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Monday 3rd July
Tuesday 4th July
Tuesday 4th July
MORNING
AFTERNOON
Wednesday 5th July
Starting from an analysis of the importance of language in learning, this talk will focus on the consequences of changing the language in which this learning takes place in the context of teaching programs adopting a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach. We will look at what happens when language becomes a central issue in both content-subject and foreign language lessons, what this means in terms of added challenges for both teachers and students and what needs to happen to assure that these challenges can be met. This analysis will also provide a context in which to take a closer look at some initiatives that are starting to appear as a consequence of the centrality of language in bilingual education programs at different educational levels.
Being competent in languages is a key factor for professional success in terms of employability and mobility, and pluriligualism is being actively promoted as part of the EU’s linguistic policy. The Government of Catalonia’s educational model, based on plurilingualism and interculturalism, aims to expand and strengthen the repertoire of cultural and linguistic students. The model emphasizes the acquisition of a foreign language, primarily English. The experience of immersion programmes has led to the extension of this methodology to other languages through Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). This presentation will explore the evolution of CLIL programmes in Catalonia. In order to meet the challenges of implementing a form of education directed by, and towards, plurilingualism the careful consideration of different issues, including teaching objectives, school organization and teacher training, is required.
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Let’s draw on what research and developments in mainstream education tell us about the relationships between school leadership, teacher development, and student outcomes – with a view to, perhaps radically, reflecting on our practice.
I’ll then invite you to reflect on the long lasting conventional ELT model of the one-off professional development presentations / workshops given in-house or by visiting experts and, in vogue when I entered ELT and still the principal model for teacher development in many parts of the ELT world today.
We can then turn to outlining and discussing emerging approaches to professional development which are proving to be measurably more effective, probably more inspiring and crucially which allow students to succeed and teachers to thrive.
The word assessment can get a poor press sometimes, but aren’t assessment and learning just different sides of the same coin? The ‘either or’ distinction between summative and formative assessment is becoming increasingly blurred, and these days there is enormous educational interest in how assessment and language learning can go hand in hand. In this talk we will focus on the potential of digital technology in integrating assessment and learning in a virtuous learning cycle. We will look at the value-added possibilities of technology and the knowledge teachers need to be competent users of digital language learning products. We will end by exploring the implications of the integration of learning and assessment for the future.
As educators, we’re faced with a paradox – many learners measure their own progress through their confidence and ability to speak, yet getting students to actively participate in speaking activities in the classroom often be a challenge due to fear of judgement and/or lack of confidence. This presentation will outline findings from research on peer interaction and teacher feedback, and will discuss strategies for creating “safe speaking environments” to allow our students to thrive and make progress that’s meaningful to them.
This keynote will focus on the key habits that underpin the leadership in those educational establishments that achieve outstanding outcomes over a sustained period, with a focus on how to create the conditions for such excellence to thrive. Much of the content is based on Andy’s learning from leading the London Challenge ‘Good to Great’ programme as well as his participation in Oxford University’s Business School ‘High Performing Leadership’ course and from the highly regarded meta-analysis by Dr Viviane Robinson from the University of Auckland on what it is that leaders do that makes the biggest difference to pupil outcomes. Other key influences have been the work of Stephen Covey, Paul Bambrick-Santoyo, David Pendleton, Adrian Furnham, Steve Radcliffe and John Campbell.
Registration and networking activity
Lunch
Conference opening
Plenary 1 · The Wolfson Hall
Leading for impact: What are the leadership habits for leaders in
high-performing organisations · Andy Buck
PICK AND CHOOSE TALKS
Session 1A · The Wolfson Hall
Putting language at the centre: CLIL is more than teaching in a foreign language · Ana Halbach
Session 1B · Jack Colville Hall
Creating speaking environments in which learners can thrive: Easier said than done? · Claire Dembry and Leslie Hendra
Coffee Break
PICK AND CHOOSE TALKS
Session 2A · The Wolfson Hall
Is assessment just a mark? How assessment can promote learning
· Evelina Galaczi and Sian Morgan
Session 2B · Jack Colville Hall
Implementing a CLIL Curriculum: CLIL programmes in Catalonia
· Natalia Maldonado and Montserrat Montagut
Plenary 2 · The Wolfson Hall
Developing teachers for stronger results · Vic Richardson
Dinner
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13.45
14.40
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19.00
Monday
3rd July
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Monday 3rd July
Tuesday 4th July
Tuesday 4th July
MORNING
AFTERNOON
Wednesday 5th July
Student engagement is often hailed as the core of education enterprise. In language education the significance of student engagement is arguably even greater than in other subject matters, because no method of teaching can deliver a high level of communicative competence without ensuring that students are actively involved in the process.
This talk will focus on two important student engagement targets: engaging with the school context and the learner’s peer group. These topics, often less discussed in language teaching methodology are crucial aspects of the learning environment. This talk will first focus on different ways of helping students adopt to school norms, develop a sense of ownership of the learning environment and belonging in the school community. Practical strategies on how teachers can foster conducive group dynamics in the L2 classroom will then be discussed.
The Better Learning experience culminates with the third pillar, Stronger Results. We’ve received plenty of evidence about the need to make learners aware of their progress. But how are you measuring that progress? Which instruments are you using? What do you, your learners, and their families consider to be credible evidence that a set of material yields the desired results?
In this session we will explore current behavior on gauging and reporting on student progress. This will lead to specific recommendations to Cambridge on how to create tools and parameters that provide unequivocal evidence of strong results.
An opportunity to take part in an informal discussion around a range of current educational issues. Topics will be up-to-date and relevant, and will be chosen from items in the news during the conference week.
Optional Session · The Wolfson Hall
What's in the news? A discussion around current educational issues
· Karen Momber
Plenary 3 · The Wolfson Hall
Engaging language learners: Focus on the school context and the learner’s peer group · Zoltan Dornyei
Research in Action: What is credible evidence of success?
· Jose Antonio Mendez
Coffee break
Research in Action: What is credible evidence of success?
· Jose Antonio Mendez
Lunch
9.00
9.30
10.20
11.10
11.40
12.30
MORNING
Tuesday
4th July
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Monday 3rd July
Tuesday 4th July
Tuesday 4th July
MORNING
AFTERNOON
Wednesday 5th July
AFTERNOON
Tuesday
4th July
Recent years have seen a number of changes in the educational landscape. Some of these changes have been driven by technology; others, which include curriculum and assessment change, may be driven by educational policy. All of these changes have an impact on school managers, teachers, administrators, and even organisational infrastructure.
In this Panel discussion we will highlight some of the key changes, along with the challenges, and consider how these are shaping our schools.
Technology is messy. It’s constantly improving itself and never does exactly what you need. But at the same time it’s weaving itself deep into the very fabrics of our lives, and becoming the core foundation of how many of today’s kids communicate and express themselves. This talk looks at some of the learning technologies I’m excited about at the moment and how emerging technologies can be harnessed for good in teaching and learning, so that teachers and learners can thrive in our technology-infused world.
Although virtual reality is just starting to enter mainstream usage, there have already been innovative experiments in applying VR to transform the ways in which we interact with digital media. But how can virtual reality enhance teacher training?
This talk will examine the affordances of virtual reality as a spatial medium and how VR can promote self-reflection and metacognitive awareness during key stages of training and professional development. This will be followed by a discussion and examples of how, moving forward, we can create and consume immersive learning content through VR.
Should the learners’ own language (L1) be allowed or banned in the foreign language classroom? There is now a clear theoretical and research consensus that it has a valuable and unavoidable role to play, and that it makes no sense to try to ban it. An overview of the reasons for this position will be followed by a consideration of the practical implications for teachers and institutions. How, how often and why should L1 feature in language learning activities? What techniques and technologies should teachers be using? How can institutions and academic managers support their staff?
Blended learning is a concept that has become mainstream in language education. However, there is not a lot of agreement on what a blended program looks like and how it should be implemented. Much like terms such as communicative language teaching or task-based learning, blended learning lacks definition. In this talk we look at blended learning as a developmental process which requires close collaboration between all areas of an educational institution: administration, procurement, marketing, teachers, and students. We will help define a blended learning implementation model, highlighting challenges and best practices that have emerged over more than eight years at Laureate Education, a global network of higher education institutions.
I will describe what is now known from research about the importance of children’s spoken language experience for the development of their skills in reasoning, their subject learning and their life chances in general. I will relate this to what some of the most successful teachers already do with talk in their classrooms, and discuss the implications for teachers’ professional development, school leadership and the improvement of classroom practice in general.
PICK AND CHOOSE TALKS
Session 3A · The Wolfson Hall
A New Perspective: Virtual Reality and Transmedia Spherical Video in Teacher Training and Professional Development · Paul Driver
Session 3B · Jack Colville Hall
How talk helps children learn; and how teachers can make the most
of this · Neil Mercer
PICK AND CHOOSE TALKS
Session 4A · The Wolfson Hall
The challenges of blended learning: An institutional view · Gordon Lewis
Session 4B ·Jack Colville Hall
L1 in foreign language teaching: Towards a principled approach
· Philip Kerr
Innovation Showcase and Coffee break
Panel session · The Wolfson Hall
Key challenges to educational management: What will schools look like
in 2027? · Eric Baber and selected panelists
Plenary 4 · The Wolfson Hall
Exciting, Messy, Empowering, Chaotic: Our digital future · Geoff Stead
The Cambridge experience: A virtual trip around Cambridge
· Rupert Daniels, Joe Tearle and Caroline Thiriau
13.15
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14.45
15.45
16.30
17.15
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Monday 3rd July
Tuesday 4th July
Tuesday 4th July
MORNING
AFTERNOON
Wednesday 5th July
The goal for what good education looks like is changing. We used to think that only a proportion of students had the ability to be academically successful - but now we know better. In the very best schools everyone achieves highly regardless of their background or starting point and the students are not ‘test passers’ but well-rounded individuals ready to thrive in life beyond school; in university, in the workplace and in an increasing complex world. It is possible but it’s not easy. To get there you need to understand how to create cognitive success and you need a meticulous approach to making it happen. This talk looks at the journey to success and how to make it the norm in schools.
This session provides an opportunity for you to discuss a topic with colleagues from around the globe. You will be able to share concerns and best practice. Selecting your topic in advance, you can raise issues ahead of the forum so that the topic facilitator can ensure that your group discusses the most pertinent issues.
This talk aims to make sense of the increasing range of life skills trends in education– Whole Child Education, 21st century skills, Growth Mindset, Global Competency, Positive Education, Social & Emotional Learning, Critical Thinking Skills, Most Likely to Succeed, etc. We will look at why English language programmes are being required to include these skills. Ben will introduce the Cambridge Framework for Life Skills in Education, which will help you understand the component skills that underlie these trends, and start to look at the Can Do statements that will help you manage them more systematically within your institution. We will also look at the application of the Framework to curriculum, learning resources, teacher training and assessment.
An opportunity to take part in an informal discussion around SEN, where you will be able to discuss concerns and share best practice, as well as learn a little about the IATEFL Inclusive Practices and SEN SIG.
Optional Session · The Wolfson Hall
Special Educational Needs: A discussion around SEN
· Varinder Unlu
Plenary 5 · The Wolfson Hall
Making sense of life skills: The Cambridge Framework for Life Skills in Education · Ben Knight
Forum session · The Wolfson Hall
A consideration of key issues that matter to our delegates: driven by you for you (or similar)
Coffee break
Plenary 6 · The Wolfson Hall
Establishing a culture of success · Deborah Eyre
Closing remarks · The Wolfson Hall
Lunch
Optional Cambridge Activity
9.00
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11.10
11.40
12.25
12.40
15.30
Wednesday
5th July
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Zoltan Dornyei
Zoltán is Professor of Psycholinguistics at the School of English, University of Nottingham. He has published extensively on various aspects of language learner characteristics and second language acquisition, and he is the author of over 20 books, including Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom (2001, Cambridge University Press), Motivating Learners, Motivating Teachers: Building Vision in the Language Classroom (2014, Cambridge University Press, with M. Kubanyiova), The Psychology of The Language Learner Revisited (2015, Routledge, with S. Ryan) and Motivational Currents in Language Learning: Frameworks for Focused Interventions (2016, Routledge, with A. Henry and C. Muir). His main professional interests are teacher training and development, materials development, exploitation of resources and CLIL.
Vic Richardson
Vic has been in ELT longer than he’ll admit. He started as a teacher, then a teacher trainer, a course book writer, and an academic director. Whilst being a teacher trainer, he was the Director of the International Teacher Training Institute in International House Hastings and he was a Chief Assessor for the CELTA and a DELTA examiner & Assessor. He is now a member of the executive leadership team and Director of Academic Development for Embassy English, the language division of Study Group.
Varinder Unlu
Varinder has been working in ELT for 25 years in many different contexts from private language schools to FE and HE, teaching students from 6-80 years old. She has been a DOS/Academic Manager since 2002 and has been working at International House, London since 2010 as Director of Studies. She is also a teacher trainer for CELTA and Trinity.
Rupert Daniels
Rupert is the Global Marketing Director at Cambridge University Press and joined the world of ELT 4 years ago having previously worked for Arsenal Football Club and FIFA. Passionate about education, the move to Cambridge was a natural fit. Rupert is responsible for branding, communications, digital & social, research, design and conferences, like this one!
Sian Morgan
Sian is a Senior Research Manager at Cambridge English Language Assessment. She has taught and assessed English in the higher education sector in the USA, Italy and the UK. Her interests include performance assessment, teacher assessment literacy and learning-oriented assessment. She has an Ed. M in Applied Linguistics (Language Assessment) from Columbia University, New York, and is currently pursuing her doctorate in the same field.
Paul Driver
Paul is a language teacher, teacher trainer and learning technologist at British Study Centres, Oxford with over 20 years of ELT teaching experience. Paul is also a published ELT author, graphic designer and illustrator. His research interests span across many fields, exploring the roles of technology, digital media, embodied cognition and the design of learning environments in the context of language learning. Paul has been nominated for 5 consecutive ELTon awards in the categories of Digital Innovation and Innovation in Teacher Resources.
Philip Kerr
Philip is a teacher trainer, lecturer and materials writer, who is based in Vienna. He is the author of numerous coursebooks for high school and adult learners, the most recent of which is due to be published by Cambridge University Press in 2019. His 'Translation and Own-Language Activities' (Cambridge University Press, 2014) won both the ESU / Duke of Edinburgh Award and the British Council Award for ELT Writing. He is also a pedagogical consultant to two app developers and he blogs about technology and language learning at https://adaptivelearninginelt.wordpress.com
Neil Mercer
Neil is Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of Cambridge, where he is also the Director of Oracy@Cambridge: the Hughes Hall Centre for Effective Spoken Communication and a Life Fellow of the college Hughes Hall. He is a psychologist with particular interests in the development of children’s spoken language and reasoning abilities, and the role of teachers in that development. He has worked extensively and internationally with teachers, researchers and educational policy makers on improving communication and learning in the classroom. His books include Words and Minds: how we use language to think together, Exploring Talk in School, Dialogue and the Development of Children’s Thinking and Interthinking: putting talk to work.
Karen Momber
Karen is the Teacher Development Publisher at Cambridge ELT. Before joining the Press, Karen was involved in ELT teaching and training in Europe and Latin America. She holds a Diploma in English Language Teaching and an MEd in Educational Technology and ELT. As well as commissioning teacher development resources and courses for the Press, Karen is currently involved in the monitoring of collaborative, practice-based CPD in her role as a governor at a local secondary school.
Leslie Hendra
Leslie has given talks and workshops across Europe, and in Japan and Saudi Arabia, on grammar, the lexical approach, intercultural awareness and conversational strategies. She has a DELTA accreditation, and an M.A. from the University of Toronto in Canada, and lives in London UK.
Montserrat Montagut
Montserrat started her professional life as a teacher of Catalan to adult students. She has a degree in Catalan Philogy at the University of Barcelona and a Postgraduate Diploma in Lexicography and Termimology at the University Pompeu Fabra. She is currently Head of the Foreign Language Unit at the Ministry of Education (Catalan Government). From this unit, she manages and promotes several innovative programmes within the field of foreign languages aimed at schools of Catalonia. She also runs EU educational programmes and collaborate with many national and International institutions and organizations. Previously, Montserrat was Head of Language Resource Service at the Ministry of Culture (2011-14). From this unit, she launched and managed the development of tools and resources for the promotion of learning and use of Catalan language among adult population.
Natalia Maldonado
Natalia started her professional life as a teacher of English to primary children. She currently works in the Departament d’Ensenyament de la Generalitat de Catalunya as the Head of Innovation and In-service Training for Primary Education. She has been involved in a number of European projects (LRC- Language Resource Centres, TRAFIC- Transnational Framework of In-service-Courses, CLIL Cascade Network (CCN) AYLLiT (Assessment of Young Learner Literacy linked to the CEFR). She is a co-author of Cambridge University Press CLIL course books (The Thinking Lab).
Jose Antonio Mendez
Jose Antonio is the Market Research Director at Cambridge University Press, where he’s in charge of applying innovative methodology to both qualitative and quantitative research. Jose Antonio’s main job is to gain insights from students, teachers, and school administrators so that their needs and pain points inform everything we do. Prior to working in market research, Jose Antonio taught Spanish and Theoretical Linguistics in New York. He has a PhD in linguistics, focusing on syllable structure and stress assignment. He lives and works in New York.
Gordon Lewis
Gordon is Vice President, Languages for Laureate Higher Education, based in Princeton, NJ, USA. He earned a B.S. in Languages and Linguistics from Georgetown University, Washington D.C. and an M.S. from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Monterey , California . From 1991-1999 he ran a language school for children in Berlin, Germany. From 2001 to 2004 he was Director of Instructor Training and Development for Berlitz Kids in Princeton, New Jersey . From 2004-2008 he was Academic Director of Kaplan English Programs, based in New York City. Gordon has served on the committee of the IATEFL Young Learners Special Interest Group and served as an editorial board member of ELT Journal. He is co-author of Games for Children and Grammar for Young Learners and author of The Internet and Young Learners, Teenagers, and Bringing Technology into the Classroom, all published by Oxford University Press.
Joe Tearle
Joe is a Digital Marketing Manager currently working for Cambridge University Press in the ELT Marketing Communications department. Joe has previously worked in integrated marketing agencies in the UK and is passionate about digital trends, marketing innovation and technology in the classroom.
Geoff Stead
Geoff is the Director of Digital & New Products at Cambridge English Language Assessment. He is a globally recognized expert in the use of emerging technologies for learning and teaching and has built successful tech-innovation teams in both the UK and the US. Previously he was Senior Director of Mobile Learning at Qualcomm, California, leading a specialist team who developed over 40 educational and training apps.
Eric Baber
Evelina Galaczi
Evelina is Head of Research Strategy at Cambridge English Language Assessment. She has worked in language education for over 25 years as a teacher, teacher trainer, materials writer, programme administrator, researcher and assessment specialist. Her current work focuses on the role of digital technologies in assessment and learning, and on professional development for teachers. Evelina regularly presents at international conferences and has published papers on speaking assessment, computer-based testing, and paired speaking tests.
Eric is ELT Product Training Director at Cambridge University Press. As such he is responsible for training delivery to internal sales representatives as well as customers, predominantly in the use of Cambridge’s online course material.
Eric’s background is in the intersection between teaching and technology. He has been an ELT teacher and teacher trainer and in the late ‘90s co-founder of one of the first online language schools. He has worked for Royal Holloway, University of London developing four fully-online degree courses. He has published a number of books and articles in the area of online teaching and learning. He is also a Past President of IATEFL, the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language.
Claire Dembry
Dr Claire is a Senior Language Research Manager within the English Language Teaching group at Cambridge University Press. Claire and her team use data-driven methods to investigate English language research issues, in order to improve the materials that Cambridge writes for those learning English.
Deborah Eyre
Professor Deborah is the founder of High Performance Learning. A global educational leader, researcher, writer and influencer focused on helping good schools become world class, she is a widely published author and is internationally known for her expertise in how the most able people think and learn. Her new book High Performance Learning: How to Become a World Class School was published in January 2016. Deborah’s career has included a variety of senior education posts both globally and in UK as well as advising governments and educational foundations in UK, Hong Kong, South Africa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, USA and Singapore. From 2010-2014 she was Global Education Director for Nord Anglia Education and prior to that served as Director of the UK government’s innovative National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY), based at the University of Warwick. Deborah is a Board member of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), a Trustee of the Swan Multi-Academy Trust, a Freeman of the City of London Worshipful Company of Educators and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Caroline Thiriau
Caroline is an Associate Business Unit Director in the English Language Teaching division at Cambridge University Press. She has publishing responsibility for Blended Courses and supplementary materials for adults. Caroline has worked in ELT publishing for over 13 years and before that she was an English teacher in Japan, France and Australia.
Ana Halbach
A geography teacher by trade, Andy went on to become a headteacher for thirteen years at two schools in east London. In the last year of headship, his school was judged outstanding in all categories and Andy was designated a National Leader of Education. In 2009 he become a Director at the National College for School Leadership, leading on the London Challenge programme. He was subsequently responsible for setting up the government's flagship Teaching Schools programme before being appointed as Managing Director at United Learning, one of the country’s largest academy groups. Since 2014, Andy has founded two organisations: Leadership Matters and #honk. Both aim to improve the educational outcomes for pupils by supporting great leadership development. Andy was invited to become a Fellow of the RSA in 2015. He is currently the Chair of the Education Committee of the education charity, Ambition School Leadership, which was formed from the merger of Future Leaders and Teaching Leaders. He is also an Honorary Vice President at the Geographical Association. Former board membership has included the Teacher Training Agency, the National College for School Leadership, Partnerships for Schools, the Teacher Development Trust and the Teaching Awards. Andy has also written five educational leadership books.
Andy Buck
Ben Knight
Ben works for Cambridge University Press as their Director of ELT Research and Teacher Development. His responsibilities include ensuring that high quality research underpins the learning materials, curriculum development and teacher support that CUP provides. Ben has taught and worked in several countries around the world, with International House, the British Council, Cambridge Assessment, City & Guilds, and various other schools and universities.
Ana is a lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages at the Universidad de Alcalá (Spain). She is currently involved in a research project focusing on literacy development as a focus for language teaching in the context of bilingual education programs. She coordinates the bilingual education track that is part of the Master’s in TEFL at her university, and is involved in various teacher training and curriculum development projects in collaboration with other institutions. Ana has published widely both nationally and internationally.
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betterlearning@cambridge.org
For any questions surrounding the conference please email
Our Better Learning conference attendance is by invite only.
You should now have all your flight information, if this is not the case, then please do get in touch with us.
All of our guests will be greeted at the airport, you should receive details via email over your airport transfers two weeks before the conference start date.
Once exiting arrivals at your London airport (after clearing immigration and collecting luggage) a representative will be waiting to collect you, they will be easily identifiable, as they will have one of our Better Learning Conference and Cambridge University Press signs, they will then drive you straight to Churchill College in Cambridge.
All of our guests are staying at the Churchill College and this is where the conference is hosted.
Is one of the prettiest Cambridge University Colleges and set in spacious wooded grounds, just outside of the Cambridge city centre. There are local shops, restaurants and cafes close by for convenience.
During your spare time, outside of the conference programme, you may wish to explore the historic city centre and we will be happy to advise the best ways of doing this.
Look at the map ›
All of our guests are invited to attend our formal dinner at Churchill College. Dinner will be served at 19:00.
Dress code is smart/formal, but no need for black tie!
On Tuesday we will be finishing the day with drinks and canapés, but this will be a free evening for guests to spend how they wish.
After lunch we have arranged to take our guests on a guided punting tour on the river Cam, to see the famous sights of Cambridge. There will also be some free time for guests to explore Cambridge themselves too (please note comfortable shoes are advised).
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Formal Dinner
Monday 3rd July
Wednesday
5th July
Tuesday 4th July
Churchill
College
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