I just wanted to thank you for all of your wonderful work with our son. We were reading as a family last night and when it was his turn I was amazed at the very difficult words he read. I knew his reading had improved, but it is really very astonishing. He reads as well as his teenage siblings now. He is also reading books on his own just for fun and then tries to convince his siblings to read them also. You have instilled a lot of confidence in our son.
Oliver and Amber
Oak Hill Alumni Parents
All in all, Vanessa is more confident at school now. I find she is happier because she has evidenced real improvement and can advance academically without feeling she does not understand many things.
Thanks to the great staff at Oak Hill and its curriculum, she enjoyed her classes very much. She was surrounded by friends who just like her, wanted to boost their learning path and be happier about knowing that they can also thrive and even outshine in school.
Thank you, Oak Hill for this exceptional one-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Luz
Oak Hill Alumni Parent
We are so lucky to have a school like Oak Hill on our doorstep!! It is the best thing that has happened to our daughter since she started school. She has finished her 2-year stint at Oak Hill and now has the confidence and ability to deal with her secondary education.
Natasha
Oak Hill Alumni Parent
Oak Hill has provided my daughter the decoding skills needed for English and gave her the gift of enjoying reading. She’s much more confident with her vocabulary skills needed in Middle School. Thank you, Oak Hill!
Michelle
Oak Hill Alumni Parent
The pastoral and emotional support our son received during his two years at Oak Hill had a positive impact on his learning. It gave him the confidence to participate more in class and the tools to adapt to his learning environment.
Anne
Oak Hill Alumni Parent
Oak Hill gave our daughter the ability to thrive at school in Switzerland, the small structured group classes enabled her to advance in her reading, mathematics and writing. Our daughter has both dyslexia and ADHD which made junior school a very stressful place as she was very aware that she was struggling with studies that other children found easy. Oakhill took that stress away for her, the staff were always warm and empathetic, they not only helped her progress academically but they also taught her to advocate for herself. Our daughter is now at High School in the US, she will always need support but Oakhill laid the foundation, so that when she entered mainstream schooling full time she was able to thrive.
Caroline
Oak Hill Alumni Parent
Oak Hill was an amazing experience for both our son, and his parents! I will never forget my deep relief and confidence when I observed some of the classes and I felt this was the right place for him. Oak Hill allowed us to remain as his parent figures, supporting and encouraging him while the hard work was done by the extremely capable staff at Oak Hill. Challenged with both dyslexia and attentional issues, our son started at age 7 with basic work on reading. He received highly individualized and focused attention – assuring he had command of each of the basic elements of phonics and expressive language for reading as well as the grammatical elements for writing.
Cynthia
Oak Hill Alumni Parent
Question: Why would anyone drive 66 KM To Oak Hill?
Answer: Simply put, it is the right thing to do for our child.
We tried in-school and after school tutoring for 1.5 years to “avoid” the drive and believe at this point in time our child needs the caring, yet rigorous learning experience with “other kids like him” that Oak Hill offers. He is a child that benefits from well-managed group dynamics. This new commuting commitment disrupted our relatively easy daily routine a little; however, with the right communication and planning, everyone rallied to make it work.
We haven’t looked back, and exude thankfulness that Oak Hill is here in Switzerland!
Erika and Pete
Oak Hill Alumni Parents
Starting from a confusing academic introduction our daughter has grown into a very accomplished student repeatedly making the honour roll in her new school. The tool kit and organizational skills that she brought from Oak Hill has helped her understand how she approaches knowledge. This has allowed her the space to show her true confident self to a much higher degree and it has also made it easier also to make new friends. Her entire focus has shifted from what she cannot do, to instead be all about what she wants to do and learn next. It has been a truly heart-warming transformation.
Fredrik and Trine
Oak Hill Alumni Parents
Sending my daughter to your school was the best thing we could have done for her. The change we have seen has been delightful.
We’re amazed!
Oak Hill Alumni Parent
Oak Hill is a wonderful school filled with the best people. Oak Hill helped me a lot when I first moved to Switzerland, from learning English to making new friends. Oak Hill teaches students at their own pace, so I had time to learn what I was studying instead of just memorizing it. All the teachers were supportive and nice even when I was frustrated myself. Oak Hill is a great community and the amazing program fit me perfectly. I know they will continue to do great things and help others succeed just like I did. I am changing schools soon again but this time I’m not nervous because I know I am a good student, and I know I will make many new friends even if I move to a new school or a new country.
PS. I got a 97% on my last math test on geometry. 😊
Ella
Oak Hill Alumni Student
I am very grateful to Oak Hill for teaching me the tools to get through school and enjoy my time there. Before I joined Oak Hill I could not write a paragraph and had never read an entire book but just last year I got the best grades in my class on my exams. Looking back and seeing the amount of progress I have made is just incredible to me. I do not think that that would have been possible without Oak Hill.
Riley
Oak Hill Alumni Student
I think the friendly, supportive environment and small sizes really helped me to focus and learn how to read. The excellent teachers really understood what I needed to do to make progress.
Ben
Oak Hill Alumni Student
I am in Y5, and everything is more complicated. Oak Hill makes life easier. I have dyslexia so it helps so much! If I had not come to Oak Hill, I feel I would have been struggling at my other school.
Konrad
Oak Hill Alumni Student
I’m new and it’s a very incredible experience to join Oak Hill. It’s an amazing school for me. It is fun and even though I have only been here a short time, I feel like I’ve already learned a bit.
Zoe
Oak Hill Student
Oak Hill is all about reading and writing. The teachers help me with pronouncing and spelling words.
Wesley
Oak Hill Student
When I started at Oak Hill, I was a bit scared and worried but I was also happy that I was going to a school that would help me with my reading and writing.
Desta
Oak Hill Student
I have always been struck by the warm and welcoming atmosphere at Oak Hill, and this is a great achievement because the work that is done there is structured, thoughtful and rigorous. I think it’s a haven, particularly for pupils who might find school quite challenging. The Oak Hill programme is designed to consolidate core skills, and this builds fluency, and also confidence. The staff clearly take a real interest in their work, and in the pupils.
Dr Jennie Guise
Dysguise, Scotland
Oakhill is a centre of excellence in the educational area of specific learning difficulties. The dedicated teaching team is professional and effective in supporting children to meet their academic and personal goals. The school is a friendly, supportive and encouraging place to learn.
Dr Jennifer Holloway
C.Psychol., Ps.S.I., BCBA-D Chartered Psychologist ASK & ACCESS Director | ASK - All Special Kids
Oak Hill is a shining example of a school delivering truly evidence-based practice, provided with dedication and compassion.
Dr Jenny Tompson
University of Sheffield
I observed a lesson at Oak Hill and was impressed with the pace and the individual attention the students receive. The inbuilt regular and positive reinforcement clearly helps the students’ academic and social development.
Margaret Curran
Cognitive Behaviour Therapist
I was very impressed by the attention the school gives to each student and the effort the teachers put into tailoring the lesson to every child’s personal needs. It is something that many schools cannot afford to do because of the adult-child ratio.
It was also great to see how every little effort the child makes is rewarded with positive reinforcement and their struggles are never frowned upon. On the contrary their feelings are validated and they are given words of encouragement. It is a great way of preserving and restoring their confidence!
It’s also very interesting how the teachers take into account the WISC-V results and their overall cognitive profile and how their strengths or difficulties can influence their learning abilities when tailoring the lessons.
Lastly, I find the communication with parents very down to earth. The professionals at the school really emphasize on the fact that each child is different and the program will have a different outcome with every individual. It allows the family to be hopeful but to also know that sometimes progress can take time and is not always as impressive as the parents would have expected. The regular evaluation of the child’s progress allows the professionals to keep dialoguing with the parents in order to make adjustments if necessary.
Zainab Mohamed
Psychologist at Cogito'Z Geneva-Nyon
Thank you for your invitation which allowed me to discover a structure which welcomes, encourages and supports children in the learning disabilities they have.
The psychologist that I am is delighted to see so much kindness, everything that these children with special needs need!
Thank you for your warm welcome and I look forward to our collaboration.
Sabrina Bouhata
Psychologist, Nyon
As a supply teacher working at Oak Hill, I have seen how individual relationships, respect, and celebrating progress are so essential in learning. Students are encouraged to celebrate their progress daily, and to keep progressing through challenges. The Oak Hill methods and routines give students a sense of security and help them take ownership of their progress.
It has been rewarding to be a part of this process and to witness student growth.
Linnann
Teacher
The programme at Oakhill is unlike any I have seen. From a teacher’s perspective it is a dream – you feel able to make a difference by focusing on personalised lessons that truly hone in on those foundational skills that more regular classrooms have to move on from, even when some children have yet to fully grasp them.
Claire
Teacher
