From A Parent's Perspective

My son has always taken his time when it came to reaching milestones… but reach them, he did! And he passed each one with flying colours!

But when it was time for us to determine whether he was school ready and could move on to grade R, we weren’t so sure and held him back for a year. So by the time he did go to grade R, he was already 6 years old. We enrolled him in a mainstream primary school with big classes and soon realized that he wasn’t coping very well; neither academically, nor emotionally. We were very concerned and consulted with therapists, remedial teachers and doctors, because at that stage it seemed as though he might have both learning and social struggles and we were ready to do whatever it takes to make his life a little easier.

It was then that a friend told me about Oakridge; at that time still known as Little Oaks Learning Centre. I was told that the classes are small, the education is Christian based and that they have an informal, homely setting. Eager to find out more, I immediately made contact with Lynette and arranged for an appointment. After her assessment of my son and an in depth conversation about his emotional and physical development (or lack thereof at that stage), she agreed to admit him for grade 1, providing we do another assessment after the first three months of the year to determine his progress.

What a miracle this proved to be! Within weeks, my son’s entire person has changed! He became more confident, rediscovered his sense of humor and regained the self confidence that he had lost during the previous year.

I learned that not only did he get the individual attention that he obviously needed, but he was also encouraged to never give up, praised when he tried something new, had God’s truth spoken over him on a daily basis and received plenty of love from a nurturing and kind teacher who understood the fragility of his little six year old soul.

He has truly flourished during the past three years. He made friends, got comfortable in his own skin and caught up with any and all handicaps that he started this journey out with.

Words will never be enough to describe the amount of gratitude that I have towards Oakridge Academy! They provide a holistic learning experience unlike any other and have changed our son’s life forever by providing a safe learning environment where he can just be himself.