Our

Mission

Our aim is to focus on the needs and wants of each individual and provide the skills to take control of their learaning in an inclusive, safe and supportive learning environment. At the heart of our business is a belief that language learning contributes to a better understanding and tolerance across the globe, as well as opening up new possibilities for friendship, travel and business.

In everything we do, we aim to:

Give the best possible service in all areas of our provision
Treat all the people we work with- our staff, our homestay providers, our agent partners, our group leaders and our students- with care and respect
Be honest, open and professional in everything we do
Promote core British values of democracy, individual liberty, tolerance, and the rule of law
Make the Gatehouse a safe, warm and welcoming environment in which to work and have fun
Listen to suggestions for improvement in our service and offer from our staff, our students and our partners
Offer our staff opportunities for learning and development
Follow best practice in business and professionally
Provide value for money for our students
Be responsible for the continuing commercial viability of the business
Be as green as we can

Our Climate Responsibility

We are committed to becoming a carbon neutral school and are currently working to measure our carbon footprint and work out what steps we and our students can take to achieve this. Some of the possibilities are:

moving towards a paperless office and putting all our study materials online for students
reducing our staff flight miles and using virtual meetings or travelling by rail instead of air
using public transport for student excursions where possible
encouraging our students to travel by rail or offset flights with tree planting where possible
encouraging our students to stay longer to make the travel worthwhile
If you travel by train (or other public transport) from your home town to Totnes, we will give you back 10% of your tuition fees- discount refunded on presentation of your tickets on arrival at the school. Not applicable to groups but do ask about our group offer if the whole group manages to travel from their home city to Totnes by public transport.

Climate responsibility

Reflections in the River Dart at Hembury

“Totnes is surrounded by green landscapes and I like it! My teacher is absolutely brilliant!”

Alessia, 23 years old, from Italy

“Totnes is a town with nice surroundings and friendly people. When I first arrived, I received a very warm welcome; I feel at home.”

Anke, 51 years old, from Germany

“My experience in Totnes school has been very good. I hope to return next year to continue to improve my level of English. I'm going to recommend your school. The best thing about the school in Totnes is the quality of the teachers.”

Pilar, 54 years old, from Spain