the church from a bomb during the war but it’s not easy to find. It’s a great place to eat your lunch as the mid day sun hits th church grounds just right.

This week we have finally been enjoying some good spring weather in Bristol.  It’s always a joy to see spring flowers in bloom and the people of Bristol and our students outside enjoying themselves.  This weekend was the first of the UK’s two May bank holiday (public holiday) weekends, and many of our students took advantage of the three day weekend by joining the BLC’s social programme trip to Bath, while others chose to stay in Bristol and have fun around the harbourside and local restaurants, bars and galleries. 

The summer of 2009 in the UK looks like being one of hottest ever, (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/2009/pr20090430.html) so we are planning as many outdoor activities as possible to make the most of it.  This week our students will be going to the movies, watching one of the big football games (Chelsea vs Barcelona) followed by a weekend trip to Cheltenham.  You can find full details of our programme on our website calendar, and you can also get up to date information about all our events on the BLC Bristol facebook events page.  Make friends, check out the programme, and let us know the kind of events you are interested in.  Hope to see you there!

It has been a very busy few months for all educators in the UK preparing for the introduction of the new Tier 4 visa system that came into effect on 31 March, 2009.
The Bristol Language Centre is a licensed educator in the UK and we have all of our systems in place to ensure a smooth transition for all of our foreign students who will now be applying under this new system.
Click here to read the Visa Information Letter that will tell you everything you need to know about the new regulations.

Click here for Visa National Country list that will tell you whether you fall under the new Tier 4 Visa requirements. And remember, we are here to help you every step of the way!