Staying with your Host Family

For many students, the experience of staying with a British family is an important part of the course.

Because of the nearly thirty years of experience we have of arranging accommodation for students, we now have an extensive register of very experienced host families, people who know what to expect from the students who come to stay with them and know the high standards of hospitality that Kent School expects them to offer their students.

So, what is it like to stay with an English family? Well, the first thing you will find is that the food you are served (breakfast and evening meal during the week, packed lunch or lunch at home at the weekends) is different.Of course, you'll know that but it is worth repeating!

Many of the things that British people eat are, of course, the same as foods eaten in other countries but of course there are some differences.

Breakfast
English families tend to have: cereals (cornflakes, muesli or something similar) followed by toast. People drink tea, coffee, fruit juice or milk. Breakfast time is normally around 0730 or 0800. If a family has children, they have to be at school for 0830 or 0845. The Kent School day starts at 0900. Broadstairs is a small town, so you should be able to walk to school easily.

Weekday Lunches
In Broadstairs there is a wide range of cafes, shops and ice-cream parlours where you can buy sandwiches, pizza, hamburgers and so on. If you are over 18, you may prefer to eat your lunch in one of the many pubs in Broadstairs.

In Penzance your host family give you a packed lunch which you can eat in the school grounds or in town.

Evening Meal
This is normally called dinner and will be ready at about 1800 (it could be a little earlier or a little later). For many people this seems early but you'll find that as a student at KSE, you'll be expected to meet for an evening activity so you'll be glad of an early dinner so you have the chance to relax before heading off to meet your friends!