Oakhill grew from an idea sown in the early 1990s by pioneering parents who wanted a good education for their children. They sought to establish a school which expressed “joy in learning” and which placed the child at the centre of an integrated curriculum.
With educationalist Allan Graham at the helm, teachers countrywide applied for posts and accepted appointments with no guarantees, save the dedication and enthusiasm of the headmaster and founding parents.
The new school’s 54 students, ranging in age from six to sixteen, spent the first term of 1992 in a unit of the newly opened Woodmill Lane Mall. In April that year the school moved to its permanent location on the hillside above Knysna, sheltered by oaks and with a view of the lagoon. The dream was realised.
Today Oakhill has more than 450 pupils from Grade 000 to Grade 12 and is growing steadily in reputation and numbers, attracting children from local areas and from further afield. College students continue to follow the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) syllabus which maintains international university entrance standards and is the benchmark for the highest education qualifications in South Africa. Excellent academic results and glowing appraisals from external assessors confirm Oakhill’s progress year on year.