History
30 years ago Charles and Estrid started welcoming small numbers of students into the family home to learn English in an immersive environment. Charles, a Cambridge Masters graduate and ex-school teacher, helped students achieve excellent results with his innovative, strict yet compassionate approach. Estrid meanwhile, a trained chef and a wonderful listener, made sure everyone was well looked after. Between them they created an environment in which students would be happy relaxing as well as studying. The school continued to expand throughout the 1990s. In 2007 Estrid decided to put ECHO’s 20 year experience with teenagers to good use and dedicated her time solely to their needs. At the end of 2013, Estrid retired, leaving the school in the experienced hands of their son Alex and his wife Carmen.
Since 2016, Alex, Carmen and their family have lived at Sefton Place, sharing their home with the ECHO teachers and small groups of students as a ‘big family’. Together they enjoy the house and garden, home-cooked meals, free time and stimulating activities and excursions. This approach has built long-lasting relationships with students and their families: students, their brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, and, more recently, sons and daughters come back year after year. Nearly all the students come on direct recommendation.