Wycombe Abbey Welcomes Teachers from Oaks Christian School
2 July 2025 - All
A few weeks ago, we were delighted to host teachers Brett Dewey (Biblical Studies) and Mary Kay Altizer (Music) from Oaks Christian School (OCS) in California. During their visit, both teachers enjoyed throwing themselves into life at Wycombe Abbey and learning more about our boarding approach and the British curriculum. Read on to learn about their reflections of the similarities and differences between OCS and Wycombe Abbey
‘At both OCS and Wycombe Abbey, we share an unapologetic commitment to academics that is at the heart of both schools that pupils and staff so actively embody.
At OCS just like you have some day pupils, we have some who board. Probably one in 10 of our pupil board.
I would also say good teaching is universal. Both schools have great teachers with a deep content knowledge, matched with an ability to relay that knowledge to kids.
When pupils prepare to leave OCS, I would say, around 80% of our pupils have a pretty clear sense of direction. As for the other 20%, they’re not sure because they’re choosing between two that they’d really like. So very few leave us without any sense of where they want to go.
Despite these similarities, I also see many differences. The way your curriculum is structured around GCSEs means it is naturally driven by exam content. In the US, we tend to run less rigid programmes, so our pupils have a little more freedom to say, ‘I want to explore marine biology’ or ‘I want to explore playing the guitar,’ etc., not just as co-curricular activities, but within the curriculum itself. Pupils have more choice and voice over how their curriculum is tailored, trying to schedule this is the work of a magician!
Where you have A levels, we have AP exams, which are also very test-driven. There’s both an intellectual rigor but also angst that comes with that. However, I wouldn’t say we have the equivalent of that test pressure that the GCSEs and A levels entail, where you’re revising test content a year or two before the actual exam. Our vocational pathways are set later, with more flexibility
Unlike in the UK, we have institutes that differ from the normal academics in electives. They still endure academic rigor and the school day, but they will basically choose their pathway. For example, if somebody is going to go into health sciences, they would choose to be a part of the Institute of Health Science. Institutes are usually in the arts and medicine.
At OCS, we have three pillars that our School is firmly built on: academics, artistic expression and athletic distinction. Outside of academics, pupils are often drawn to the latter two pillars and jobs within those fields too. Because of this, I think there’s a natural diversity of interest that happens within our pupils; it’s not exclusively academic. They may want to venture into sports broadcasting, physical therapy or work with a local sports team. Although, there are still those who wish to pursue more stereotypically ‘academic’ careers, such as law, business, finance and engineering.’
Brett and Mary Kay’s visit was a great opportunity for the two schools to collaborate and share ideas. We look forward to continuing to foster our growing partnership with Oaks Christian School.
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