But now an independent school believes it has found a way of helping its international students to adapt by developing a two-week crash course on Yorkshire life.

International students at Harrogate Ladies' College are introduced to everything from Yorkshire pudding and the Ilkley Moor Baht 'at song to sightseeing trips to Harewood House and Whitby during the orientation course.

The independent school attracts pupils from around the world with A-level students from as far-a-field as Germany, Brunei and Hong Kong coming to North Yorkshire for the chance of an English education.

However the school has been concerned that these girls start life in the sixth form balancing the needs of their study with the challenges of settling in to a new culture.

This year, the private school has brought in its international students over two weeks before the start of term to give them an orientation course on what they can expect during their two years in Harrogate.

The programme combines class work, to ensure the pupils' English is good enough for them to be able to study at A-level, with a series of activities designed to give the students a taste of life in the region.

Although many students arrive with accomplished English the crash course gives them the chance to develop their conversational skills and get used to the Yorkshire accent

The school's deputy headmaster Pamela Harrison said: "They find the regional languages very amusing when they come here. A lot of our staff and girls come from all over the country so they get to have conversations with lots of different accents.

"They like using Yorkshire phrases and we were joking with one of our Chinese students recently because she has developed a Yorkshire accent during her time here.

"Our students are fascinated by Yorkshire expressions such as Ilkley Moor Baht 'at."

As well as getting to grips with local dialect, the pupils are also introduced to Yorkshire cuisine as they are treated to a traditional carvery with Yorkshire pudding and pub lunches in the Yorkshire Dales.

And there are also a series of social activities planned to allow the pupils to see what Harrogate and the surrounding areas have to offer.

The class work is broken up with trips to Knaresborough, a shopping trip to the York Designer Outlet, visits to the cinema, music concerts and a chance to see the seaside with coastal trips to Whitby and Scarborough.

Miss Harrison said: "The two weeks include some pretty intense English language work because whether you are doing English, maths, science or economics at A-level, a sophisticated level of English is required. But the two weeks are also built around a lot of cultural activities and we like to continue a programme of events from September to December with visits to places like Haworth and Lightwater Valley during the term."

Harrogate Ladies' College Headmaster Geoff Hazell said: "The orientation course has been a hit with the girls and is a very important event in our calendar as we try to take the stress out of a difficult situation for our international students.

"This, coupled with our excellent 24 hour pastoral care, means that all our students feel well looked after and can get on with the important aspects of their education with fewer stresses and worries".