New Beginnings at Hilden Oaks
A school with strong values
Mrs Katy Joiner, the current Headmistress, joined Hilden Oaks in September 2015 and set about making an excellent school even better. The first new initiative she introduced was Values-based Education, for which we now hold an IVET Quality Mark. We have seen the children flourish throughout the time since its introduction, and Our Values have become an integral way of life at Hilden Oaks, supporting the children in developing strong social and interpersonal skills, as well as enhancing their academic achievements.
Form 3 children showing Mrs Joiner what they have been learning in French
Our new initiatives and awards
During the past nine years, under Mrs Joiner’s leadership, and with the help of an incredibly supportive and creative team, there have also been several other new initiatives introduced including: mindfulness, the THINK curriculum, One Planet, Building Learning Power (BLP) and Talk for Writing, to name but a few. We have also received two Gold Awards in succession for SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development). At the last full ISI inspection we were also rated as ‘Excellent’.
Centenary celebrations
Throughout 2019 we celebrated our centenary with a number of events, and in the summer of that year our pond area was refurbished by our parents’ association, FoHOS, which has provided an invaluable resource for science and outdoor learning. When the pandemic hit in 2020 our amazing team pulled together to provide a fast and seamless transition to online learning, making use of our earlier investment in new technology, and the fact that every child in the main school has access to their own individual iPad.
In 2021 we started a new building development project, including two new classrooms, a music suite, a new medical room, new kitchens and more space for teaching small groups and 1:1 teaching. The project was delivered on time and on budget and the whole school has been enjoying these significant benefits since its completion at Easter 2022.
The results speak for themselves
Throughout this time academic achievements have remained high, with the majority of children who take the 11 plus and common entrance exams moving on to their secondary schools of choice – both grammar and independent. From time to time, Mrs Joiner has enjoyed welcoming back past pupils and hearing how they are flourishing. Her first Year 6 class at Hilden Oaks are now at university!
A new chapter is about to begin
It is now however, time for new beginnings, and although we are sad that Mrs Joiner will be leaving us at the end of the summer term, we are delighted to announce that Mrs Sharon Wade will be taking over as Headteacher in September 2024.
Mrs Wade during an art lesson with Form 4
Mrs Wade, who is currently our Deputy Head and Director of Studies, has been an invaluable support for Mrs Joiner since they both started at Hilden Oaks in 2015. With her wealth of knowledge and experience, it is a natural progression for her to take over the leadership of the whole school. Mrs Wade will be building on the strengths of Hilden Oaks and will doubtless be finding new ways to improve our already excellent school. We look forward to hearing about her new vision for the school when she takes over in September.