LOVE L OC AL
A WARM WELCOME AT THE OAK-TREE SCHOOLS
The importance of sending children to a welcoming school was highlighted recently by a prospective parent visiting one of the four Oak-Tree Schools.
F
ollowing their personalised tour they commented to the Headmistress, “We’ve visited a few schools with our daughter but we’re impressed with how welcome we’ve been made to feel. There’s such a lovely atmosphere for the staff and pupils -it feels like a real community.” All schools aim to be welcoming for their families and most create brochures, websites, newsletters, and special events to involve their families. The Oak-Tree Schools, however, have been commended over and again for going above and beyond ‘the norm’ to welcome pupils and parents into the school communities. Open-Door Policy The purpose of an Open-Door Policy is to encourage open communication, feedback and discussion. All of the Oak-Tree Schools value the input from parents, preferring them to share any queries or concerns as they happen in order to give the schools the chance to work together with them and so putting their minds at ease. Matthew Hagger, Group Managing Principal, explains, “Our ‘open door’ policy enables parents to be quickly reassured by a class teacher, a member of the Senior Leadership Team or the Headmistress. All class teachers are readily available for brief conversations at the start and end of the school day or for longer conversations at a mutually convenient time. Parents are also used to contacting us by email, Portal message or telephone. Regular class assemblies, drop-in sessions and social events encourage parents to play an active part in their children’s education. We understand that parents will have a number of queries throughout their children’s time with us and that they shouldn’t have to wait until one of the more formal occasions. This is why we are happy to discuss any aspect of the education we provide whenever we can.” The School Environment The Oak-Tree Schools promise smaller, more nurturing environments that offer a more personalised service than some of their larger counterparts. Each Oak-Tree School caters for between 200 and 300 pupils, providing environments in which children can flourish as teachers know each child well and can provide support and challenge in each lesson. With average class sizes between 12 and 18, a more personalised education is possible. Mr Hagger says, “The traditional values on which
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the four schools were founded continue to be at the core of our ethos, enhanced by the very best practices in modern education. Your child’s education is important to us and we nurture each child individually, taking into consideration their unique needs and talents.” Oak-Tree Coffee Mornings Between October and March each year there is a programme of informal Coffee Mornings for each Headmistress and Group Managing Principal, Mr Hagger to chat with parents year group by year group at each school. Mr Hagger says, “These are useful to discuss various aspects of our education, with no set agenda, and to listen to feedback. The Coffee Mornings inform our school development plans as we continually look to enhance the services we provide to our families. Parents are always welcome to bring up anything that they would like to discuss, no matter how small or large. We can discuss anything from the development of our extra-curricular activities programme to recent enhancements to the quality of the education. Some groups focus on particular themes, such as our intensive preparation for senior schools for parents of the older Oaklands and Coopersale Hall children, or our careers advice and Sixth Form entries at Normanhurst and Braeside.”
The traditional values on which the four schools were founded continue to be at the core of our ethos
THE DETAILS For more information visit: www.oaktreeschools.co.uk
