i.
No Spanish translation
From day one the classroom is 100% in English. Learning by exposure and context, the way natives learn.
Saint Mary School of English
We don't teach English:
we make you live it.
Fifteen years in Hurlingham building a different way to learn a language. Three locations, nine teachers, one immersion method.
KR
Karina Reyes · Hurlingham, 2026
The founder
Karina Reyes
Teacher · Academic Director · Founder
University Professor of English from Buenos Aires, with two master's degrees from the United Kingdom: English Language at Churchill House (Ramsgate, Kent) and English Literature at Bloomsbury International (London).
Over 25 years teaching between Argentina and the UK. Founded Saint Mary in 2008. Since April 2026 she is the official Hilderstone College representative for Argentina, appointed directly by Angharad Sanders, the college's Principal.
"I don't teach English. I help people think in another language."Read her story
The method
Full immersion
from day one.
The student doesn't translate: she thinks in English. Every class, every material, every conversation is designed so the language stops being a subject and becomes a tool. These are the five pillars behind that method.
ii.
Small groups
Maximum 8 students. Each one has a voice, real practice time and personal follow-up every class.
iii.
Standard British English
Received Pronunciation, vocabulary and structures aligned with Cambridge and the European CEFR framework.
iv.
Continuous assessment
International rubrics, CEFR levels (A1 to C2) and constant feedback. Every student knows where they are and where they're going.
v.
Real UK immersion
The method closes in Kent: two yearly trips to England to live the language 24/7 with a British host family.
The locations
Three places, one method.
A mother location with fifteen years behind it; two new locations that cross the ocean to bring the method closer to where each student lives.
Original locationi.
● Active since 2008
HurlinghamBuenos Aires · Argentina
Where the method was built.
Malaspina 1560. Three classrooms, library, patio. Fifteen years of face-to-face work with students from western Greater Buenos Aires.
EnglishChildren · Teens · AdultsCambridgeUK Immersions
Visit the location
Crossing to Europeii.
Opening · 2027
MadridSpain · Europe
Where the method crosses the ocean.
Our first European location. English with Argentine-British methodology for Spanish speakers in Spain: professionals, university students, resident families.
EnglishAdults · ProfessionalsCambridge
Join waitlist
Return to originiii.
Opening · 2027
KentUnited Kingdom · UK
Where the method comes home.
Kent is where Karina did her master's and where the immersions were born. Saint Mary returns there: English for foreigners, Spanish for the British.
English ↔ SpanishBidirectionalHilderstone · Churchill
More information
The team
Nine teachers, one school.
Every teacher on the team brings a different piece of the method. Karina created it; the others sustain it, teach it and extend it every day. Click on each profile to see the full CV.
Want to see the method in person?
A trial class, a visit to Hurlingham or a level test. Whatever you need to make an informed decision.