Time To Shine…
Providing all the opportunities you could wish for, Oakhill’s nurturing, family ethos and stunning, rural location, form a perfect backdrop for pupils eager to learn and develop
Based in the heart of Whalley, Oakhill believes that each child is an individual and as a relatively small school, with small class sizes, each teacher knows each and every pupil.
“We are a deliberately small school so teachers know each child and their individual interests,” explains Principal Jane Buttery.
“We don’t just stick rigidly to the curriculum as we want to spark inquisitiveness in our pupils along with a love of learning that lasts a lifetime.
“We go above and beyond the National Curriculum to stretch and challenge pupils and capitalise on their interests.”
Because class sizes are small teachers have more time to spend with children and parents: “At the end of the school day staff are able to chat to parents, which encourages excellent communication between school and home. There is a real family feel of everyone working together.”
Unlike much larger independent schools across the region, Oakhill has been run by the same family for the past 26 years, enabling it to retain its small, nurturing environment where pupils thrive.
Financially stable, the school is prudently run with any profits going back into continuously improving facilities. There is also an incredibly stable team of teachers and staff, who promote family values within the school that embraces a holistic approach to learning.
“At Oakhill we are proud to be a little old-fashioned upholding traditional values, promoting decent citizenship.
“Pupils are encouraged to carve out their own educational journey with no pre-determined idea of who they should become. They may be a bit quirky or different – but there is space for everyone here. Children are able to discover their own individual talents so they can develop them.”
Oakhill represents personalised learning that is targeted and tailored to each individual pupil so they are challenged at every level. Through excellent teaching, academic results at Oakhill are impressive.
Whatever level a child is at, almost all pupils perform beyond academic expectation. High achievers do well at Oakhill while less able ones go beyond expectations thanks to targeted teaching, which enables them to thrive.
While traditional values are nurtured, Oakhill is a progressive school where pupils make lifelong friendships, not just within their own age group but across the year groups. Older pupils act as buddies and mentors to the younger ones and there are many opportunities for pupils to mix at whole-school events: “They make lifelong friends and even when they go out into the wider world, that little core of friendship remains,” adds Mrs Buttery.
“Oakhill is very much a ‘feeling’ as opposed to a ‘factory’. Pupils and parents feel comfortable here.
“At Oakhill our pupils are allowed to shine, be seen, be heard and understood.”
Oakhill
Wiswell Lane, Whalley BB7 9AF
01254 823546
oakhillschool.co.uk
