201-2451 Dieppe Avenue SW, Building B1, Calgary, Alberta, T3E 7K1, Canada
220 Duncan Mill Road, Suite 107, Toronto, Ontario, M3B 3J5, Canada
1,944.4 km
339.8 km
1979
1982
150
118
JK to 12
Preschool to 6
Coed
Coed
Day
eSchool, Day
English
English
Academic
Academic
Progressive, International Baccalaureate Candidate
Traditional
8 to 12
10 to 12
Behavioral
Developmental, Behavioral
Dedicated gifted school
Dedicated gifted school
$16,800 to $18,800
$12,797 to $13,848
No
No
0%
0%
None
None
$0
$0
10
12
0%
0%
75%
50%
Preschool, JK, SK, K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Preschool, JK, SK, K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Rolling
Rolling
Not available
Not available
Yes: grades Preschool - 12
Yes: grades Preschool - 6
No
Yes: grades 4 - 6
“Despite its growth to over 100 students and the expansion of its teaching and leadership team, Banbury Crossroads has managed to maintain its comfortable atmosphere, which has always been a core feature of the school.”
“In line with a student-paced and tutorial style of instruction is the effort to remove any kind of academic competition between students: that’s why there are multi-age classrooms, no grades on report cards until Grade 9, and no external rewards for finishing an assignment, activity, or subject grade level.”
Read The Our Kids Review of Banbury Crossroads School
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Diane Swiatek founded Banbury Crossroads in 1980, and she remains the head of the school today. She has said that “parenting and mentoring children is a matter of choosing philosophy and principles, and acting so as to live out those principles.” Indeed, since its inception, Banbury has been an expression of that ideal. The academics are demonstrably strong, though the attention to values, including responsibility and character development, is a particular draw for the families that enroll here. So too is an academic approach founded in the curiosity and the interests that students bring with them to the classroom. We learn best when we learn for ourselves, rather than for external reward, and the Banbury environment has been created with that in mind.
View full reportThe school was founded in 1982 in order to create a program that reflected the work of Sidney Ledson, an author and expert on topics relating to teaching technology and motivation. His methods gained traction internationally, at the core of which is the idea that we needn’t wait to introduce children to new skill areas (specifically around language and numeracy) and the sooner we start, the better. His books on reading expanded the concept and application of phonics, and his work remains a foundation for the language arts programs at the institute today. There, and elsewhere, the approach intends to challenge students to reach further, to expand and improve their abilities in order to reach their fullest academic potentials. The ideal student is one operating at the top of his or her peer group, and, in the later grades, is preparing for success within university studies.
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"Our daughter has made leaps and bounds academically, and socially."
Hafeeza Atif - Parent (Dec 10, 2020)
Best school in Calgary. All teachers are very nice, kind and helpful. Guidance at all points. They t...
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"They teach the curriculum for her grade, but at her own pace and geared to her individual strengths and weaknesses."
Thalia Zelnik - Parent (Dec 10, 2020)
My daughter likes Banbury Crossroads School because of the very personal, family-oriented atmosphere...
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"helpful teachers ... small class sizes"
Atchuthan Kathirithamby - Parent (Mar 07, 2018)
Our son had a truly amazing experience at Sidney Ledson. At first, he was reluctant to move to a sma...
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"Great school"
Ramesh Nuggehalli Narasimha Gowda - Parent (Mar 10, 2018)
The experience my kid gets is diverse. It is a wholesome learning culture. The teachers are great an...
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"excellent teachers"
Chandini Ramesh - Parent (Mar 10, 2018)
My daughter has loved every teacher who has taught her and that is what she appreciates the most and...
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"Banbury Crossroads School has a truly unique learning environment. We teach students to mastery in class sizes averaging 10:1, in tutorial-style, multi-aged classrooms. Our collaborative, self-directed learning approach meets students' needs where they are, both academically as well as developmentally. Through extensive one-on-one guidance and attention, our students develop their own autonomy, resilience, communication, and time-management skills. Our graduates have confidence forged from self-competence."
"Founded in 1980 by best-selling author, Sidney Ledson, SLI excels in offering the best of traditional and innovative education to children from preschool to grade 6. Building on internationally acclaimed preschool reading success, SLI has grown into a hub for ground-breaking student achievement in literary, STEM, and artistic domains across all grade levels. Our tradition of excellence has continued online, and we now offer online and on-site participation options for the 2022-2023 year."
"Many private schools offer what might be called "traditional plus" models of lecture-based, teacher-paced education, with class sizes averaging 15:1 or more. Banbury Crossroads School has a truly unique approach, where our classrooms are tutorial-based, multi-aged, student-paced, and feature class sizes averaging 10:1. Students go on regular field trips, and we offer support for work experience placement, internships, and community volunteering. Our graduates excel in post-secondary and life!"
Information not available
"As a school with one of the lowest student to teacher ratios available, averaging 10:1, our students get unparalleled access to teachers for guidance, support, and mentoring. Students regularly schedule their own meetings with the School's Director to talk through challenges they're facing. With our self-directed curriculum delivery, students learn to thrive by making their own choices, leading to graduates with superlative self-management skills, and with confidence forged from competence."
Information not available
"We do not give out letter or number grades until grade 9. Instead, we encourage and help students set goals, self-assess and learn until mastery - only moving on to the next grade until both the student and their teacher feel as though the student fully understands the subject or topic they are learning."
Information not available
"We often stress that our class sizes are small, averaging 10:1. This is true and is a big factor for a lot of families when choosing our school. One fact that may be overlooked is our multi-age groupings. This allows for peer instruction, leadership, and collaboration. This is also more reflective of real-world situations and helps prepare students for university or college, and, later, their adult lives."
Information not available
"Our school, founded in 1979 by Diane Swiatek, is the first student-focused, Self-Directed Learning private school in Calgary
We have capacity for only 150 students in our heritage building in Calgary
Students at Banbury Crossroads get plenty of small-group and one-on-one attention and support
We go on extensive field trips for both Physical Education and for other curricular adventures
We are multicultural, with English Immersion for international students, allowing for diverse learning"
Information not available
Congratulations to us all! Banbury Crossroads School passed its 40th Anniversary mark on November 1st, 2019. The historical inertia represented in its continued existence warms my heart, because it means that the Banbury Crossroads way of learning is still available for children in the Calgary region. It has been my passionate dream for the entirety of my adulthood for children to have the opportunity to be respected as individual people, and to be happy, visible, and nurtured while they learn in a holistic fashion. Over the years, the thinking and writing that was done from the very beginning is still valid and relevant. Our philosophy and practices of self-directed learning from those early years have become richer and validated through practice, flourishing into our present ways of being. The inspired devotion and multitudinous efforts of teachers, students, and parents have all contributed to create the actual way we are now. We are a very unique school, with our own particular identity. By this time, it is common for me to tell children and young adults, “At Banbury, we…” while explaining our ways of relating to others, engaging in learning activities and interest-based projects, developing emotional intelligence and self-regulation, connecting with the real world outside our walls, and creating the school culture inside them.
Over the years, Banbury Crossroads has honed its mission to foster learning through self-empowerment, intrinsic motivation, management of time and resources, and active goal setting. Mutual respect is the foundational principle. So, all of us expect to have both rights and responsibilities. Some of the hallmarks of our school are the development of moral and logical reasoning, and competence in the soft skills that are crucial for smooth social functioning, We have developed expertise in developing communication and negotiation skills, and providing guided conflict resolution among willing participants.
Academics matter, because students have an innate impetus for intellectual growth. They need to learn about, and master, their environment. To be respectful to our students, we allow them to work on material that suits their true level of accomplishment, rather than pushing them ahead or holding them back within same-age cohorts. This requires personalized and individualized instruction. So, students set their own schedules and deadlines, and pace their academics, individually working to levels of mastery in accordance with their abilities and motivation. The Alberta Programs of Study are the baseline; students often go beyond that.
As a result, Banbury Crossroads offers very unique schooling. The first difference is shown in how we treat children. Since we respect them as persons, we value their development in autonomy and self-sufficiency, while at the same time emphasizing their interdependence with other people. They are important individually, and so is everyone else. So, we put energy into helping them develop self-leadership, confidence, empathy, compassion, and social responsiveness. We emphasize the need to contribute to their communities.
In order to enable such individualized mentoring, the student-teacher ratio averages 8 to 1. This allows students to receive the visibility, attention, and nurturance necessary for optimal learning. Our choice of this small ratio allows the school atmosphere to be peaceful, comfortable, trusting, and optimistic. Joy happens here. Within these small classes, in order to allow students to work at their true levels of competence, we have chosen multi-aged groupings. This is not unique in the world at large—indeed, this describes the world at large—however, it is certainly unique in schools. This multi-aged approach fosters peer learning, and trust and comfort between people of various ages. As well, it does not socially penalize those students who are working either ahead or behind their peers.
Therefore, teachers need to use tutorial instruction, rather than lecture-based, teacher-paced instruction. This facilitates academic mentoring, with students being able to ask questions and receive assistance in answering them. In academic pursuits, students are encouraged to compete with themselves, to surpass their historical achievements, and work towards their current, personal goals. They may participate in designing their assignments and projects in line with their interests, and they use manipulative materials to carry them out. They participate in the community for real-world learning. In non-COVID years, we do this through field trips, volunteerism, internships, and international travel. Since it is a COVID year, because we have small class sizes, we are able to socially distance our students, and when we need to engage in remote learning, we contact our students daily. Banbury Crossroads is the school when students may experience learning activities that are impossible in large institutions. Banbury Crossroads is a fine example of unique, innovative schooling!
The Sidney Ledson Institute is a visible expression of the philosophy embodied in Sidney Ledson's books, "Raising Brighter Children" and "Teach your Child to Read in 10 Minutes a Day." Our PK - Gr. 7 Program implements this philosophy at the school to raise IQ, provide enriched academics, and promote self-confidence in our students, to not only succeed, but excel through their primary education, and then through their Alumni years at Toronto's most academically elite secondary and post-secondary institutions.
Traditional
Information not available
Progressive (sometimes called "in- quiry-based") curricula attempt to place children's interests and ideas at the heart of the learning experience. Instead of lessons being driven by predetermined pathways, progressive curricula are often "emergent", with learning activities shaped by students' questions about the world. Instead of starting with academic concepts and then tying it to everyday experience, progressive methods begin with everyday experience and work back to an academic lesson. Teachers provide materials, experiences, tools and resources to help students investigate a topic or issue. Students are encouraged to explore, reflect on their findings, and discuss answers or solutions.
Traditional curricula tend to be very content-based and rooted in the core disciplines. It is a structured approach that involves the teacher delivering a unified curriculum through direct instruction. Students usually learn by observing and listening to their teacher, studying facts and concepts in textbooks, and completing both tests and written assignments - which challenge students to not only demonstrate their mastery of content but their ability to analyze and deconstruct it critically. Class discussions are also used to create critical dialogue around the content of the curriculum.
IB Candidate School is an official term used to identify schools that have applied to IBO for permission to teach one or more of the IB Programmes.
Not applicable
Banbury's unique Self-Directed philosophy offers an individualized learning environment for children ages 3 through 18. Banbury is founded on mutual respect; thus, it enables students to achieve the academic mastery appropriate to their own interests, abilities and motivation. The combination of a low-ratio class size averaging 8 students per teacher, our student-paced program exists within a multi-aged setting. Our program diffuses competition between peers, because students are all at their own pace and progression through their curricular material. Students are closely mentored to take responsibility for their own education through inquiry-based and kinesthetic projects, and community-focused learning. They devise their own schedules, develop intrinsic motivation, and learn skills in time management, goal setting and self assessment. Banbury Crossroads' well-balanced approach creates an enriching and inspiring school experience that promotes the development of autonomy and confidence. These two elements are necessary for students' engagement in the academic, emotional and social aspects of post-secondary education and adult life.
Our approach to teaching is an early introduction to reading, learning, and critical thinking which develops an interest, curiosity, an out-of-the-box thought process, and thirst for more knowledge. Students find themselves working at advanced grade levels, not defined or limited by boundaries, and constantly seek challenges. Our enriched academic curriculum is a stimulant for growing minds through the grades, and in the final year at the school, students are prepared for entry to the most sought after schools through the test preparatory program for IB, TOPS, GIFTED, and SSAT. Our nurturing teachers and conducive school environment, coupled with small class sizes offer the advantage of individualized learning and the opportunity for the children to express themselves, lead, excel and develop a self-confidence that they will carry through.
Equal Balance
These math programs feature an equal balance of “Traditional” and “Discovery” methods.
These math programs feature an equal balance of “Traditional” and “Discovery” methods.
Banbury has both "Traditional Math" and "Discovery Math" teaching methods.
Information not available
Math text books used are part of the Alberta Curriculum.
Information not available
Calculators are used in our math programs, as a useful skill and resource.
Information not available
Balanced Literacy
Balanced reading programs are typically Whole Language programs with supplementary phonics training. This training might be incidental, or it might take the form of mini-lessons.
Balanced reading programs are typically Whole Language programs with supplementary phonics training. This training might be incidental, or it might take the form of mini-lessons.
Banbury has a balanced literacy program. We teach children to read when they are ready, which could be any time from age 3 through age 7. We offer individual reading lessons, and teach story writing through dictated stories, as well as their own journalling and writing to accompany relevant activities. Phonics is taught as a strategy to de-code words.
Information not available
DIBELS Testing: This school periodically uses DIBELS testing to assess reading progress.
GORT
Equal balance
Programs that balance systematic and process approaches equally likely have an emphasis on giving young students ample opportunities to write, while providing supplementary class-wide instruction in grammar, parts of sentences, and various writing strategies.
Programs that balance systematic and process approaches equally likely have an emphasis on giving young students ample opportunities to write, while providing supplementary class-wide instruction in grammar, parts of sentences, and various writing strategies.
Banbury has a balanced approach to writing. Writing occurs in relevant and meaningful situations. Students are assisted individually, and encouraged to write independently as well. There is a huge focus on writing, all through the grades, as there is always a teacher available to assist students in their writing. Writing is only as good as a person's thinking. We assist students in clarifying their thoughts, organizing their points logically and reasonably, making linking statements and suitable introductions and conclusions. All students need to be shown how to "cut and paste" in the literal sense. This means that all students need instruction at some point of their lives in creating quality written work. We have had students write essays for diploma exams in which they receive 100%. Of course, individual talent is a huge contributor to this. However, we tend to increase students' skill in writing.
Information not available
Equal Balance
Science programs that balance expository and inquiry learning equally will likely have an equal blend of tests and experiments; direct, textbook-based instruction and student-centred projects.
Science programs that balance expository and inquiry learning equally will likely have an equal blend of tests and experiments; direct, textbook-based instruction and student-centred projects.
Banbury has a balanced approach to the Sciences. We include field trips, experiments and hands-on project work as fundamental means of making science come alive for our students.
Information not available
Evolution as consensus theory
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories
Evolution is not taught
Evolution as consensus theory
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories
Evolution is not taught
Zoology
Equal Balance
These literature programs draw in equal measure from “Traditional” and “Social Justice” programs.
These literature programs draw in equal measure from “Traditional” and “Social Justice” programs.
Banbury has a balanced approach to literature. We follow the Alberta Programs of Study, and give students much leeway in choice of novels, plays, poetry, and so on, for their chosen assignments. We utilize projects with an interdisciplinary focus.
Information not available
Ancient lit
English lit
World (non-Western) lit
European (continental) lit
American lit
Canadian lit
Ancient lit
English lit
World (non-Western) lit
European (continental) lit
American lit
Canadian lit
Expanding Communities
Usually focused on teaching history and geography at an early age, the core knowledge approach uses story, drama, reading, and discussion to teach about significant people, places, and events. Breadth of content and knowledge is emphasized. The curriculum is often organized according to the underlying logic of the content: history might be taught sequentially, for example (as students move through the grades).
The Expanding Communities approach organizes the curriculum around students’ present, everyday experience. In the younger grades, students might learn about themselves, for example. As they move through the grades, the focus gradually broadens in scope: to the family, neighbourhood, city, province, country, and globe. The curriculum tends to have less focus on history than Core Knowledge programs.
Banbury teaches core knowledge of history and geography.
Information not available
Not applicable
Pragmatism in the humanities and social sciences emphasizes making learning relevant to students’ present-day experience. Assignments tend to centre around projects and tasks rather than argumentative essays; these projects will often have a “real-world” application or relevance. There might be more of a social justice component to a pragmatic program, though that isn’t always the case. Subjects like history and philosophy are still covered/offered, but they play a less prominent role in the overall program than in the case of perennialism. The social sciences (contemporary geography, sociology, psychology, etc), meanwhile, might play a more prominent role in pragmatic programs. The key goals are to make learning progressive and relevant, while teaching students real-life skills and critical thinking.
Not applicable
Banbury has a more pragmatic approach to social sciences in Grade 7 and higher.
Information not available
Equal Balance
The communicative method of language acquisition emphasizes the use of the target language in authentic contexts. The approach commonly features interactive group work, games, authentic texts, and opportunities to learn about the cultural background of the language. Drills and quizzes may still be used, but less frequently than with the audio-lingual method.
These programs feature an equal blend of the audio-lingual and communicative styles of language instruction.
Banbury uses the communicative method for teaching foreign languages.
Information not available
Hebrew
ESL
Spanish
Russian
Latin
Japanese
Italian
Greek
German
French
Chinese-Mandarin
Chinese-Cantonese
Hebrew
ESL
Spanish
Russian
Latin
Japanese
Italian
Greek
German
French
Chinese-Mandarin
Chinese-Cantonese
Information not available
Equal Balance
These programs have an equal emphasis on receptive and creative learning.
These programs have an equal emphasis on receptive and creative learning.
Banbury has an expressive approach in our visual studio program.
Equal balance of "Expressive" and "Disciplined"
Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
Heavy integration
Effort is made to integrate the development of digital literacy through the curriculum. However, this is not a dominant focus.
A major effort is made to integrate the development of digital literacy throughout the curriculum and in everything students do. Digital literacy is understood to be a fundamental skill in the 21st century: it therefore follows, the idea goes, that teachers should find ways to connect every lesson back to technology. Effort is made to ensure the use of technology is meaningful and advances students’ skills beyond what they would otherwise be from using computers outside the classroom.
Banbury includes the role of computers and technology in our curriculum.
Our students can code in HTML and CSS, understand and implement the basics of Python, Javascript, and R, and also employ the foundation skills of directing machine learning training - beginning in Grade 1! More basic computer literacy skills, such as typing and presentation development, as well as block-based coding, are also included from as early as Kindergarten and Preschool.
Web design
Robotics
Computer science
Physcial Education at Banbury, has an extensive outdoor component, including horseback riding, skiing, archery, golf, hiking, and canoeing. Many of our indoor activities such as volleyball, basketball, badminton and wall-climbing are conducted off-site in recreation centres. Other indoor activities include swimming, bowling, and yoga. Many games are played on the fields and grounds near our school.
Information not available
Academic
Play-based programs are the most common type of preschool and Kindergarten, and are founded on the belief young children learn best through play. Largely open-ended and minimally structured, play-based programs aim to develop social skills and a love of attending school. “Pre-academic” skills are taught, but in a more indirect way than at, say, an Academic program: through children playing in different “stations” set up around the classroom, which children choose on their own volition. Stations often contain an indirect lesson or developmental goal. Play-based classrooms are highly social and active.
Academic-based preschools and Kindergartens are the most structured of the different types, and have a strong emphasis on math and reading readiness skills. These programs aim to expose children to what early-elementary school is like. While time is still allotted to free play, much of the day is built around explicit lessons guided by the teacher. Classrooms often resemble play-based ones (with different stations set up around the room), but at an Academic program the teacher leads students through the stations directly, and ties these activities to a whole-class lesson or theme.
Banbury Crossroads has a Self-Directed Kindergarten and Pre-school program. The structure is based on the Modern British Infant System, from which came our modern ideas around "centers" and "integrated project work", as well as "constructivism" in the learning process. Our school follows this structure and philosophy from junior kindergarten through Grade Twelve. It involves multi-aged grouping, individualized instruction, mastery learning, kinesthetic projects, teacher mentorship, free play and contact with the community.
Supplementing the enriched academic program, our Pre-school and Kindergarten classes engage in various intelligence raising and memory enhancement activities. An introduction to French, Kinder Music, Drama, Piano, Chess, and hands-on science workshops instills in our young students the early quest for knowledge.
Accelerated
The main curriculum pace is non-standardized and is HIGHLY responsive to the pacing of individual students, (via differentiated instruction, differentiated assessment, etc). In theory, some students outpace the default/normalized curriculum, while others spend periods "behind schedule" if they need the extra time.
The main curriculum accelerates beyond the pace of the provincial one; ALL students do the work of OLDER public-school peers in tangible and measurable ways. This accelerated pace is maintained by the teachers and school, (through textbook selection, topic selection, grading, assignment standards and expectations, etc).
Every child starting the school is assessed in the first few days to determine the their abilities in all subject matters. Following this, the student is issued remedial, reinforcement, and /or advanced material to ensure understanding and smooth progress.
Supportive
A school with a “supportive” academic culture focuses more on process than short-term outcomes: academic performance is a welcomed side-benefit, but not the driving focus. This does not mean the school lacks standards, or has low expectations for its students: a school can have a supportive academic culture and still light the fire of ambition in its students. It does mean, however, the school provides a less intensive culture than schools with a “rigorous” academic classification, and is focused more simply on instilling a love of learning and life-long curiosity.
A school with a “supportive” academic culture focuses more on process than short-term outcomes: academic performance is a welcomed side-benefit, but not the driving focus. This does not mean the school lacks standards, or has low expectations for its students: a school can have a supportive academic culture and still light the fire of ambition in its students. It does mean, however, the school provides a less intensive culture than schools with a “rigorous” academic classification, and is focused more simply on instilling a love of learning and life-long curiosity.
Self-Directed Learning is the norm at Banbury Crossroads School. We have a very supportive environment for academics at the school. The students have an attitude towards accomplishment more like that at university. There is no teasing for being "a brain" here.
There is an inextricable interplay between rigour and support, with celebration attributed to efforts over accolades.
"We intentionally avoid all forms of public distinction between students in terms of academic performance."
Information not available
Balanced
Equal emphasis is placed on a balance of priorities: intellectual, emotional, social and physical cultivation.
Intellectual
The goal is to cultivate "academically strong, creative and critical thinkers, capable of exercising rationality, apprehending truth, and making aesthetic distinctions."
Emotional
The goal is to cultivate "emotionally intelligent and confident individuals, capable of leading both themselves and others."
Balanced
Equal emphasis is placed on a balance of priorities: intellectual, emotional, social and physical cultivation.
We know that learning happens in all realms at once: physical, emotional, intellectual, creative, social. Banbury\'s well balanced approach creates an enriching and inspiring school experience that promotes the development of autonomy and confidence. These two elements are necessary for students\' engagement in the academic, emotional and social aspects of post secondary education and adult life.
The school's developmental priority is to promote and nurture social, intellectual and academic growth. Starting from the Preschool class, and all the way to the Grade 6 class, our focus is to not only nurture self-awareness and leadership abilities in students, but to also encourage them to embrace their hard work in building a mindset primed for natural high achievement.
FORMAL SUPPORT FOR DISORDERS, DISABILITIES, AND EXCEPTIONALITIESA - Forms of SupportAccommodation:
Modification:
Remediation:
B - EnvironmentsIndirect Support:
Resource Assistance:
Withdrawal Assistance:
Partial Integration:
Full-Time Class:
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Forms of Support | Environments | Forms of Support | Environments | |
ADHD (moderate to severe) This is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Children with ADHD may be hyperactive and unable control their impulses. Or they may have trouble paying attention. These behaviors can interfere with school and home life. | ||||
Learning disabilities | ||||
Dyslexia (Language-Based Learning Disability) This is a learning disability that can limit a child's ability to read and learn. It can have a variety of traits. A few of the main ones are impaired phonological awareness and decoding, problems with orthographic coding, and auditory short-term memory impairment. | ||||
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) This is a sound differentiation disorder involving problems with reading, comprehension, and language. | ||||
Dyscalculia This is a kind of specific learning disability in math. Kids with this math disorder have problems with calculation. They may also have problems with math-related concepts such as time and money. | ||||
Dysgraphia This is a kind of specific learning disability in writing. It involves problems with handwriting, spelling, and organizing ideas. | ||||
Language Processing Disorder This is characterized by having extreme difficulty understanding what is heard and expressing what one wants to say. These disorders affect the area of the brain that controls language processing.
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Nonverbal Learning Disorders (NLD) These involve difficulties interpreting non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language. They're usually characterized by a significant discrepancy between higher verbal skills and weaker motor, visual-spatial, and social skills. | ||||
Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit A characteristic seen in people with learning disabilities such as Dysgraphia or Non-verbal LD. It can result in missing subtle differences in shapes or printed letters, losing place frequently, struggles with cutting, holding pencil too tightly, or poor eye/hand coordination. | ||||
Developmental | ||||
Autism Refers to a range of conditions that involve challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, and speech and nonverbal communication. They also involve unique strengths and differences. For instance, there are persons with both low- and high-functioning autism (some claim the latter is identical to Asperger's syndrome). | ||||
Asperger's Syndrome On the autism spectrum, Asperger's is considered quite mild in terms of symptoms. While traits can vary widely, many kids with Asperger's struggle with social skills. They also sometimes fixate on certain subjects and engage in repetitive behaviour. | ||||
Down syndrome his is associated with impairment of cognitive ability and physical growth, and a particular set of facial characteristics. | ||||
Intellectual disability This is a condition characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning (e.g., reasoning, learning, and problem solving). Intellectual disabilities are also known as general learning disabilities (and used to be referred to as a kind of mental retardation). | ||||
Williams syndrome This is a rare genetic disorder present at birth. It is characterized by intellectual disabilities or learning problems, unique facial features, and cardiovascular problems. | ||||
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term used to describe the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. These may include growth deficits, facial anomalies, and damage to the central nervous system, which can lead to cognitive, behavioural, and other problems. | ||||
Behavioral and Emotional | ||||
Troubled behaviour / troubled teens roubled teens tend to have problems that are intense, persistent, and can lead to quite unpredictable behaviour. This can lead to behavioural and emotional issues, such as drug and alcohol abuse, criminal behaviour, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety. | ||||
Clinical Depression This is a mental health disorder also called "major depression." It involves persistent feelings of sadness, loss, and anger. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms are usually severe enough to cause noticeable problems in relationships with others or in daily activities, such as school, work, or one's social life. | ||||
Clinical anxiety This is a mood disorder involving intense, relentless feelings of distress and fear. They can also have excessive and persistent worry about everyday situations, and repeated episodes of intense anxiety or terror. | ||||
Suicidal thoughts This involves persistent thoughts about ending one's life. | ||||
Drug and alcohol abuse This involves the excessive use of drug and/or alcohol, which interferes with daily functioning. | ||||
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) This is a disruptive behavioural disorder which normally involves angry outbursts, often directed at people of authority. This behaviour must last continuously for six months or more and significantly interfere with daily functioning. | ||||
Physical | ||||
Multiple sclerosis This is a condition of the central nervous system. It affects the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord. Symptoms can include fatigue, loss of motor control, memory loss, depression, and cognitive difficulties. | ||||
Cerebral palsy his refers to a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. CP is caused by abnormal development or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement, balance, and posture. | ||||
Muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophy is a neuromuscular disorder which weakens the body's muscles. Causes, symptoms, age of onset, and prognosis vary between individuals. | ||||
Spina Bifida This is a condition present at birth due to the incomplete formation of the spine and spinal cord. It can lead to a number of physical challenges, including paralysis or weakness in the legs, bowel and bladder incontinence, hydrocephalus (too much fluid in the brain), and deformities of the spine. | ||||
Dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder) This is a Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Also known as "sensory integration disorder," it affects fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults. It may also affect speech. | ||||
Blindness Visual impairment is a decreased ability or inability to see that can't be fixed in usual ways, such as with glasses. Some people are completely blind, while others have what's called "legal blindness." | ||||
Deafness Hearing impairment, also known as "hearing loss," is a partial or total inability to hear. The degree of hearing impairment varies between people. It can range from complete hearing loss (or deafness) to partial hearing loss (meaning the ears can pick up some sounds). | ||||
Cystic Fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an inherited genetic condition, which affects the body's respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. It affects young children and adults. | ||||
Multiple physical Accommodating a wide range of physical conditions and disabilities. |
Social skills programs
Occupational therapy
Psychotherapy
Speech-language therapy
Social skills programs
Occupational therapy
Psychotherapy
Speech-language therapy
Accommodations
Modifications
Extra support
Social skills programs
Occupational therapy
Psychotherapy
Speech-language therapy
Social skills programs
Occupational therapy
Psychotherapy
Speech-language therapy
We are not a special needs school. We can accommodate students with mild needs, as long as they can function within our self-directed learning classes.
Information not available
Banbury can offer accommodations for children with mild learning disabilities.
Our teachers are trained to identify and follow a strategy-development protocol in partnership with parents and on-site specialists for the purpose of navigating developmental exceptionality that typically accompany high IQ (high-functioning Autism and ADHD). Due to the accelerated academics at all grade-levels, our program is not recommended for students with intellectual or other learning disabilities.
CompetitiveComp. |
RecreationalRec. |
CompetitiveComp. |
RecreationalRec. |
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Badminton |
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Baseball |
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Basketball |
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Canoeing/Kayaking |
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Cricket |
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Cross-country skiing |
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Cycling |
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Downhill skiing |
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Equestrian |
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Fencing |
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Field Hockey |
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Figure Skating |
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Football |
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Golf |
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Gymnastics |
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Ice Hockey |
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Ice Skating |
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Lacrosse |
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Martial Arts |
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Mountain biking |
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Racquet Ball |
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Rowing |
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Rugby |
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Running |
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Sailing |
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Skateboarding |
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Snowboarding |
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Soccer |
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Softball |
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Squash |
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Swimming |
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Tennis |
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Track & Field |
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Volleyball |
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Weightlifting |
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Wrestling |
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Archery |
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Curling |
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Ultimate |
Ballet and Classical Ballet
Yoga
Yearbook
Student Council
Scouting
Science Club
School newspaper
Round Square
Robotics club
Radio club
Poetry/Literature club
Photography
Paintball
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Club
Online Magazine
Musical theatre/Opera
Math Club
Jazz Ensemble
Habitat for Humanity
Foreign Language Club
Environmental Club
Drama Club
Debate Club
Dance Club
Computer Club
Community Service
Choir
Chess Club
Band
Audiovisual Club
Astronomy Club
Art Club
Animation
Ballet and Classical Ballet
Yoga
Yearbook
Student Council
Scouting
Science Club
School newspaper
Round Square
Robotics club
Radio club
Poetry/Literature club
Photography
Paintball
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Club
Online Magazine
Musical theatre/Opera
Math Club
Jazz Ensemble
Habitat for Humanity
Foreign Language Club
Environmental Club
Drama Club
Debate Club
Dance Club
Computer Club
Community Service
Choir
Chess Club
Band
Audiovisual Club
Astronomy Club
Art Club
Animation
1 - 12
5%
0%
$4,000
$0
75%
50%
Preschool, JK, SK, K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Preschool, JK, SK, K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Rolling
Rolling
Not available
Not available
Yes: grades Preschool - 12
Yes: grades Preschool - 6
No
Yes: grades 4 - 6
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
We are looking for students who are able to work independently, as well as willing to work individually with a teacher. Students need to be willing to try new learning experiences, open to instruction, willing to attend, socially adept and responsive, mutually respectful, and pleasant and able to be responsible for their own behaviour. We are able to celebrate differences in abilities, interests and passions, motivation, and personalities. We simply want students who are motivated to learn, empathetic and caring, and able to not distract others. If they are self-directed to begin with, that is great. If not, they may learn how to be, here.
Our admissions process is geared to select students that present a strong academic record, effective social regulation skills, and an observable drive and openness to learn and adapt as leaders and team players.
An interview and tour of the school is encouraged. School records and assessments are to be submitted. There is an admissions process that involves an extensive discussion with the parents, and a two-day tryout in the School. Students who are gifted tend to excel at our School. It is critical that the student, their family, and the School's philosophical beliefs are aligned. A match of philosophy is a must. This is because we are a philosophically-driven, self-directed learning school. Students work to mastery, so they keep progressing until they have completed units or projects or grades. Classes operate with students in multi-aged groups, with 8 students per teacher, so students receive a great deal of individualized attention. This allows for students to work independently, as they receive instruction individually or in small groups or seminars. We are not a Special Needs school, but we can accommodate certain students with mild-to-manageable learning challenges, though we generally only take students whose abilities are average through to gifted.
Please email [email protected] to request an admissions application package for your desired grade of entry.