We have always wanted to send our child to a school where she would be valued for her individuality and at the same time be supported by, and build a sense of community, with her school mates and educators. We initially wanted to send our daughter to Seven Oaks when she was five, but due to location logistics we decided to go with our local school. Initially our local school was fine, but over the years as the classes got larger and the spaces became more expansive, our daughter became lost amongst the other pupils. Our daughter talked about not having enough time to finish her school work before moving on to the next subject, she felt that the teachers didn’t have the time to spend with her and that they didn’t really know her strengths or weaknesses. Changing schools is never an easy decision, especially once your child has made friendships and settled into a routine. But as parents we felt compelled to make a change to a school that viewed the child as a whole, not somewhere that was just focused on completing the yearly curriculum. Our daughter, who can be anxious about change, settled into Seven Oaks amazingly well and after her first visit said that she wanted to move to Seven Oaks (even though she was leaving her school friends behind). She loved the small classes and the fact that she got to interact with the older kids and younger kids – everyone knew each other! She loves the way that learning is taught and really enjoys being outdoors on a regular basis. As parents we have noticed that our daughter is keen to go to school every day and she is excited to talk about what she has done during the day – vastly different to her previous school where she would just shrug her shoulders and say “I don’t remember”. Our daughter says this is one of the best decisions we have ever made and we agree – she is so happy at this school and we as parents believe that a happy child is a child that will thrive in their environment and will be open to every available learning opportunity.