Spotlight on Schools 2 - Oak Hill School in Nyon

Here is Part 2 as part of the Living in Nyon spotlight on schools in the Lac Léman area  Missed part one on Brillantmont school? You can read it here Today we focus on Oak Hill school in Nyon. Oak Hill’s mission statement is ‘Making life changes for students with learning differences.’Oak Hill is a unique half-day programme for students who have diagnosed learning differences, such as dyslexia or problems with attention (AD/HD). These are children who often miss-out first time round in the mainstream classroom and, although they are bright and clever, they begin to struggle with reading, written language (especially spelling) and/or maths. The Oak Hill programme provides three hours of intensive, highly structured, multi-sensory instructions every day in these three subjects. Maximum of four students in each group There are a maximum of four students in each group, which is taught by an experienced, highly qualified teacher. Students return to their regular school for the remainder of the day, allowing them to participate in the mainstream curriculum and extra-curricular activities – as well as maintain their normal social network.

Oak Hill is modeled on the highly successful Hill Center in Durham, North Carolina, USA, which was established in 1977. Its creation in Nyon in 2006, was sponsored by the Oak Foundation, a Geneva-based charitable and philanthropic organization, whose resources originated from an interest in the Duty Free Shoppers business, which Mr. Alan M. Parker helped to develop.  The Oak Foundation continues to subsidize the cost of each Oak Hill student by a substantial amount.

The school works closely with the Anglophone International schools in the Lac Léman region Now in its fifth year, Oak Hill continues to work closely with the Anglophone International Schools in the Lac Léman region.  Housed in a modern building in a quiet location on the outskirts of Nyon, Oak Hill affords an airy and spacious environment in which students feel secure and motivated. After an in-depth assessment, an individualized programme is created for each student. Being research-based, the Oak Hill programme is tried-and-tested, and students steadily gain the academic skills they need to work independently in a main stream classroom. Achievements are celebrated on a daily basis and, through success, students begin to believe in themselves as learners, their self-esteem improves and their self-confidence grows.

Many Oak Hill students have now returned to their mainstream school full-time, equipped with the knowledge and skills to cope successfully with the demands of their normal school day. They are able to work at a level commensurate with their ability and have the confidence to tackle all aspects of their work as well, or better, than their class-mates – thanks to the time they spent at Oak Hill. These students, and their families, will all tell you that Oak Hill really did make a huge difference in their lives. For more information  or click here or on the advert on the sidebar of this site.