Schools with strong European links offer pupils a unique experience, discovers Anne Cuthbertson
Hill House

The distinctive gold jumper and rust-coloured knickerbocker uniform of Hill House School pupils is a familiar sight on the train which winds its way up to the mountain village of Glion in Switzerland.
For decades, the Chelsea prep school has brought small groups of boys and girls here, to its purpose-built chalet overlooking Lake Geneva, for a European Summer adventure the children never forget. While there are beautiful schools in the UK, the chance to experience Europe in an educational setting is one pupils will find character building.

?It gives them their first experience of being away from home for more than a single night?s sleepover with friends,? says William Townend, bursar at Hill House.
Single classes of 16 ? accompanied by two members of staff ? go out for a week at various times of the year. ?For Common Entrance geography, rather than counting the buses on the King?s Road, they climbed the mountains in the Swiss Alps,? says Townend. ?I remember my son did a project on microclimates, taking measurements in the forests and at different altitudes.?
In the region of ten courses are available in Switzerland, from art and music to drama. In the spring term, children in year five are taken skiing with their own Swiss ski instructor. And in summer, there?s a hiking course. The girls? and boys? orchestras have intensive rehearsals, culminating in a con...