Shrewsbury School

Ages: 12–15 years.

Dates, 2026:
5–18 July, 19 July–1 August.

Shrewsbury School is a boarding school founded in 1552. The school campus is in the vibrant town of Shrewsbury, on the banks of the River Severn, one of England's most historic towns. The town is 9 miles from the border with Wales. Situated on a viewing platform just above the riverbank, Shrewsbury School is a ten-minute walk from the town centre. It has beautiful views across the park.

Shrewsbury has been named in the top 10 happiest places to live in the UK twice in the last two years and is very safe. The countryside around Shrewsbury is some of the most beautiful in the country.

The school's most famous alumnus is Charles Darwin, scientist and creator of the theory of evolution.

Key factors

• Study and live in a prestigious and ancient British school.
• The summer school offers 4 strong courses: biology, mathematics, geosciences, world leaders.
• Courses at the school – it is not just language learning, it is professionally oriented programs for students who are planning their future profession.
• In addition to classroom learning, the program includes excursions that will broaden students' horizons and allow them to take a broader look at the area being studied.
• A great opportunity to communicate with graduates of the famous school, many of whom study at Oxford and Cambridge.

Facilities

The school grounds include a chapel, a library, the Kingsland Hall dining hall, a medical center, and 13 residential buildings. The 40.5-hectare site includes nine full-size football pitches covered with grass and a pitch covered with Astroturf. The pitches are fully irrigated, providing first class playing and training surfaces all year round.

The sports facilities also include:

• A four lane, 4 metre wide cricket centre that can be split into two sections for training.
• 4 squash courts.
• A 25 x 12.5m, 6 lane swimming pool with a depth of up to 2 metres.
• The school sports hall consists of an indoor court for badminton, football, basketball, trampoline, martial arts, netball and archery.
• 8 hard tennis courts in two separate tennis blocks.
• The school fitness centre consists of a recently refurbished gym a gym with 14 exercise machines and a training area with bikes, cross trainers, rowing machines and treadmills.
• Boat Club / Rowing Club (the buildings have a well-equipped gym, rowing tank).

Program

Biological Sciences Course

Age: 12-15 years.

This course is designed for those who have an advanced level of English and want to improve their vocabulary and fluency through the study of natural sciences.

Darwin Bioscience Summer School is a fantastic scientific journey through biology, inspired by school alumnus Charles Darwin. This course will encourage pupils to develop their scientific skills, enquiring minds and passion for scientific discovery, preparing them for study at school and university.

Charles Darwin, who became one of the most influential scientists of all time, was born in Shrewsbury and studied at Shrewsbury School from 1818. His theory of natural selection is the most powerful and unifying idea in all of biology, helping us to truly understand life and humanity’s place in the Universe.

The course is set in the school’s biology building, which has excellent facilities, including modern laboratories, excellent microscopes and other equipment, and the school’s natural history museum, which has a wide range of specimens to study.

Pupils will begin the course by meeting Darwin and learning about his time at Shrewsbury, as well as his time at university and his voyage around the world on the HMS Beagle. They will then learn about his early research and move on to the theory of natural selection and his magnum opus, On the Origin of Species. Students will conclude the course by looking at Darwin's legacy and how it has shaped modern thought in biology and beyond.

Topics covered in the course:

• The Age of the Earth: creating a geological chronology and exploring radiocarbon dating techniques.
• Palaeontology: simulated excavations and explore how fossils form in sedimentary rocks, and a tour of the Biology Department's fossil collection.
• The Voyage of the Beagle: role-play the crew of the HMS Beagle and plotting the voyage on a map.
• Galapagos Islands: Studying the evolution of Galapagos finches.
• Theory of Natural Selection: Explore different actions to demonstrate the process of selection.
• Evidence for Evolution: Explore comparative anatomy by constructing skeletons.
• The Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance: Culture microorganisms to demonstrate the evolution of antibiotic resistance.
• The Modern Synthesis: An introduction to genetics, isolating DNA, and playing with mutations.
• The Future: Are Humans Still Evolving?
• Looking at natural selection in technology, engineering, and artificial intelligence.
• Interesting examples of evolution: Including observing specimens and dissecting an eye.
• Darwin's Legacy.

Field Trips

The program includes exciting field trips to enrich classroom learning:

• Oxford University and a visit to the Natural History Museum, where you can see the site of the famous debates and take a tour of Oxford University.
• The Museum of Modern Art in London, home to the Darwin Collection.
• Down House, Kent – Darwin's house, where he lived and wrote "The Origin of Species".
• Chester Zoo, where children will look at biodiversity and examples of evolution.

On successful completion of the course, students will receive a certificate from TheShrewsburySchoolDarwinBioscienceCertificate.

Mathematics Course

Age: 12-15 years.

This course is an exploration of the discoveries of Charles Darwin and the most influential mathematicians in history, as well as the study of artificial intelligence. Children will learn not only the "what" of mathematics, but also the "why" and "how" that underpin the entire subject.

This course encourages curiosity and inquiry, allowing children to gain a deeper understanding of the language of mathematics and the logical connections within it. Along with teamwork and competition, this helps develop students’ critical thinking and ability to communicate mathematically.

Computing is changing the world around us at an astonishing rate. Ada Lovelace is considered by many to be the mother of modern computing; children will study her work and then use Micro:Bit computers to demonstrate the power of computer code on a small scale. Children will also explore the power of artificial intelligence and the mathematical logic behind it.

Mathematics shortened World War II by over 2 years. Alan Turing, a brilliant mathematician educated at Cambridge and Princeton Universities, designed a mathematical machine that broke the Enigma code used by the German army to communicate during the war. Students will look at Turing’s work and the logical process behind breaking the code. And learn how mathematics can be used to optimize real-world problems.

Sample lesson topics:

• Explore the work of Ronald Fisher, the British polymath who first integrated Darwin's theory of natural selection with other disciplines and explored its mathematics.
• Team Math Challenge: Explore high-level mathematical methods and solve problems provided by the British Mathematical Foundation.
• Explore some of the problems posed by the Clay Mathematics Institute in 2000. The prize for solving them is $1,000,000!
• Exploring the life of Sir Isaac Newton and recreating the famous moment the apple fell. Touring the school archives and discovering Newton's first edition of 'Philosophical Principia Mathematica' at Shrewsbury.
• Using an airway and light gate to recreate some of Isaac Newton's experiments to derive his Second Law of Motion.
• Newton's Laws in Space: The History of the Geocentric and Heliocentric Models of the Universe - What Mathematical Discoveries Changed Everything?
• Mathematics in Space: What is the Connection Between Astronomy and the Angle Inside a Circle? Exploring the Influence of Mathematical Reasoning in History.
• Mathematician Ada Lovelace: Who Was She and Why Did She Change Computer Technology Forever? Hands-on Activity: Creating code on the Micro:Bits computer.

Excursions

The programme includes fun, hands-on activities where children will be inspired by the work of Darwin, Newton, Lovelace and Turing. They will learn how mathematics has shaped the world around us and will also explore artificial intelligence, preparing them for further study. The programme includes exciting excursions to enrich their classroom learning:

• The Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, where children will learn about some of the scientific discoveries made in Manchester! After lunch – visit the University of Manchester, one of the UK’s best universities for maths and engineering.
• The National Space Centre – children will spend the day exploring how Newton’s laws of motion are observed in space from Earth. They will have workshops on Rocket Science and time in the 360-degree fulldome planetarium. They will begin their learning of programming with a workshop on building their own Mars rover.
• Bletchley Park is the site where Alan Turing broke the Enigma code during World War II. Children will spend time learning about codes and ciphers used throughout history.
• Brain Teaser: Code Breaking. Children will explore different types of ciphers and how numerical analysis can be used to break them.
• Who was Alan Turing? A brief history of his achievements and an exploration of how he broke Enigma. A look at the creation of the “Bomb”, a Turing machine for breaking codes.

Geological Sciences Course

Age: 12-15 years.

This course is a fantastic journey through the history of the Earth. Shrewsbury is uniquely positioned to study long-term environmental change and its impact on the evolution of life. The geological outcrops in the area date back over 600 million years, to the Precambrian period, the geological period when life first appeared on our planet. These geological deposits are the only window into early life and are therefore crucial to our understanding of evolution.

This region of Britain also contains pristine glacial deposits less than 20,000 years old, which have become an important tool for climate scientists, deepening our understanding of long-term climate dynamics. There are few places in the world today like Shropshire and the surrounding area to study the ongoing and progressive effects of environmental and climate change and its impact on flora and fauna.

The importance of this part of Britain was not lost on some of the foremost thinkers in the earth sciences. In the 17th century, as the scientific revolution swept across Europe, pioneers in the study of geology and earth sciences were drawn to these landscapes.

Pupils will follow in the footsteps of many of the founding scientists of these disciplines. They will explore the role of volcanism, tectonics and climate change in shaping the world around us.

The Darwin Geosciences course is heavily field-based, and students will spend a significant amount of time outdoors. After all, the best way to understand the power of Earth science is through immersion in learning that begins in the landscape. Fieldwork is led by Dr Matthews-Bird, an experienced teacher from Shrewsbury with a background in Earth science research.

Students will learn to read the landscape using a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, including field sketching, sediment core sampling, geological logging and mapping. Students will collect their own data and use it in labs, where they will be introduced to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for viewing data spatially and quantitative statistics. Once children have acquired the basic skills, they will recreate Darwin and Sedgwick's journey to see the very geological formations that have proven so fundamental to modern Earth and environmental science.

During classroom activities, children willChildren will use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to create, manage, analyse and map all types of data. GIS helps users understand patterns, relationships and geographical context. It is now the backbone of any business or sector that uses some form of mapping information (e.g. Snap Map, Deliveroo, Google Maps). Children will use data collected in the field to create their own digital map of glacial features in the UK uplands. They will learn to manipulate GPS data to show the orientation and relationships of geological features to develop a better understanding of how geological processes operate across the landscape.

Topics covered on the course:

• Introduction to geological/geographical principles and terminology.
• Preparing for fieldwork on the Ashbrook River: sampling strategies, field techniques.
• River cross-sections. Data visualisation with geospatial information systems. Hypothesis testing. Statistics for geologists.
• Introduction to Ice Age Britain - Pistill Rhaedr Falls.
• Introduction to glacial landforms. Fieldwork on glaciation. Data visualisation with geospatial information systems. Plotting glacial streams. Reconstructing glacial dynamics from sedimentary records.
• The land of ice and fire - Eryri National Park.
• The Ynyslas Sand Dunes - National Nature Reserve. Exploring dune formation and evolution.

The programme includes exciting excursions to enhance classroom learning. During field trips, children will recreate the famous 1831 journey of Charles Darwin and Cambridge geology professor Adam Sedgwick into the heart of Eryri National Park, Snowdonia. Sedgwick led this expedition every year, and his invitation to Darwin was revolutionary for modern environmental science. It was on this trip that Darwin first understood the power of geological time in shaping physical landscapes and biological organisms. Pupils will visit the very same rock outcrops that Darwin and Sedgwick wrote about and drew in their field diaries:

Excursions

The excursions also include visits to interesting places, including:

• Royal Geographical Society
• London Natural History Museum
• Eryri National Park and the Glyderau Range in Snowdonia

Accommodation and ition

Accommodation in a residence on the school grounds. Each house has a common room where students can relax and unwind, study areas where they can do homework, and social areas with TVs, games, table tennis and other activities that allow children to socialise outside of class.

Boys and girls are housed separately, in rooms with children of the same age.

Meals are served in the school canteen, where children can choose from a wide range of freshly prepared dishes. There are special diets for children with dairy intolerance, vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free diets, as well as halal food.

Recreation activities

Evening activities allow children to socialise with new friends and enjoy exciting activities. Examples of activities:

• BBQs
• Movie nights (sometimes outdoors)
• Swimming
• Trampoline jumping
• Bowl football
• Water sports
• Sports: football, badminton, squash, basketball, cricket
• Trips to sporting events
• Walks around Shrewsbury

Sample daily timetable

7.30am – 8.30am – Breakfast
8.30am – Lessons
12.30pm – 13:30 – Lunch
from 13:30 – Lessons
18:00 – 19:00 – Dinner
19:00 –21:00 –Evening activities

Price, 2026

£4,700 for 2 weeks.

Included in the price

• Training
• Accommodation and meals
• All entertainment activities and excursions

Additionally paid

• Flight
• Visa
• Insurance
• Transfers from and to the airport
• Educational company services

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT FROM OTHER COMPANIES

• We have been working since 1996
• We choose camps with a minimum number of Russian speakers
• We only place children in good conditions
• We conducted a personal inspection of almost all the schools we offer
• We do not work with the mass segment, only camps for discerning clients
• 24/7 phone always works 
• Why our clients value us

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