Each staff member provides a course and smaller reading group on a course text. There are also weekly symposia and an informal evening common room. Sessions end with an examination essay on a choice of set topics, with essays marked as Distinction, Satisfactory and Pass. The best Distinction essays are placed in rank order, with the top performers offered a short research visit to a British university. Summer School colloquia last one week and are are typically staffed by three British philosophers with 30 members.
Colloquia involve careful reading and discussion of a single recent philosophical work.
With eleven staff members, Oxford has the largest group of Summer School staff, but 21 other institutions are also represented by senior figures. With the stimulus of such contact, several Summer School members have proceeded to research visits or degree study in leading British or American universities. Members of the Summer School must attend all required instruction and submit an examination essay at the end of the session.