REVIEW OF Oxford Learning Academy (Private School) BY parent, Pamela Murdoch

(5) Student Experience

My child very much enjoys his new school. He loves learning music, the hands-on art and science experiments. He isn't being judged by his academic abilities and he is being encouraged when he is improving. There is a lot of positive reinforcement. I can tell he is proud of his school, and he loves that there are extra things that Oxford offers such as swimming, skating and rock climbing. I believe he likes the people the most. He's never once complained about a single staff member and likes his new friends. He's always looking forward to the clubs after school. The only thing I find disappointing is the lack of a school yard. Overall, we are super happy with our choice to put our child in Oxford Learning Academy.

(5) School Leadership

The school leadership is excellent. One of the reasons for enrolling our child in this school is because of bullying in the public school. So far there hasn't been a single complaint about my child regarding bullying. If there are any incidents the teacher is very quick to inform us through the school app or a phone call. The students all have great manners and are very polite. Being a small school, everyone is very close and keeps an eye on one other making negative behavior hard to get away with. The older students model great behavior for the younger ones.

(5) Teaching

The teachers at Oxford have been nothing short of amazing. They are so deeply caring for our child and are doing everything they can to help him succeed. I get the impression the principal has very high expectations for her school, her staff and herself. You can tell she's poured her heart into making the school what it is and has hired very passionate teachers. There are great subject matter experts in music, art, drama and French. My son's primary teacher is very patient and is very attentive to his extra needs. We know exactly what they are working on academically at all times and there is a good homework routine, every child is supplied with a nice agenda and the parents need to sign it every day keeping everyone accountable.

(5) Academics

Oxford Learning Academy is a very academic school. They have great teachers and great learning materials. There are great colorful workbooks that the students work on, and it gives the parents an opportunity to see exactly what the students are learning at all times. My child has significantly progressed academically since joining Oxford Learning Academy. The school does an assessment to see how your child learns the most and the teachers are equipped with that knowledge to help each individual student meet their goals. They have a great academic routine and build on knowledge instead of just moving on to the next thing. I do feel like Oxford will prepare my child well for high school where the grades matter the most for post-secondary education.

(4.5) Extracurriculars

Throughout the school year there have been opportunities to take swimming lessons and skating lessons, which our child really enjoyed. They even went rock climbing. There are after-school clubs which are divided between grades 1- 4 and grades 5 to 8. There aren't school teams that participate against other schools, but that is most likely because the school only has 65 students in total. There are competitive science fairs, and the Lego club is competing in a local competition. the clubs which are offered vary year to year based on teacher interest. Our child enjoys clubs and really enjoys being with his friends and developing more skills.

(5) Students

The student body is a small close-knit group of 65 students. They are polite to each other. I was fortunate to stay and watch some of the skating lessons and the older kids were helping the young kids learn and help and encourage them to get up after falling. I haven't had a great deal of interactions with all the students at the school, but when I have, they have been very positive interactions. During the science fair, the students were great at cheering each on and helping each other out. I get a good sense of school spirit. There is a very diverse student body culturally and academically. The students get along very well at the clubs and look forward to spending time with their friends.

(5) School Life

Oxford is a very small, tight-knit community. There is a 12 to 1 ratio and 65 students in the school. My child enjoys school now, as there are no more bullies, and the teachers make sure he understands the academics instead of being lost in the crowd at public school. The school is very hands-on with art, music, drama, physical education and science. I love that he is actually learning how to read music at such a young age. He loves the science experiments, art and practicing on his piano (which he keeps for the year). He's made friends with his classmates and asks to play with them outside of school. The only thing he has ever complained about is the lack of schoolyard. Overall, he is very happy there.

(5) Community

There is an Oxford Learning Academy Parent Council that everyone is always welcome to attend, and the parents can apply to be part of the Parent Council team. They have regular meetings and notes are available. The parents I've met are very welcoming and we all have a common goal of wanting the best of our children. I believe Oxford Learning Academy listens to what the parents want to try their best to meet the exceptions. Parents are welcome to join in on field trips. I think Oxford Learning Academy provides ample opportunities for parent involvement, but it's really up to the parents to choose to what degree they want to actually be involved. There are parties throughout the year that parents can attend with their children as well as presentations.

(4.5) School Location

Oxford is located in a central part of Milton close to many amenities. The school is within walking distance of Milton's Main library branch, Milton Leisure Centre (Swimming) and ice-skating arena. The students have walked (Supervised) to the local large playground down the street equipped with basketball courts, baseball diamonds and a large playground. My child enjoyed taking skating lessons at the local arena. The school is very small and in an industrial area, so there is no yard. However, we feel this is secondary to the people and academics that make the school a great choice for our child.

(5) Admissions

The admissions process was easy. We met with the Principal and the Director of Education, and we just knew this was where our child needed to be. The staff were very welcoming and answered the many questions we had. They were honest and we loved that they were accepting of our child who really needed extra help academically and socially. They were very inclusive and had a very diverse school which is important in today's world. They provided us with testing, so they knew exactly where our child was academically and had a plan to get him to where he needed to be.