Oakleigh House Private School

• Location: Swansea, Wales, UK
• Founded: 1919
• Age of students: 2.5-11 years
• Type of education: mixed
• Language of instruction: English.

Oakleigh House School provides quality education for children, ensuring the formation of a sense of personal identity and making everyone a valuable member of the school community.

Providing 100-year-old education to children, Oakleigh House is the only independent elementary school in Swansea, South Wales, offering education for children from 2.5 years to 5-6 grades (11 years).

The first seventy-five years of its existence, the school was privately owned, while the number of students increased from 25 to 200. In 1995, it became part of the Ffynone House school fund, and in 2007 joined the group of Cognita schools. Over the years, the Oakleigh House School has enjoyed an enviable reputation for academic excellence, the education of self-confident, enthusiastic students who have the habit of working, which is the basis of lifelong learning.

The school works in partnership with Thomas Franks Ltd and provides fresh food from local sources: seasonal, healthy, balanced and nutritious meals. Students eat together in the dining room, and hot lunches are prepared daily in their own kitchen.

The ultimate goal of Thomas Franks Ltd is to develop a positive relationship with children in food. All recipes are specially designed with a controlled amount of fat, salt, sugar. Young people receive a balanced diet every day, which allows them to remain healthy, attentive, able to cope with the requirements of the school. All students are offered a two-course lunch with a wide selection of dishes, including a hot vegetarian lunch, a salad bar, homemade bread, a selection of desserts or fresh fruits.

All kindergarten students have breakfast together in the school cafeteria, and extended-day students receive light snacks.

• The cost of a snack of fruit, a 2-course lunch is 210 £ / term.

Starting from preparatory to the 6th grade, students are invited to participate in more than 20 clubs:

• The leisure club operates for 10 weeks a year, providing parents with quality child care during the school holidays. He regularly uses the school grounds and Cwmdonkin Park to conduct classes in all areas of the curriculum, including math, English, science, humanities and art. Students can have fun with their friends from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM Monday through Friday. Parents can book individual days as needed.
• The program “Learning Outside the Classroom” offers regular school trips - visits to local museums, galleries, parks, the beach, theater trips.
• 6th grade students are also able to visit Barcelona, including the British School of Barcelona, which is part of the Cognita Schools group.

Additional classes:

• Speaking skills - the course promotes the development of understanding of literature, poetry, drama, supports creative, intellectual, social development of the individual. Students take exams recognized by UCAS, accredited by QCA, ACCAC and OFQUAL. Oakleigh House is also the community center for LAMDA external exam candidates.
• Pupils of 1st grade and older can choose an instrument to study: the piano continues to be the most popular and gives children the perfect start for music education. From the 2nd grade, the school offers violin, clarinet, saxophone, flute, trumpet, guitar, and singing lessons.
• Students are offered ballet classes.

Students take the following exams: Royal School of Music (ABRSM) - piano exams, wind instruments, singing; Trinity College London - strings.

• Students take part in netball, hockey, cricket, football, rugby, athletics and general fitness training. Team sports are represented at all levels. Students regularly travel to schools throughout South Wales for away matches. The school offers students training from experienced sports teachers, inviting gymnastics, rugby and football specialists to the school.
• 6th grade students are given the opportunity to reach the 1st level of the Royal Yachting Association in sailing by attending weekly training courses at Swansea Marina.
• The Music program is focused on the study of various elements of music - pitch, rhythm, texture, dynamics and timbre - using a variety of practical exercises, including singing, playing instruments, listening. Older students learn composition and improvisation skills.
• Drama has a strong place in the school curriculum and is recognized as a discipline that benefits children through the development of social skills, confidence, and self-presentation skills. Students have the opportunity to attend drama lessons weekly with a specialist teacher. Work on the lessons is based on dramatic games, storytelling, pantomime, improvisation, script development. Children speak to a wide audience at special meetings, school concerts, and performances. Older students take part in the summer production, and the annual event of the year is the Christmas production, in which each student of the school participates.
• Young people learn information technology: get regular access to the iPad, use laptops, quickly get acquainted with their work and capabilities, develop ICT skills. Students use various technical means, including digital cameras, microphones for recording, roamers. Children move from simple applications to more complex ones: word processing, publishing on a computer, computer graphics, using databases for storing, extracting information, using the Internet. They will gain experience using animation programs, digital media management software, including images and video. In grades 5-6, children become familiar with programming by studying coding sections that allow them to run programs. They learn to draw figures using the language of the logo: this forces children to use their skills in a new context, apply the Scratch program, train logical thinking when developing games, animations, and simple programs.
• The school offers learning Spanish, the second most widely spoken language in the world. 1st and 2nd grade concentrates on pronunciation, elementary vocabulary, the study of songs, poems, role-playing games, video clips. When children go to grade 3, they form a basic vocabulary, can express their feelings and tell a little about themselves. Starting from the 3rd grade, children study a wide range of topics, develop an understanding of speech, listening, reading, writing in Spanish. Students are encouraged to work individually, in pairs and small groups, share knowledge, practice communication. Classes provide a balance of spoken and written language, children have workbooks to improve written skills, reading in Spanish. During the summer semester, 6th grade students have the opportunity to visit Barcelona, practice Spanish and get to know Spanish culture.

All teachers of additional courses are highly qualified specialists with extensive teaching experience. Lessons are held weekly and organized so that children do not miss the same classes.

The cost of additional courses (10 lessons per term):

• Ballet - 55 £ / term
• Speech - 55 £ / term (grade 2)
• Speech - 65 £ / term (grade 3)
• Musical instrument - 140 £ / term
• Singing - 140 £ / term
• Holiday-club: 1 child - 37 £ / day, 2 children - 47 £ / day, 3 children - 57 £ / day.

• The latest Estyn audit report notes that the school received the highest scores for 75% of the parameters.
• Oakleigh House is the only Swansea elementary school to receive the prestigious NACE Cymru Challenge Award for excellence throughout the school.
• All students are trained in music, drama, physical education, Spanish, which is part of the curriculum from the 1st year of study. Students can choose individual instruction in playing various instruments, singing, dancing, and speaking skills.
• Graduates of Oakleigh House are welcome in a number of high schools with excellent transitional connections with Oakleigh: St. Clair, Porthcawl (part of the Cognita group), Ffynone House schools, and local secondary schools in the area. Oakleigh also prepares students for transfer to schools outside of Wales.

Oakleigh House School has the necessary amenities for the full learning and development of students:

• Two large playgrounds
• Access to Swansea University Sports Center
• Open classes, natural areas
• Wales Swimming Pool Access
• Regular exploratory walks, the use of tennis courts at Cwmdonkin Park.

Pupils of kindergarten and children of 1-2 grades make full use of two large playgrounds, each of which has all-weather surfaces. Starting from the 3rd grade, students go to the sports center of Swansea University, where they practice twice a week, use indoor tracks and multi-purpose outdoor areas, attend swimming lessons in the Wales National Pool (access to the 25 and 50 meter pools).

Near the school is Cwmdonkin Park - the school uses the park for walks, playing tennis, learning to play balls (petanque).

Oakleigh House offers a variety of travel options from home to school. The school bus + mini-buses operate on two routes that are organized each academic year, depending on demand. Parents make a request for a seat on the bus by filling out an application on the site.

Cost of transport services:

• The cost of a trip on a pass - 3 £ / trip
• One-time travel - 5 £ / trip.

Additional expenses:

• Breakfast - 1,5 £ / week.
• After-school supervision, including tea until 18:00 - 7 £ / evening
• Extended day - 10 £ / evening
• Registration fee - £ 50 (non-refundable)
• Deposit - £ 1000.

Payment for the year must be paid at the beginning of the school year.

The school can support your child with a Tier 4 student visa.

Admission Process:

• Request Prospectus
• Arrange a visit
• Register baby
• Get a place offer
• Confirm enrollment.

Discount for training several children from one family:

• Second child - 5%
• Third child - 10%
• Fourth child - 15%
• Fifth child - 15%.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision