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Oak Wood School

Our Ethos

We Dream, We Learn, We Grow

Everything we do at Oak Wood is underpinned by our core ethos - “We Dream, We Learn, We Grow”. What does this mean?

We Dream: Thinking beyond what we already know

When we talk about getting students to dream, we are encouraging them to start thinking about possibilities beyond what they currently comprehend. We remove restrictions from their aspirations so that they have the freedom to develop new passions and a lifelong love of learning, so that they begin to open their minds to the ceaseless opportunities available to them.

Year after year we are seeing more students leave our Sixth Form to pursue education and career opportunities that they didn’t know were possible when they first walked through our doors.

We Learn: Understanding how to realise our dreams

We help our students to broaden their expectations by providing them with the opportunities to learn more about what their options are. Partnerships with charities, businesses, universities, career advisors and our successful alumni are invaluable in showcasing life beyond the school gates.

Students learn what is expected of them if they want be successful, and that they will have to work hard to achieve it. In return, our pledge is to underpin their endeavours with high quality teaching and extra support, through booster classes and interventions.

Extra-curricular learning at Oak Wood stretches beyond being careers focused. The depth of our enrichment programme is designed to expose students to as many different activities as possible. This not only inspires them to expand their experience, but on a practical level can boost CVs and university applications.

We Grow: Nurturing well-rounded young adults

What students learn in class will give them access to the opportunities they need, but they also require attributes beyond this. This personal development is what we mean by growth. 

Core characteristics, like confidence, tenacity and empathy, and competencies like presentation skills, team working and communication are integral not only to a person’s employability, but also to their ability to form relationships. Activities to develop these are woven into the fabric of our students’ experience.

Through our student leadership scheme, PSHCE programme, charitable activities and activities with our partners, we ensure that students can develop these skills.