Branching together

Four privately-owned independent schools make up The Oak-Tree Group: Braeside in Buckhurst Hill, Coopersale Hall in Epping, Normanhurst in North Chingford and Oaklands in Loughton. The Group caters for children aged 2½ to 16. One of its strengths is recognising trends, and the schools are aware of the ongoing requirement of more and more flexibility for working parents.

All four schools in the Group o er wraparound care. Breakfast Club starts at 7.30am and After School Club enables children to stay on site until 6pm. Headmistress of Oaklands School, Gretchen Copeman, says: “Our wrap-around care is very popular with parents looking to balance work with their children’s school lives.”

Moreen Barnard, Head of Coopersale Hall School, adds: “We have also been introducing more holiday clubs in the longer breaks at Coopersale Hall as well as at the other Oak-Tree Schools. These include Early Years activities, MultiSports clubs, Drama or Performing Arts workshops, and general activities weeks.”

In addition to wrap-around care and holiday clubs, the Oak-Tree Group o ers parents flexibility when it comes to choosing which sessions their children can attend in the Lower and Upper Kindergarten years.

Jacqueline Job, Head of Normanhurst School, comments: “Our parents find this flexibility extremely helpful, especially if their situation changes and they find they need to increase the number of sessions needed every week. We always try our best to accommodate these needs. Some children are ready for full-time school at 2½, whilst for others it is best to start with three halfday sessions that can increase over time.

More and more families are looking for their young children to start in the more formal school environment at an earlier age.”

Chloe Moon, Headmistress of Braeside School, adds: “There are so many benefits to attending a school early. The curriculum is based on the Early Learning Goals, but is enriched with a wide range of additional activities. As the Kindergarten is part of the school, we have many subject specialists at our disposal. Our children have excellent relationships with their dedicated key workers, who are responsible for monitoring their progress and development.”

Find out more at oaktreeschools.co.uk