Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions (Of Parents and Students)

What is special about your football boarding school?

We are a dedicated specialist football college.

We are well established and enjoy an excellent and proven track record.

We promise to ensure that your child is:

1               kept safe, well and happy at all times

2               reaches his / her maximum academic potential

3               able to develop his football skills and abilities to the maximum whilst getting as        many opportunities as possible to show case these in front of professional         football  scouts and coaches

4               counselled as to the most suitable post school career and / or academic pathway     to him / her and then actively helped and guided to make this happen

Is this a serious school?

I want my child to get the best possible education.

The school is accredited by the British Council / Accreditation UK and as such must submit to regular external quality audits of its teaching and learning, welfare, pastoral care and management.

The school is also accredited by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. The most recent full Educational Oversight inspection took place in September 2012 and the inspection report can be viewed here online.

We publish our excellent examination results and the last three years of exam results can be viewed here online.

Are the academic courses available at the school widely recognised?

Yes. Our academy players and their parents can choose an academic route that best suits the individual’s needs and requirements.

We offer the following choices at 16 years +:

1. 1.     BTEC Certificate and Diploma in Sport

 

A more vocational academic pathway where classroom based theory is directly linked to practice in the gym and on the pitch and training ground. Graduation via the BTEC route can lead to enrolment on a UK or US undergraduate degree programme in a wide variety of subjects eg. Sports Science, Sport Management, Business Studies, Teaching and coaching degrees, Physiotherapy etc.

 

1. 2.     Advanced level qualifications

 

For the more academically minded student, who is looking for a more traditional academic route to university, we offer a wide range of A level examination preparation courses.

My son is 14 years old, is there a suitable academic course for him?

Certainly, as well as the vocational BTEC Certificate in Sport, the school also offers a core range of GCSE subjects with examinations at age 16 years There is also the option to take a US High School academic route from Grade 9 to graduation.

My son’s first language is not English, will he receive help to improve his English language skills?

The school has an accredited English language department. All our students can benefit from on-going ESOL support in parallel to their chosen study route or may take a Pre-Sessional ESOL programme to bring their English language skills up to the required level before they start their principal course.

What about my child’s education after school / 18 year old graduation? I’d like my child to go to university.

The school provides an in-house University Placement Service. This involves trained counsellors being available in school to advise and guide your child on the suitability and best access route to a wide range of undergraduate degree courses available at the best universities in the UK and the rest of the world. We have built up experience and working links with some of the most renowned universities in the UK and so can assist your child to succeed all the way through the application process all the way to acceptance.

Will my child be well looked after at this school?

Everyone in the senior management team is a parent. We all simply continually ask ourselves:

“Is this good enough for MY child?” when evaluating policies and procedures and the standard of care, teaching and facilities.

Our dedicated full-time Welfare Officer coordinates 24 hour care and attention for each individual student enrolled at our school. Furthermore, our Director of Studies sets and monitors the individual study plans of each of our students throughout their enrolment to ensure the maximum academic achievement of each and every child.

Our most recent ISI Educational Oversight inspection report states that the school “exceeded expectations” in the area of welfare, safety and pastoral care.

Do you communicate well with parents? As a parent I want to be kept regularly informed regarding my child’s progress and wellbeing.

Absolutely. The Principal produces a weekly newsletter that is automatically emailed directly to you. You will of course receive a full detailed written report at the end of each term, but our staff always keep parents regularly informed of their son’s progress throughout the academic year. Access to a secure school photo gallery is provided to all parents allowing you to see images of your child throughout the school year.

Can I visit the school before enrolling my child, to see exactly what it is like?

This is a very good idea. A lot of parents do this and bring their child with them, too. We welcome and encourage school visits by parents. Our staff would be delighted to show you around the school, our facilities and the football training ground. This would give you the opportunity to talk to our staff and students and see the school in action. May be consider enrolling your son on a “Taster week” so that he can experience school life first hand?

We don’t come from the European Union. Can you help my son to get a student visa?

Yes. We are licensed by the UK Border Agency to sponsor students under Tier 4 of the Points Based System. We are on the Home Office Register of Sponsors and have “Highly Trusted Sponsor” status and have CAS allocations for both Child and Adult students. Furthermore, we can advise and assist you through the whole UK student visa application process, which will greatly improve the chances of your application succeeding.

What’s special about the football part of this course? My child can play football at most UK boarding schools.

A Highly Structured Football Coaching Syllabus

Here your child will follow a highly structured football training syllabus that is delivered by highly qualified and experienced professional football coaches. The staff at the Platt Lane Football Development Team at Manchester City Youth Academy are UEFA B qualified with years of topflight experience developing young football players.

A Truly World Class Football Training Facility

The Manchester City Youth Academy facility is world class with both natural grass and 3rd generation rubber crumb Astro turf surfaces available outdoors. There are also two indoor football training pitches and a fully equipped state of the art gym available to our players.

Regular Football Trials / Showcase Events:

-       Train, Play and Match Day

The school has built excellent working links with many local professional clubs at all levels. Our unique “Train, Play and Match Day Experience”, allows our players to make scheduled visits to local professional clubs, receive a training session and play in a friendly match in front of the club’s coaching personnel. The day ends with our international student players watching the club’s first team play a scheduled league fixture at their stadium.

 

-       Scheduled UK National Youth Trials

All our players are prepared for and entered in to, a well-respected and ethically minded national soccer scouting event held in Manchester in front of a broad range of influential professional club scouts, UEFA qualified coaches and recruitment staff. All levels of club from the Premiership down to semi-pro outfits are represented and young players who impress at this event will be invited to follow up at specific club trials.

 

-       USA University Soccer Scholarship Trials

The school works with a leading US soccer scholarship specialist. Our aim is to provide those of our student players who are interested with the chance to study and progress their soccer talent at American universities. Our partner company bases itself on transparency – and it takes care not raise false expectations. Only athletes who they are confident can stand up to the level of education and soccer ability required will be chosen.

 

We, and some parents, believe that a scholarship at an American university is an excellent option for potential athletes looking to move into professional soccer while at the same time continuing to receive a first class education

 

-       Competitive Friendly Matches

The school fields teams weekly to play friendly competitive fixtures against local colleges and football club youth squads or academies (including Manchester City FC Development Teams). Young players demonstrating exceptional talent are often spotted in this way and invited to further trials and / or training sessions to allow coaches and scouts to assess their potential in more detail.

 

-       Affiliation Agreements with Local Pro Clubs

The school has formal affiliation agreements with lower league local football clubs which enables selected young players to train and (subject to international clearance) sometimes even play with their squads whilst the club evaluates their playing potential.

Develop and Publish Your Personal Soccer cv

Each of our players is also closely supervised to enable them to develop their own online soccer cv containing soccer stats, images and video.

Respected Professional Guest Speaker Programme

Guest speakers from the professional world of football and sport are regularly in attendance at the school to make formal presentations to our young players. These scheduled sessions always conclude with Question and Answer sessions to allow our students to learn as much as possible from these encounters. Speakers this academic year have included: a Premier League club fitness and conditioning coach, a local professional football player with top level experience and a US Soccer college scholarship scout.

Frequently Asked Questions (Of Parents and Students)

What is special about your football boarding school?

We are a dedicated specialist football college.

We are well established and enjoy an excellent and proven track record.

We promise to ensure that your child is:

1               kept safe, well and happy at all times

2               reaches his / her maximum academic potential

3               able to develop his football skills and abilities to the maximum whilst getting as        many opportunities as possible to show case these in front of professional         football  scouts and coaches

4               counselled as to the most suitable post school career and / or academic pathway     to him / her and then actively helped and guided to make this happen

Is this a serious school?

I want my child to get the best possible education.

The school is accredited by the British Council / Accreditation UK and as such must submit to regular external quality audits of its teaching and learning, welfare, pastoral care and management.

The school is also accredited by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. The most recent full Educational Oversight inspection took place in September 2012 and the inspection report can be viewed here online.

We publish our excellent examination results and the last three years of exam results can be viewed here online.

Are the academic courses available at the school widely recognised?

Yes. Our academy players and their parents can choose an academic route that best suits the individual’s needs and requirements.

We offer the following choices at 16 years +:

1. 1.     BTEC Certificate and Diploma in Sport

 

A more vocational academic pathway where classroom based theory is directly linked to practice in the gym and on the pitch and training ground. Graduation via the BTEC route can lead to enrolment on a UK or US undergraduate degree programme in a wide variety of subjects eg. Sports Science, Sport Management, Business Studies, Teaching and coaching degrees, Physiotherapy etc.

 

1. 2.     Advanced level qualifications

 

For the more academically minded student, who is looking for a more traditional academic route to university, we offer a wide range of A level examination preparation courses.

My son is 14 years old, is there a suitable academic course for him?

Certainly, as well as the vocational BTEC Certificate in Sport, the school also offers a core range of GCSE subjects with examinations at age 16 years There is also the option to take a US High School academic route from Grade 9 to graduation.

My son’s first language is not English, will he receive help to improve his English language skills?

The school has an accredited English language department. All our students can benefit from on-going ESOL support in parallel to their chosen study route or may take a Pre-Sessional ESOL programme to bring their English language skills up to the required level before they start their principal course.

What about my child’s education after school / 18 year old graduation? I’d like my child to go to university.

The school provides an in-house University Placement Service. This involves trained counsellors being available in school to advise and guide your child on the suitability and best access route to a wide range of undergraduate degree courses available at the best universities in the UK and the rest of the world. We have built up experience and working links with some of the most renowned universities in the UK and so can assist your child to succeed all the way through the application process all the way to acceptance.

Will my child be well looked after at this school?

Everyone in the senior management team is a parent. We all simply continually ask ourselves:

“Is this good enough for MY child?” when evaluating policies and procedures and the standard of care, teaching and facilities.

Our dedicated full-time Welfare Officer coordinates 24 hour care and attention for each individual student enrolled at our school. Furthermore, our Director of Studies sets and monitors the individual study plans of each of our students throughout their enrolment to ensure the maximum academic achievement of each and every child.

Our most recent ISI Educational Oversight inspection report states that the school “exceeded expectations” in the area of welfare, safety and pastoral care.

Do you communicate well with parents? As a parent I want to be kept regularly informed regarding my child’s progress and wellbeing.

Absolutely. The Principal produces a weekly newsletter that is automatically emailed directly to you. You will of course receive a full detailed written report at the end of each term, but our staff always keep parents regularly informed of their son’s progress throughout the academic year. Access to a secure school photo gallery is provided to all parents allowing you to see images of your child throughout the school year.

Can I visit the school before enrolling my child, to see exactly what it is like?

This is a very good idea. A lot of parents do this and bring their child with them, too. We welcome and encourage school visits by parents. Our staff would be delighted to show you around the school, our facilities and the football training ground. This would give you the opportunity to talk to our staff and students and see the school in action. May be consider enrolling your son on a “Taster week” so that he can experience school life first hand?

We don’t come from the European Union. Can you help my son to get a student visa?

Yes. We are licensed by the UK Border Agency to sponsor students under Tier 4 of the Points Based System. We are on the Home Office Register of Sponsors and have “Highly Trusted Sponsor” status and have CAS allocations for both Child and Adult students. Furthermore, we can advise and assist you through the whole UK student visa application process, which will greatly improve the chances of your application succeeding.

What’s special about the football part of this course? My child can play football at most UK boarding schools.

A Highly Structured Football Coaching Syllabus

Here your child will follow a highly structured football training syllabus that is delivered by highly qualified and experienced professional football coaches. The staff at the Platt Lane Football Development Team at Manchester City Youth Academy are UEFA B qualified with years of topflight experience developing young football players.

A Truly World Class Football Training Facility

The Manchester City Youth Academy facility is world class with both natural grass and 3rd generation rubber crumb Astro turf surfaces available outdoors. There are also two indoor football training pitches and a fully equipped state of the art gym available to our players.

Regular Football Trials / Showcase Events:

-       Train, Play and Match Day

The school has built excellent working links with many local professional clubs at all levels. Our unique “Train, Play and Match Day Experience”, allows our players to make scheduled visits to local professional clubs, receive a training session and play in a friendly match in front of the club’s coaching personnel. The day ends with our international student players watching the club’s first team play a scheduled league fixture at their stadium.

 

-       Scheduled UK National Youth Trials

All our players are prepared for and entered in to, a well-respected and ethically minded national soccer scouting event held in Manchester in front of a broad range of influential professional club scouts, UEFA qualified coaches and recruitment staff. All levels of club from the Premiership down to semi-pro outfits are represented and young players who impress at this event will be invited to follow up at specific club trials.

 

-       USA University Soccer Scholarship Trials

The school works with a leading US soccer scholarship specialist. Our aim is to provide those of our student players who are interested with the chance to study and progress their soccer talent at American universities. Our partner company bases itself on transparency – and it takes care not raise false expectations. Only athletes who they are confident can stand up to the level of education and soccer ability required will be chosen.

 

We, and some parents, believe that a scholarship at an American university is an excellent option for potential athletes looking to move into professional soccer while at the same time continuing to receive a first class education

 

-       Competitive Friendly Matches

The school fields teams weekly to play friendly competitive fixtures against local colleges and football club youth squads or academies (including Manchester City FC Development Teams). Young players demonstrating exceptional talent are often spotted in this way and invited to further trials and / or training sessions to allow coaches and scouts to assess their potential in more detail.

 

-       Affiliation Agreements with Local Pro Clubs

The school has formal affiliation agreements with lower league local football clubs which enables selected young players to train and (subject to international clearance) sometimes even play with their squads whilst the club evaluates their playing potential.

Develop and Publish Your Personal Soccer cv

Each of our players is also closely supervised to enable them to develop their own online soccer cv containing soccer stats, images and video.

Respected Professional Guest Speaker Programme

Guest speakers from the professional world of football and sport are regularly in attendance at the school to make formal presentations to our young players. These scheduled sessions always conclude with Question and Answer sessions to allow our students to learn as much as possible from these encounters. Speakers this academic year have included: a Premier League club fitness and conditioning coach, a local professional football player with top level experience and a US Soccer college scholarship scout.