WHAT IS AN IB WORLD SCHOOL?
Schools recognised by the International Baccalaureate Organisation and offering the IB curriculum are known as IB World Schools.

IB is the abbreviation for International Baccalaureate. It is an internationally-recognised school system made up of three educational programmes:

• PYP: The Primary Years Programme (Kindergarten to Class 6).
• MYP: The Middle Years Programme (Class 7 to Class 10).
• DP: The Diploma Programme (Class 11 and 12).

The IB programme was founded in 1968 by the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO), a non-profit educational organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER IB WORLD SCHOOLS IN INDIA?
For an updated list of IB authorized schools in India please visit www.ibo.org

WHY SHOULD I OPT FOR OAKRIDGE AS THE SCHOOL FOR MY CHILD?
The systems adopted at Oakridge help your child become competent enough to keep pace with the phenomenal growth of human knowledge in today's world and be in sync with the consequently changing nature of our work as also the variable demands of the modern workplaces.

WHAT KIND OF A SCHOOL IS OAKRIDGE?
Oakridge is a school that prepares children to be globally competent citizens with an international understanding and futuristic outlook.

WHEN WAS IT ESTABLISHED?
The idea of Oakridge started taking shape in the year 2000 and the institution became functional in the academic session of 2001.

IN WHAT WAY IS OAKRIDGE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SCHOOLS?
At Oakridge the children are guided to become self-learners. A lot of emphasis is placed on promoting education of the whole person. The children are encouraged to become inquirers and life-long learners.

WHAT ARE THE SPECIAL FEATURES OF OAKRIDGE?
Oakridge, in every possible way, focuses more on ‘learning’ rather than ‘teaching’. So, the emphasis at Oakridge is on developing amongst the students all the skills, aptitudes and attitudes required for the creative construction of their own knowledge through questioning, reading, exploring, dreaming, formulating and testing hypothesis as opposed to the general practice in schools of merely programming into the child a certain body of information. The well-trained and committed staff, the innovative teaching methods adopted and the excellent infrastructure effectively facilitate this very special focus of the institution.

HOW IS OAKRIDGE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ADMINISTERED? IS THE SCHOOL DIVIDED INTO DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATIVE SEGMENTS?
Classes Pre-Primary 1 to VI form the Primary School that is supervised by the Headmistress, Mrs. C. Adilakshmi, who is also the Coordinator for the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate. Classes VII to X constitute the Secondary School and Classes XI and XII the Senior Secondary School that is under the supervision of the Vice Principal, Mr. H. Ravichandran. The Principal, Mr Janajit Ray, is the overall head of the institution. The School plans to launch the IB Diploma Programme in April 2006.

WHAT IS THE STUDENT STRENGTH IN EACH SECTION?
Each section has a maximum of 25 students.

YOUR STUDENTS ARRIVE AT SCHOOL IN AIR-CONDITIONED BUSES AND SPEND FROM 8 A.M. TO 4 P.M. IN AIR-CONDITIONED CLASSROOMS. HOW DO YOU ENSURE THAT SUCH PRIVILEGES DO NOT BREED UNDESIRABLE FEELINGS OF BEING EXCLUSIVE AND ELITIST AMONGST YOUR STUDENTS?
In today’s world air-conditioning should not be looked upon merely as a privilege of the affluent classes. In cities like Hyderabad, where levels of pollution are high, traveling to school in air-conditioned buses protects children from being harmed by such pollution. Then, it has been proved comprehensively that air-conditioning improves people’s productivity substantially and all modern workplaces insist on air-conditioning due to this. When children are working on constructing their own knowledge creatively in a school, there too air-conditioning enhances their productivity. However, the problem arises when children get used only to an air-conditioned environment and start looking at air-conditioning as a status symbol. In order to ensure that this doesn’t happen, the school day at Oakridge is scheduled in such a way that students compulsorily spend a good segment of their time in school out in the open, either on field trips or playing games and sweating it out or undertaking community work projects that engender feelings of caring for and the desire to share with under-privileged people. Details of the kinds of community work Oakridgers do are given in the relevant section of this website.

HOW DOES OAKRIDGE ENSURE THAT ITS TEACHERS ARE EFFECTIVELY IN SYNC WITH THE VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF SCHOOLING THAT IT PROPAGATES?
The teachers of Oakridge, though they generally come from the regular conventional kind of schools, have to go through a rigorous process of recruitment that identifies people who have a strong base in the subjects of their choice, are creative and child-centred in their approach, desire change and are willing to learn. Before they start teaching, Oakridge teachers are made to go through several in-house orientation programmes regarding the philosophy and focus, the general systems and methodology, the evaluation system and the like. In addition, all of them are provided a 10-day training in using computers for effective classroom teaching. Primary teachers have to do the PYP Introductory workshop organized in conjunction with the IBO. Thereafter, they go through several workshops and re-orientation programmes throughout their tenure at Oakridge.

ACADEMICS

TO WHICH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BOARDS OR ORGANIZATIONS IS OAKRIDGE
AFFILIATED?
As an international school catering to students in the Indian context, Oakridge is primarily affiliated to the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi. We are also authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization to offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP and have attained the status of an IB World School since October 2004.

HOW IS IB DIFFERENT FROM, SAY, CBSE? IS IT ONLY FOR GIFTED CHILDREN? CAN MY 'NORMAL' CHILD COPE UP WITH ID?
The IB programme is more practical and application-based. It has a broader spectrum of subjects that lead to all-round development.

IB examinations test students' knowledge, not their memory and speed. There are no examinations till the Middle Years Programme (Class 10). The focus of the IB pedagogy is on 'how to learn' rather than 'what to learn'.

The purpose of IB is to produce global citizens.

But sometimes, the IB programme does use the local curriculum as a base. The IB curriculum is more challenging than educational boards like CBSE and ICSE. But the challenge is in the quality of assignments, not in the amount of work assigned

WHAT IS THE ACADEMIC FOCUS AT OAKRIDGE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL?
Like in all Smart Schools, the syllabus at Oakridge is not seen as a body of information to be programmed into the child, but as a structured, proven means to develop a set of abilities and aptitudes in a child. The curriculum is delivered through an innovative combination of classroom and activity-led learning. This approach ensures that children are not merely memorizing lessons, but are internalizing knowledge that they can utilize in everyday life.

Oakridge International does acknowledge the need for giving homework in order to ascertain whether the students are capable of working independently with the knowledge acquired in the class room as well as to make the students practice certain structures and systems for gaining the requisite expertise in the same.

Academic work to be done at home is kept at a minimum up to class V as having spent a long day in school many of the younger children are often very tired by the time they get back home. Most of the homework given is set mainly for the weekends.

At the beginning of every term, every class and section throughout the school is given a schedule for subjects for which homework would or may be set on every particular day of the week. This schedule is available in the school diary and must be religiously adhered to by all concerned

WHAT IS THE DURATION OF THE ACADEMIC SESSION OF THE SCHOOL?
The school calendar year is from June to April. However, we have the academic session for classes VII, VIII, IX and X beginning in mid-March and ending in mid-February of the next year.

HOW ARE CHILDREN ASSESSED AND EVALUATED AT OAKRIDGE?
We use, in every level of the school, our very own evaluation system – known as the Touchstone – that focuses on skills, aptitudes and attitudes required for the general all-round development of a child’s personality as well as achieving excellence in specific subjects and activities. Details of this system are provided in the relevant section of this website. In addition, from Class IV onwards, our children appear for regular term-end examinations – known as Trials – to help them get attuned to the demands of the examination-oriented evaluation obtaining elsewhere in this country and devise strategies to excel there too. When seen together, the Touchstone ratings and the Trials scores, provide the students and their parents with a clear assessment of their strengths and weaknesses.

WHAT IS THE TEACHER-STUDENT RATIO AT OAKRIDGE?
The teacher-student ratio at Oakridge is approximately 1:10 at present.

WHAT KIND OF COUNSELING AND CAREER GUIDANCE DO STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO IN OAKRIDGE?
Oakridge has a Clinical Psychology Unit headed by a well-known clinical psychologist and manned by several full-time remedial teachers. This unit identifies and deals with learning disabilities as well as knowledge gaps amongst children of all classes. Members of the unit regularly counsel children with behavioral problems. We also have put in place a system of aptitude testing for children of Class VIII and above. We will have proper career counseling from Class XI onwards.

ARE STUDENTS TRAINED FOR INDIAN COMPETITIVE EXAMS?
No, as of now – though we have certain programmes for gifted/advanced learners to be challenged with academic work well above the general level. We do have plans as well as the in-house expertise to provide special training for some of the competitive examinations later – for those who opt for the same at the classes XI and XII level.

ADMISSIONS

WHAT ARE THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION TO OAKRIDGE?
There are no eligibility criteria so to speak but we do insist on appropriate certification to prove that a candidate has completed the level of schooling required prior to the class to which admission is sought. We grant admission to anyone who gets through the admission procedure of a written test and interview and can pay the school fees regularly, irrespective of nationality, sex, religion, caste or creed.

WHICH ARE THE CLASSES FOR WHICH ADMISSION CAN BE SOUGHT?
Admissions are open in classes Nursery to XI for the 2005-2006 session, subject to availability.

WHAT IS THE NORMAL ADMISSION PROCEDURE?
First, the Application Form must be purchased from school and properly filled in. The duly completed form, along with all the required documents and the registration fee, is to be submitted at the Admissions Department for registration – which is done on the spot and a registration number given immediately. Registration does not guarantee admission to the school; it only ensures that a candidate may appear for the admission test. Immediately after the registration takes place, the candidate is given a choice of dates to appear for the first leg of the admission test and issued relevant papers for the same.

Admission to the pre-primary classes is based first on classroom observation of the candidates and subsequent interview with the parents. Candidates seeking admission in classes I and above have to take a written test in English and mathematics first. Parents of candidates who qualify in this written test are called in for an interview (along with the candidate) with the Principal or the Vice Principal or the Headmistress. The focus of this interview is on ensuring that the students admitted are not too deeply influenced by the existing systems to accept our methods and that they come from backgrounds where people are on the same wavelength as our educational philosophy. The final granting of admission to Oakridge depends on the outcome of this interview.

WHAT ARE THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR REGISTRATION?
1. 1 copy of photograph of the child. 2. One photograph each of the parents. 3. Date of birth certificate of the child (Xerox copy duly attested) or passport copy. 4. Bonafide certificate from the school where the child is studying at the time of applying mentioning the class and date of birth. 5. A copy of the present school report of the child.

HOW DO I REPORT FOR ADMISSION?
If your ward is found suitable for admission, you will be intimated about the same by the school within five days at the most from the date of the interview and you will be required to complete all the formalities – like paying of requisite fees, etc. – within 10 days of your receiving the intimation.

WHOM SHOULD I CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION?
You can contact any of our counselors. For your ready references three names are given here: Ms Padmaja, Ms Shine, Ms Shine or Ms Sunitha.

FACILITIES

DOES OAKRIDGE HAVE RESIDENTIAL FACILITY?
No. Oakridge is a long day school without any residential facility.

WHAT KIND OF LIBRARY FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE AT OAKRIDGE?
Oakridge has a library with over 2000 books, magazines, periodicals, CD-ROMs, VCDs, DVDs, LCDs, computer work stations, printer and photocopier that facilitate acquisition of knowledge in the most exciting manner.

WHAT KIND OF LABORATORIES DOES OAKRIDGE HAVE?
The state-of-the-art Infotech Centre for computers, laboratories for teaching physics, chemistry and life sciences, the Junior Science Laboratory containing requisite equipment and literature to make our children properly environment-conscious and language laboratories aid the children in their independent construction of knowledge in every subject.

WHAT ARE THE CATERING FACILITIES AT OAKRIDGE?
Lunch is served at Oakridge in two spacious and very hygienically maintained dining halls. At present one of the leading hospitality services in India caters for the food. Oakridge ensures that children have a well balanced diet as stipulated by well-qualified nutritionists. We offer vegetarian food with the option of having eggs once a week. We provide a varied menu incorporating Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisines. Students are also provided with a glass of milk once in the school day.

ARE HEALTH CARE AND UTILITY SERVICES AVAILABLE ON CAMPUS?
Oakridge is the first school in Hyderabad to have a full-time doctor, a trained nurse with a well-facilitated Infirmary and an ambulance for emergencies.

WHAT KIND OF SPORTS FACILITIES DOES OAKRIDGE PROVIDE?
We have designed a meaningful programme for physical education as well as individual sports and games in order to facilitate a real all-round development of our students’ personalities. Our children regularly take part in yoga and meditation, physical training exercises, cricket, football, throw ball, kho kho, tennis, volleyball, basketball, athletics, swimming, badminton, table tennis, carom, chess, etc. In our own campus we have developed very good facilities for pursuing and excelling in a huge variety of outdoor as well as indoor games and sports. We have our own swimming pool, games field and 200m. athletics track, volleyball courts, basketball courts, tennis courts and cricket nets, where boys and girls develop their sports skills under well-qualified coaches. In addition we have a Children’s Recreation Park and a toy library that our tiny tots use for games and fun activities.

WHAT KIND OF FACILITIES DOES OAKRIDGE PROVIDE FOR OTHER CO-CURRICULAR AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES?
At Oakridge, we integrate a wide range of creative activities within our overall educational programme. We consider artistic and cultural activities to be very important with regard to the harmonious development of the total personality. Every child at Oakridge has to do vocal music, dance, art and craft as part of the regular timetable. Other activities like dramatics, creative writing, debating, elocution, quizzing and much more also form an essential part of education at Oakridge. While within the regular curriculum our children get a general exposure to such pursuits, we offer them specialized training in many of these areas in our hobby classes. We have Specialized Activity Rooms for Music, Dance, Yoga, Art and Craft that are equipped to provide our students with proper exposure to a variety of performing, visual, literary and folk arts to motivate their creativity, to help them pick up cultured pursuits and to aid them in their spiritual development.