First Scottish summer school to open at America's Yale University

But now her company is opening its first American branch, at the prestigious Yale University, which counts Bill Clinton, Claire Danes and Meryl Streep as alumni.

Jen said: "I went to St Andrews to university to do history and I did Camp America at an all-girls summer camp in North Carolina.

"I thought it would be one summer of work experience but within one week of being there I thought, ‘This is different to anything else I’ve ever experienced’.

"It was a safe environment where kids could play and it didn’t matter where they were from, it was a very equalised and safe environment.

"So I went back to the same summer camp for the next four years."

After graduating, Jen realised there was nothing like Camp America in Scotland for young people.

She was keen to work with teenagers and so decided the logical thing would be to set up her own summer school.

From her base in Partick, Jen launched her St Andrew's University international summer school in 2006 with 51 students from more than 50 nationalities.

And the idea was an instant hit.

ISSOS takes a maximum of 10% of students from any one nationality to ensure pupils are mixing with as many different kinds of young people as possible.

A typical day begins at 7am when students meet to eat breakfast together.

In the morning they have three hours of academic classes such as English as a Second Language, debating, creative writing, or international Baccaleureate.

Jen added: "We all have lunch in the same dining hall. And after lunch we have our electives - tennis, golf, theatre, film or art. These are all taught by fully qualified professionals.

"At St Andrews we use the PGA certified golf courses so, of course, we have a lot of young people who want to try them out.

"They then have the option to take part in a 4pm activity - sometimes that’s photography or football or touch rugby.

"At 6pm we have dinner in the dining hall and then we all meet for the evening programme, such as a variety show or dodgeball.

"Students are divided into 'clans' so we may have any kind of clan event for them."

While studying during the summer holidays might not be much of a lure for an average teenager, Jen, whose office is now based on St Vincent Street, says 40% are repeat students who ask to come back year after year.

She says ISSOS is different from other summer schools because teachers are experts in their own subjects and are not required to multi-task.

She said: "A lot of English language schools want their English teachers to teach in the morning and then teach tennis in the afternoon.

"Our teachers don't do that.

"The kids are being given a balanced education. They get film and art. They are involved over four or five years.

"Give me £4000 and you know for three weeks your child is somewhere safe, somewhere where a real difference is being made to their lives.

“Our pupils blow my mind, how bright they are.”

Although Jen acknowledges the summer schools are expensive for an average family, she says she is looking at offering financial assistance.

She added: "We went for a specific kind of market.

"Kids from a middle class background have just as many problems as other children, it’s just that those problems might vary or be expressed in a different way.

"We may be offering a scholarship this year, that's definitely something I'm looking at an considering."

For now, Jen's main focus is making sure the Yale opening goes smoothly - while trying to track down haggis and a piper.

She added: "Yale was perfect for everything we do, like Cambridge and St Andrews, it was a safe, university town where we could offer our programme.

"It does feel amazing to be opening in America but there's isn't much competition for what we do - our summer schools are fairly unique.

"And in America we will definitely be the only summer school importing haggis and engaging a piper for our traditional Burn's Supper."