Reflections on Oak Tree High School

Oak Tree High editorial team: Ifra, Naima, Nisha, Anisa, Sumaiya, Ruqiya, Rafia, Anisa

Oak Tree Girls High School was opened in September 2011 on Petre Street. It is an independent Islamic school run by the Yorkshire Muslim Academy, which also runs a nursery and Madrassa alongside the school.

Students have written about their experience of first attending the school:

“I am 15 years old and I attend Oak Tree High School. It all started on 12th September 2011. My first opinion about the girls in this school was that there would be a lot of bullies, but I was proved wrong. The school is a very happy environment and I am happy I chose to come here. There have been a lot of changes in Oak Tree. At the start of the school we didn't have an ICT Suite and now we do. We didn't have many qualified teachers and now we do. In 2013 a new subject was introduced, Citizenship. I benefited a lot from this subject. This school really boosted my confidence and I also met new people that I can now call my friends.” Ruqiya

“In 2012 I changed schools from Parkwood to Oak Tree. I knew immediately Oak Tree was the right school for me. When I first walked into my new classroom, no-one said a word to me but when I sat next to a girl, she asked me for a pen and started communicating. By the end of The week we became friends. It wasn't a bad school after all and the education was good. When I first started there were about 70 girls and Now there are 100, a huge bunch of girls who have grown over a year.” Nisha

“I started Oak Tree High School in 2011,I was nervous but at the same time excited. My first day, I had walked into the school for the first time, feeling anxious. My emotions were tangled as I was not acquainted with anyone from this school. So for the first week I felt as if I was a dark shadow looming in the background. Until a light shone over me. I had made acquaintances, they gave back my voice, gave back my strength. I now held my head high with confidence in my hand. I realised that happiness and education did not come with extraordinary technology but it came with a positive state of mind. The teachers and friends helped me achieve the state of mind. I honestly believe from the bottom of my heart that Oak Tree High School is progressing and achieving in a great manner.”

Oak Tree High School “Little Dragons Project”

Recently, Oak Tree High's very own Y9s took part in an exclusive project “Little Dragons”, with help from volunteers in Y7 and 8. The project itself was set up and funded by the organisation Right 2 Education.

The project consisted of 5 groups, with each group collaborating in order to come up with a presentable, worthy of buying, product to construct and sell within 12 weeks!

Each group had a starting budget of £20 to buy the mandatory materials needed to manufacture the product.

The following weeks the girls were introduced to the team leader, volunteers and the actual project. In addition to this, the girls had planned, researched and brainstormed ideas for the pitch to be presented and had started the construction of the products.

On top of that, the girls and volunteers had set up a Winter Fete to sell their products to the students of Oak Tree and visitors.

In summary, this was an entrepreneurial team-based challenge aiming to develop life skills such as communicating and marketing through a series of sessions involving collaboration, planning and budgeting, to pitching in front of a panel and to selling to the students and community at a Winter Fete.