REVIEW OF Braemar House School BY parent, Cristina Blyth

(5) Student Experience

Starting a new school can be a daunting experience for any student because there is an assumption that friend groups are already established. We couldn't have been more wrong. The children, parents, and staff at Braemar welcomed him with open arms. He fit right in. The teacher he has has been phenomenal. The children are given much greater responsibilities for their studies than what we had experienced in other schools. I would summarize it as, "You are studying for you, not your parents or your teacher." My son has had opportunities here that he would not have had elsewhere. I have seen him have the courage to run for class president even though he was new. He learnt to play guitar, ski, participate in plays, learn different sports, write fun stories, prepare for public speaking, and more. The older grades mentor the younger grades. They don't shun younger kids in the playground. The environment is healthy, and I literally felt that I had a new child after he started at Braemar. This school has brought the best out of him, and I am very grateful for this. Nothing has been disappointing.

Why Braemar House School?

We ultimately chose Braemar House School because when our son met his prospective teacher, he was instantly captivated and inspired by her. There were many other reasons why moving to this school made sense (very professional treatment of our application; good location; small class sizes; great feedback from past students), but none compare to knowing that your child looks up to his teacher and is excited about going to school each day.

Expectations vs. Reality

The expectations we had about his teacher were high, and reality exceeded them. At the start of school, we saw firsthand how the children were being given much more responsibility than in his previous school. This allowed them to make choices (and sometimes mistakes) and learn in a safe environment. We were not sure how he would fit in with the other children, but everyone was friendly and welcoming (which we had not expected). If anything, I realized that I had been prejudiced against private schooling by assuming that it would only be attended by families with a sense of superiority. I was mistaken. The school is warm, respectful, and down-to-earth.

Your Advice

Meet the staff! See if your child feels comfortable with the teacher. If there is a good fit, then everything else is secondary. The way they prepare kids for high school is second to none. You will not regret investing in your child's growth at Braemar.

(5) School Leadership

We have been with the school less than a year, but I have not seen anything to concern me. The rules in Grade 7 are set up to foster their independence and teach them to take full responsibility for their actions; a big step up from where we were before. Communication is very frequent and timely through apps, text, and email. The principal is welcoming, clear, and respected by the children. The admin and vice-principal are both very friendly and responsive. Great all around!

(5) Teaching

As mentioned previously we are exceptionally happy with the Grade teacher. She was able to gain the respect and interest of my son from the very first meeting (even before we joined the school) and for me that is a critical factor is selecting the right school for your child. Once school started, the teacher held a very comprehensive meeting with all parent to share her class structure, rules, expectations and answer any questions we may have. I was very impressed by how she was able to instill discipline and responsibility in children while still keeping the environment fun. The main message is "you are studying for yourself, not your teacher or your parents" so when homework is given, answers are also provided. The child can use them to check if they are on the right track. Homework is not always graded so if the child chooses to copy answers without learning, this will come out in the regular quizzes and test that they are given. This teaches them to take pride in their learning, and also learn from their mistakes.

(5) Academics

Again, I am rating this based on the Grade 7 curriculum seen so far and on having met some Grade 9 children who previously went to Braemar House School. The curriculum is advanced compared to the Catholic board school and also much more varied. The children are encouraged to push themselves on many levels: creative writing (with monthly writing portfolios), STEM, creative arts (playing guitar, school productions), and sports (with a great variety, playing other local schools in tournaments). Even the mid-year student interviews are used as opportunities for students to build their presentation skills and self-reflection. Rather than meeting the teacher for 10 minutes and being given a few pointers on how the student is doing, at Braemar, our child had to compile a folder and present it to both parents, with the teacher there to observe and guide as necessary. Our child had to share his vision of where he will be when he is older, what he thought his best work was, and where he could have done better. This is not something I have seen done elsewhere.

(4.5) Extracurriculars

There are many extracurriculars to choose from. For example, there are sports, arts, speaking competitions, student council, etc. The school is small, so your child will get variety but will not be overwhelmed, given that the school is not too large.

(4.5) Students

The school is not very big, and we love that. The students are welcoming, fun and well-behaved. What struck me most was that the older grades take great care of the younger grades. Some classes intentionally ask Grade 7 to mentor Grade 4. Other activities (like school events) ask older children to help the younger ones get food from the buffet. In the playground, all grades play together. It is how schools "used to be," which is wonderful.

(4.5) School Life

My son loves going to school at Braemar. I believe this is for a combination of reasons, including the teacher, supportive and fun classmates, interesting and challenging curriculum and an overall wholesome culture.

(4.5) Community

The school definitely has a "family" feel, and we felt welcome from the very beginning. While we were asked to get involved directly in the parent community, our work commitments allow us to do very little this year. I hope to do more in the future.

(4) School Location

For us, the school is within walking distance from our home (albeit a longer walk: 20 minutes). The location of the school is central to the city and is not near a very busy street, so I feel safe. The outdoor space is shared with a local park but primarily used by the children. The only challenge I see for families with two working parents and no help is that there is no school transportation offered. If you can make the logistics work, it is worth it.

(5) Admissions

My biggest advice is to reach out to the school early. It is very important to get your child to meet his/her prospective teacher and be assessed to see if he/she is academically at the right level for the grade. If you do this early in the year, there may be time to get tutoring in if there are areas that need to be focused on. Because the class sizes are small, you also have a greater chance of securing a space. There is also the opportunity to spend time in class so that both the teacher and your child can see if the school is really the right fit.