EDUCAT ION
parents want to see that their children are improving, or getting better,” explains Victoria Robeson, head of admissions and marketing at Oaks International School. “Teachers can really demonstrate that, for example, this is the level students were writing at the beginning of the year and this is where they are now.” And, for a 360 ° perspective, you really can’t beat asking the children what they’ve gained during the year. The pupils themselves are increasingly involved in the learning process, so they start to understand not just what they’re learning, but the purpose behind it – and can be impressively articulate in communicating this to visiting families. “They’re encouraged to look at what they’ve done,
reflect, look at how they can improve and recognise what they need to improve and work on – in terms of academic work and in other areas,” says Victoria. The summer months are also the time of year when all areas of the school are used – inside and out. Schools may vary in the amount of outdoor space they have at their disposal, but however big or small, visiting in warm weather provides a physical aide-memoire to see how it’s used. Woodland can be an all-year-round classroom, and grassed areas can be a venue for impromptu games. So, it’s useful to check that, however lush the acres that roll into the distance are, they’re also well used by children and scenes of life and laughter, which is an
integral part of the learning experience and definitely not for display purposes only. Oaks International, for example, is set in the middle of a public park that is used extensively as a teaching resource. “Children are often out with clipboards, doing investigations, or collecting feathers or leaves for art and descriptive writing,” says Victoria. This time of year is also notable for a coming together of other elements of school life. Yes, there may be exams (and while they’re on, large chunks of the senior school may be missing in action – either on study leave or sweating it out over their papers). After that, however, there are the plays, concerts and
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