Mayfield and St Leonards School

Mayfield is a perfect example of a delightful English village community. Local shops and houses, together with the traditional English pub, all built in typical Sussex style, make up the charming High Street. The local villagers are warm and welcoming and it is the perfect place for younger students to follow a course.

St Leonards School is a delightfully traditional English school, built largely in stone, and enjoying the most wonderful location and facilities. The school itself is based on the medieval palace of the Archbishops of Canterbury and dates back to the thirteenth century. On one side you look out over the rolling hills of the Sussex countryside, and on the other you walk through the main gate into the busy village high street.

The school facilities are quite superb. Well-equipped classrooms are light and spacious, and the magnificent dining hall with its high ceiling and wooden beams is more like a banqueting hall than a school dining room. The sports facilities are some of the best you will find, with a modern indoor heated swimming pool, newly built sports hall and extensive grass and all-weather playing surfaces for all kinds of activities and sports.

Accommodation at St Leonards School

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Connolly house has larger dormitory style rooms with individual sleeping areas, and is ideal for the lower end of the age range.

All meals are served in the traditional dining hall where you enjoy breakfast, lunch and evening dinner. There is always an excellent choice of menus with a vegetarian option and an extensive salad bar.

Excursions from St Leonards School

Mayfield is well placed to offer a wide range of excursion experiences.  On our course, all students go to London at least once every two weeks; in addition, Canterbury, Winchester, Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings and Tunbridge are all in easy reach, and most of these feature in our programme.

Excursion 1 – London

We take a coach to London (around 1 ½ hours) and enjoy a sightseeing tour of the famous landmarks before lunch.  After lunch, students have an opportunity to visit a museum or gallery, or other attraction if they choose, or else to spend time looking for souvenirs in the shopping areas.

Visit the London Town website

Excursion 2 – Winchester

Winchester takes about 2 hours from Mayfield.  However, it is worth the journey – it is one of the most interesting and historical cities in England.  A delightful walk around the city path of the old city walls will give a good idea of the treasures it holds.   The walk finishes at the Cathedral and a chance to visit it.   After lunch, there is free time for the students to visit one of the many city museums, or else to relax in the compact shopping area.

Excursion 3 – Oxford

Our three week students also visit Oxford during their stay. Oxford is a city with a long history, much of it surrounding the university, which together with Cambridge are among the oldest and best known universities in Europe.  Oxford University is made up of a number of independent colleges, and these are scattered throughout the city centre.  During the visit you will have the opportunity to visit one of these colleges, so that you can get a feel of what it is like to study there.

If you visit Oxford you can’t escape the presence of the colleges, however Oxford has a history going back to Roman times, and if you want to explore that there is an excellent museum you can visit.

Perhaps you’ll want some time to relax too: if so, you can spend time in Oxford’s modern shopping centre or visit the covered market; alternatively, you can try your hand at punting on the river – be careful, though, it is not as easy as it may look!

Excursion 4 – Hastings

Hastings is famous in English history for the “Battle of Hastings” in 1066.  In fact the battle took place approximately 10km outside Hastings at a village now called “Battle”, but never mind!

Hastings has a lot to offer the afternoon visitor.  It is a very historic town with an old quarter that goes back over 1000 years.  It also has all the attractions of a busy seaside town (including its own fishing fleet) and good shopping.  We give all our students a guided tour of the town and principal locations and there is also free time for shopping and individual visits.

Visit the Hastings website

Excursion 5 – Brighton (half day)

Brighton is a famous seaside resort town a little further West along the coast from Eastbourne.

It has grown considerably over the last 20 years, and was recently awarded City status.

It has lots of attractions, including an extensive beach and seafront, the pier, and excellent shopping.

It takes about ¾ hour to get to Brighton, which allows plenty of time to walk the fascinating area of the city know as The Lanes, and to see the Royal Pavilion, before arriving at the beach and visiting the famous pier.

Find out more about Brighton

Excursion 6 – Tunbridge Wells

There is an extra half-day trip on the last afternoon to the market Town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, where you can get some last minute presents and souvenirs to take back home with you!

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