1. Korea 15.17%

2. China 11.03%

3. Swiss 10.34%

4. Italy 8.97%

5 .Saudi Arabia 8.28%

6. France 4.14%

6. Spain 4.14%

8. Germany 3.45%

8. Libya 3.45%

8. Turkey 3.45%

8. UAE 3.45%

Other countries:

Japan, Qatar, Ukraine, Angola, Iran, Oman, Mali, Argentina, Austria, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Thailand, Yemen

Total: 145 students

winner in 2008

Hoorah for Adrian and his green fingers as Oxford English Centre wins the Gold Award for its gardens in the Oxford in Bloom competition 2008!

Our annual Halloween Party was a great success with students and OEC staff wearing a fantastic variety of scary costumes. The winning costumes were worn by Amr from France and Tanja from Switzerland.

This month saw all the excitement of Hollywood arrive at OEC as Oxford University Press (OUP) came to shoot a DVD for the forthcoming publication of the Intermediate course book "Result".

As you can imagine all of the teachers were rushing forward to be filmed while teaching an Intermediate class. Unfortunately, there were many long faces as long-time favourite and star actor Will, along with the up and coming starlet Sophie, breezed through the auditions and got the parts- better luck next time you lot!

Needless to say, the real stars of the show were the students who took part and the director was really impressed with their knowledge of English and their patience (there is only so many times you can repeat the word "accessories"). Everyone who took part was rewarded with gift vouchers and the knowledge that their contribution will help students (and teachers) around the world with their studies! Well done!!!!

Congratulations to our partners EDM Education (Brian and his team in Korea) and Boa Lingua (Kurt and his staff in Switzerland) for winning their categories in the LTM Star Awards. Also to IALC (International Association of Language Centres) for winning the association prize again. OEC is the IALC member school in Oxford.

Oxford English Centre recently welcomed language travel agents from around the world as part of the Study World Oxford Fam Trip 2008. The agents visited 5 schools including Oxford English Centre where they enjoyed a fantastic barbecue, bingo and karaoke party. As well as school visits, they participated in Alex's famous Oxford Ghost Tour and learnt all about King Henry VIII and Charles I. A trip to Oxford University Christ Church College also featured a Harry Potter Tour! Join us in 2009 for the social and cultural event of the year!

1 Japan 20.47%

2 Italy 14.88%

3 Korea 10.70%

4 Swiss 9.77%

5 China 6.05%

6 Germany 6.05%

7 Saudi Arabia 5.12%

8 Turkey 3.72%

9 UAE 2.79%

10 Brazil 1.86%

Other Nationalities: Denmark, Czech Republic, Georgia, Thailand, France, Spain, Angola, Austria, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Chile, Croatia, Iran, Libya, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Yemen

Mr Jamil Malikov and Ms Sevda Malikova, a very cheerful father and daughter who studied with us in August. Jamil stayed in our school residence and took our Intensive English course, Sevda stayed with one of our host families and took our IELTs preparation course. They said they enjoyed staying and studying with us very much! Here is their profile.

1.Where are you from?

J&S: Azerbaijan

2.What do you do in your country?

J: Director of an insurance company

S: University student

3. Why do you like to study English?

J: For business

S: To study at a university in the UK

4. Why did you choose Oxford English Centre?

J&S: My son/brother used to study here and he recommended us.

5. What are your favourite school activities?

J: Pool Night

S: Disco!

6. What is your advice to students who intend to come to Oxford &Oxford English Centre?

J&S: Bring an umbrella!

We enjoyed having them in our school very much! We hope they come back soon with more family and friends :)

J: Jamil Malikov

S: Sevda Malikova

18/08/2008-29/08/2008

This August, we ran the the two week TOEFL iBT (internet based test) preparation course with students from Italy, China and Romania.

This course helps to prepare you to take this internationally recognised exam. This course is also available as 1-1 tuition. The test is particularly aimed at those wanting to enter university programmes. There isn't a pass score but many universities, schools or departments may require above 65 (total score 120). You need upper intermediate to advanced level English, basic computer and word processing skills and be highly motivated to succeed. This four part test is communicative and many of the tasks require you to combine speaking and writing skills with reading and listening. We can help you recognise basic designs of the tests and teach you techniques to answer the questions and to help you feel confident and prepared. We will provide you with the opportunity to practise tests and offer constructive feedback on your performance.

1 Italy 12.53%

2 Japan 11.51%

3 France 10.49%

4 Russia 7.42%

5 Germany 5.63%

5 Korea 5.63%

7 Poland 5.37%

8 China 4.60%,

9 Swiss 3.84%

10 Portugal 3.58%

10 Saudi Arabia 3.58%

Other Nationalities :

Spain, Turkey, Thailand,Iran, Libya, UAE, Czech Republic, Georgia, Greece, Oman, Argentina, Hungary, Kuwait, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Romania, Senegal, Sudan, Angola, Chile, Finland, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Yemen

Total 40 nationalities in August

At this year's Variety Show we discovered our students had many hidden talents: Beat-boxing, flamenco dancing, tango dancing, star performances came from the office staff performing a slick dance in afro wigs and 70's outfits, with the headline act coming from the teachers with their version of YMCA! If you would to have a laugh and see more go to

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zrroSpHjpv0

We are uploading several performance videos of this Variety Show on www.YouTube.co.uk. Search "Oxford English Centre" and find more videos. Enjoy!

Do you remember OEC and our students were helping Macmillan to make English Course books called "InsideOut" last year? Now the book is out and you can buy them all over the world!

A five-level course for adults and young adults. It is built around structured work on grammar and lexis, planned speaking tasks, and motivating reading and listening texts. Please visit their website to find more information about this. http://www.insideout.net/index.htm

Our Principal, Dr Graham Simpson has been elected to the board of our professional association EnglishUK. EnglishUK works with schools accredited by the British Council to protect the interests of both students and language providers and assure high standards are maintained. For more information please visit www.englishuk.com

Last week our teachers and students participated in our annual fun run in the university parks. We raised thousands of pounds for the pathway workshop - a charity that encourages people with disabilities to enter the workplace.

The course was 5km! Runners from all over Oxford came to participate in the event organised by Oxford English Centre.

Congratulations to all!

We have recently had four state-of-the-art interactive whiteboards installed at OEC. They allow a hitherto unknown amount of freedom and interaction within the classroom and can combine functions of many different machines. Whereas before we may have needed to use a CD player, a whiteboard, hand-outs and a DVD player within one class, we now only need the whiteboard! Where we may have needed to change rooms for Internet access, now, with the touch of a button, we can access the same information on a screen large enough for all to read what is displayed.

Apart from the convenience that the interactive whiteboards provide the teacher, they have also been very well received by the students. They allow a diversity that is very difficult to match, and allow students to experience lessons in new ways. In short, they are incredibly versatile pieces of equipment that allow lessons to be more fun and educational.

Our daffodils are blooming. Adrian, our caretaker, planted all of them (more than 500 bulbs!!!) last November. They started coming out at the beginning of March, and now they are in full bloom. When the blooms finish, the bulbs will be taken and planted in our flower borders. Then the plant boxes are replanted with bedding plants ready for the summer months. The daffodil bulbs will flower again next spring.

-20 General English plus 10 Legal English lessons per week-

If you are looking for a course to combine English lessons with Legal English, look no further! Our new course offers specializes training in small groups (Max 6). Aimed at professionals and law students, we also offer training towards the ILEC exam, International Legal English Certificate, it also includes a visit to the Law Court in Oxford.

Please visit our website http://www.oxfordenglish.co.uk/courses/course13.asp or email us

info@oxfordenglish.co.uk for more information.

1. Japan 43 28.86%

2. Korea 15 10.07%

3. Saudi Arabia 13 8.72%

4. Germany 9 6.04%

5. UAE 8 5.37%

6. Italy 7 4.70%

7. Argentina, Brazil, Swiss, China 6each 4.03%

Other nationalities: Poland, Turkey, Spain, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar,Russia, Slovakia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Chile, France