Whole child education happens in the broadest sense of the word at Oakhill and this involves much more than the excellent academic standards we maintain. From Grade 000 to Grade 12 we strive to ignite the imaginations of our pupils by encouraging them to explore and discover, question and create – to experience the joy of learning. It is a unique journey for each child towards developing identity and reaching their potential. We believe that every child has the ability to learn but not necessarily in the same way as the next one.
This is why educators at Oakhill are encouraged to teach the way their pupils learn, rather than expecting them to learn the way we teach. This does not mean that the process is unstructured – on the contrary. It means that we as educators are constantly reflecting on our pedagogy and questioning the content of the curriculum we offer. We are privileged to enjoy a technology-rich school environment which offers the opportunity for innovative teaching and learning.
Outside the classroom, we have an educational agenda that reaches far beyond the obsession with winning that is too often prevalent in schools nowadays. We play to win, but not at all costs, and strive for excellence but not perfection. We encourage our pupils to have a balanced extramural involvement which includes sport and the arts, and we pride ourselves in the fact that the fields and the stages at Oakhill are equally vibrant spaces. Here our pupils learn about teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership, perseverance, resilience and how to handle victory, defeat, applause and disappointment in an appropriate way.