Oryx International School - High-quality learning environment

The term ‘high-quality learning environment’ encompasses both the school culture and school climate. Research shows that a high-quality learning environment significantly and positively impacts students’ educational and life outcomes

So what does this look like at Oryx International School?

Promoting a positive school, family and community partnership

At Oryx, we work incredibly hard to ensure all members of the school environment feel welcome and that their voices will be heard. Open lines of communication through emails, class Dojo, newsletters, workshops as well as formal and informal progress meetings ensure that parents are always up-to-date with the academic and pastoral performance of their child. This requires a high level of trust and collaboration from all school stakeholders. The positive culture is underpinned by our school values, which are promoted and celebrated by all members of our school community: students, parents and staff.

Engaging and relevant curriculum

Our mission at Oryx is to deliver an engaging, value-rich, broad and balanced curriculum. This year, there has been a large emphasis on how we promote internationalism and how we are developing effective learner behaviours that will enable our students to thrive and succeed as global citizens in the 21^st Century. The school aims to ensure the needs of all learners are catered for whether that be through adapted tasks and scaffolded learning or ensuring that identified children get SEN and EAL support. Classroom displays are relevant and a mix of celebratory and supportive are referred to during lessons. Parent workshops and options evenings happen to further inform parents of how they can support at home or get more information on a topic. House events, theme weeks as well as hooks into lessons help create memorable moments that live on with the children.

Quality of learning

The children often demonstrate a range of different learner behaviours. As a school, we look to promote a positive growth mindset, an attitude of viewing things from an optimistic perspective rather than a negative one. The ‘Power of Yet’ reinforces this ideology and is a reminder that we need to persevere to reach our goals. Embracing new mistakes as learning opportunities is another step the school proactively takes to promote a positive mindset. Learners are always supported to articulate their strengths and how they can achieve the next steps in their learning as well as encouraging them to respond to marking and reflect on their next step. During the height of the pandemic and even now, the school ensured several platforms were available so our learners could be supported as well as reinforcing prior learning and rehearsing key skills. Within our teaching teams at school, the sharing of good practice amongst staff is an ongoing process. High-quality professional development is invested in by the school, to ensure teachers have the most up-to-date training and that standards are of the highest order. In addition to all this, the school holds the well-being of its students and staff at the core of everything it does.

Effective transitions

We pride ourselves on being a through school, meaning our students move from Primary to Secondary. To ensure fluidity in transition from primary to secondary, teachers in Year 6 and Secondary have many discussions about the children to ensure their academic and pastoral needs are met. This also helps reduce any anxiety children have as they get the opportunity to spend time meeting the Year 7 Lead, the Head of Secondary, as well as having opportunities to use the facilities, such as the IT Mac suite, MFL, Drama and Music Rooms.

Ensuring all our new students are settled, in whatever year they join us, is very important to us: if children are happy at school, then they will learn.