Reviews of Banbury Crossroads School (School)

Liam Cummings

It is a funny thing to offer a review for a school in the same way that you might offer a review for a hamburger joint. Offering a review for a school one attended is not the same kind of thing as offering a review for a traditional store or service provider because in order to do well at a school, the participant, and their parents and family, must be willing to themselves grow and learn and potentially let go of bad habits that they picked up elsewhere. Not the case with hamburgers. But, letting go of bad habits, and being in a situation where I needed to find my way, was indeed the case for me. After three years in a local public junior high and half a year in the local high school, I was in rough shape. My grades were only marginally above the bare minimum passing point, and I was as angst-filled as any teenager might have been. There were certainly teachers who tried to help, to reach me, and to offer guidance, but with 30-50+ students in a class, and multiple classes throughout the day, there was basically no way that anyone had time to see me, let alone remember my name. I don't blame those public schools, but they certainly didn't help. I was lost in every sense of the word, with a D+ average. I went to Banbury for the latter part of my high school education, as I had done for grades one through five, and it felt like the part in the movie where the hero finds their way again. The overall atmosphere was caring, compassionate, patient, individualized, and I felt coached, and mentored personally, by almost every teacher I interacted with. It took me some time to get my progress back up to speed, but fast forward more than a decade, and I'm finishing my third degree, which will be my second graduate degree. I'm not certain I could have ended up where I am without Banbury helping me find my way again. A lot of people like hamburgers. It isn't hard to have a successful hamburger joint, because a good hamburger will appeal to a large number of people. A good school, on the other hand, only needs to be good for *you*. It will likely be great for others, too, but it doesn't need to be great for *everyone*. I'm not sure Banbury is great for everyone. The public system is OK. Plenty of children go through the public system and end up just fine. But, for a hundred different reasons, it doesn't work for everyone. If you're reading this, you, or your child, or someone you know, might not be getting their needs best met by the public system, or even by another independent school. It's hard to provide a review that reads like a burger review, because what worked for me might not be what you're looking for. But, I can speak sincerely when I say that Banbury is a nurturing environment that produces confident students who believe in themselves and go on to accomplish and be happy in their lives. I have kept in touch with most, if not almost all, of my Banbury friends, and by and large, they are all better, or significantly better, according to their own admission, than they would have been had they not gone to Banbury. If you want to experience self-directed learning at one of the first schools to do that in Canada, where teachers have the time and sensitivity to care, where students learn to manage themselves, ask for what they want to, and to be given the space and nourishment to grow into the best versions of themselves possible, then I think Banbury could well be for you. But don't take my word for it. Go check it out yourself. And, if it doesn't look like something you want, remember, it isn't a hamburger.

Evia Hayter

Banbury taught me how to keep myself on track and push myself to work harder. I attended Banbury from grade 3 to 6 and they helped me stay on track and manage my school work while I was a very serious dancer. I now go to Alberta Ballet School and my teachers there are amazed with my knowledge and how mature I am. Banbury taught me so many things and I believe it is a great school. I go back to visit regularly and everyone is so welcoming.

Hamza IM

I have been attending this school almost 5 years. I really like going to this school. I am going to stay at Banbury till I graduate. The teachers at this school are so nice. I also have lots of good friends at this school. :)

Nicole Hartley Bradford

Banbury Crossroads School has been an excellent place for my two girls to learn, while developing their strengths and exercising their passions. My eldest daughter, at 11, taught an extra-curricular Dance Club at recess from January until April, when she and her club performed their dances in a real theatre, in front of a substantial audience. I was able to produce the show, and work alongside my daughter and other staff and parents, which was beautifully connecting. My whole family thereby became a more solid part of the school, and each of us learned valuable skills and information, and exercised "muscles" that will serve us significantly in the future. This couldn't, I don't think, have happened in a large or public school, where there is, by necessity, less personal relationships. Red tape and large student numbers mean that individual students have limited opportunities to contribute in ways that suit them, their talents, passions, and skill levels. At BCS, students have the chance to shine in their own way. As a parent, I am able to also be involved at BCS in ways that suit MY interests, skills, and passions. Rather than the single choice of sitting on a Parent Council and volunteering for field trips(though I could do these too), I am able to interact with staff, students and other parents, as my schedule allows, and in ways that feel more satisfying and are more effective than in any other school I have experienced. Community is important to me, and at BCS, I and my girls have a chance to participate and contribute in very connected ways. I also love the diversity among the students at BCS, and the way kids of different ages interact. The student-led learning philosophy means that kids can tailor their own learning to suit their styles and interests, I see how this keeps them interested and engaged. The work I see posted on the walls is so varied and interesting to look at! The annual student art show (the show itself is arranged largely by the kids) is jaw-dropping. When it comes to the emotional culture of the school, I am also very satisfied to see that at BCS there is always an opportunity to address concerns and incidents of conflict. Time is always available to talk things through and find solutions that work. Kids are helped to follow rules rather than being forced to follow them, and I can see that this works much better in the long term. The kids at BCS are a loving and caring bunch, interested in helping make the world a better place, and the staff are willing and able to help; everyone is learning together. The only reason I haven't posted 5 stars is because I am a highly idealistic person, and my vision of an ideal learning environment is even MORE connected, mutually co-creative and self-directed!

Bindiya Shetty

Warm, friendly, caring staff. Private school

Hashim 3318

It’s an amazing school! I have been at the school 2 years and tried out in 2018 teachers ask nicely and good self directing and a stimulating school. It’s very a nice education and learning .

Chris Hamilton

A HORRIBLE SCHOOL! Banbury Crossroads School left our 9 year old child behind on a field trip and didn't realize it until an hour and a half later. The school told our son not to tell us and also the school never informed us. They tried to keep this incident from us until we found out from another parent weeks later. We asked them about this incident and only after repeated questioning did they finally admit that this incident happened and that they had kept this information from us intentionally. To top it off, they were not apologetic about this incident. This is unacceptable as this information was held from us by the owner, the principle and his teacher and we were unable to help our child deal with it emotionally as they had hid it from us. In another incident, the school took him out of a core subject early in the school year without consulting with us or telling us. The school then let him sit by himself for an hour a day without any supervision and without anything to do. Our child is gifted with a minor learning disability and was in grade 4 at the time and the decision to pull him out of the class was because he struggled with handwriting. The school was fully aware that he had handwriting issues before we started him in this school. The school also purposely left him behind on another school field trip as they told him that there was no room for him to go, which is absolutely damaging for a young child. He was very upset about this, as all of his classmates got to go but him. They left him with the preschool kids 5 years younger than him. We were not informed there was a field trip and if we had known, we would have made sure that he would have had transportation there. In yet another incident, his teacher left students in grades 4 to 6 alone at the Children's festival without any supervision. At this time, our son was almost left behind if it hadn't have been for another student seeing him and notifying him that they were leaving. We had to hire a full time tutor to work with our son as his teacher was not capable of working with him and as such, basically ignored him. If it were not for the tutor we hired, our son would be so far behind on his schooling he would not have even passed grade four. We had to spend thousands of dollars in addition to the tuition to ensure that he was getting educated. The school is not caring as they portray themselves and I would never recommend this school to anyone. It was a horrible experience and after our son left the school, he suffered all sorts of rage and anxiety issues from the way he was treated by the school. It took us months to get him feeling good about himself again after this horrible experience. Banbury Crossroads can not cater to gifted children or children with minor to severe learning disabilities because the staff is not qualified. They will portray themselves as a school that can handle gifted children or kids with learning disabilities, but they can not. Bottom line: This school is not caring and run completely unprofessionally. Our son is now extremely happy and doing exceptionally well at Rundle Academy and he loves it there, thank goodness!

Pamela Mclean

I have had two children attend Banbury Crossroads Independent School from pre-school until grade twelve, graduating with excellent results in the provincial diploma exams and going on to success in post-secondary studies. In addition to their academic success Banbury Crossroads fostered and enabled their achievements in the arts and community involvement. Banbury provides a unique environment and a unique philosophy: that children are naturally inclined to learn and enjoy learning -- and have their own learning agenda which should be respected. Conventional teaching fails children because it demands that they learn -- as a group -- the things the teacher is interested in teaching them, at the pace the teacher sets, regardless of whether the children are interested or the pace meets the children's needs. Banbury Crossroads teachers respect the child's individuality, unique giftedness, and personal goals. The Banbury teacher's job is first to avoid dampening the child's ethusiasm for learning, second to teach the things the child is interested in, and third to introduce additional ideas building on the child's interests that will result in meeting the goals of the Alberta Education curriculum. That cannot be done in an overcrowded classroom, or a classroom where the whole class must learn the same things, so the teacher-student ratio at Banbury is 1:10 or less, and individual learning is the norm. The school makes extensive use of fieldtrips, often to everyday settings like the grocery store or a neighbourhood park, to increase the children's learning opportunities as they engage with curiosity in their everyday world. At Banbury when my four-year-old wanted to learn to read, no-one told her it was developmentally inappropriate. They helped her learn to read. When my high-schooler wanted to put off working on Social Studies so that she could curate an art-show, they taught her how to make business arrangements with a gallery and helped her pull off the show. Banbury sees nothing wrong with a child who is "too old" for Kindergarten sometimes needing a nap or down-time; or with an active spirited child who listens and learns while moving around the classroom. And the result is happy engaged children and youth who retain their enthusiasm for learning throughout their schooldays and take it with them into their futures.

hausofskrastins

They turned a troubled public school teen into a young man with purpose, drive and direction toward my life’s true calling. Forever grateful

Tantalus

Good school but if your child requires special needs this school might not work for your child.

Chan Joe

Small class teaching is really good for those overseas students. Teachers care their students and maintain a good informative correspondence with parents/guardians.

Jenn Wright-Maley

We (barely) survived 2 years of CBE, but now my kid thrives here. It is abundantly clear that the kids here are respected as the drivers of their own education. It was very important for us to find somewhere our kid could feel happy and secure, and where his love of learning wouldn’t be extinguished by the wear and tear of traditional education practices. We got want we asked for and so much more! This is the ideal environment for a kid with asynchronous development, and passion for learning that turns to boredom in a typical classroom. I am in awe of this school. We’ll move all of our kids here. I wish every kid could have an education like this.

Arash Pashakhani

I met Diane the owner of Banbury when I was desperately looking for a good high school to register my kid. She explained the concept of self directed schools and walked me trough the school. My daughter been in this school for two years and I found myself part of the school family. The teachers and staff are so honest, friendly and professional. Kids learn to plan and study independently while teachers are there for them to help. I am so glad my kid is going to this school and recommend this school to every parents who are looking for such environment for their kids. You might consider to give the school a visit to learn more about it.

Emma P

This is the best school I’ve ever been to all the people are very friendly and teachers are amazing here. They are very flexible with almost anything.

Elana Holland

My daughter has been attending Banbury for 4 and half years now and it has totally transformed her attitude about school and her academic achievements. She has really come out of her shell and has so much more confidence in herself and in her studies. She loves that she can work at her own pace and that the teachers are passionate about what they do and ensuring that the students really understand what they are learning. It is a family atmosphere and the students are able to express their creativity and choose topics that are of interest to them. With the small student to teacher ratio, the students are able to grow and advance and are not just pushed through the system. The students learn to take an active role in their education and their future and at the same time learn responsibility and accountability. I highly recommend Banbury Crossroads School!

Benjamin Swiatek

I hold dear to me the lifelong friendship of my fellow classmates. The promotion of individuality provided a safe environment to find myself free from mind-blocks like age and social standing.

Jessie Shen Huxley

Banburry is every way it said it is and more. I picked this school for my 5 year old not only because the self directed learning principle, but mostly the warmth, the love and the happiness this school radiates. I personally would love to attend the school if I could. My very shy 5 year old just turned 6 and has opened up significantly from attending the school since last September. She is very articulate, very confident and mostly, very very happy. She looks forward to see her friends at school, in all age groups, including her teacher, every morning. She is eager to share her experiences at school and at home. Through her I truly see that it is possible to have a learning environment that allows children to thrive through play, activities and self realization with teachers assistance and encouragement. I would recommend Banburry to any parent who is considering an alternative to the old education system and is wanting to see more natural self development from their children.

Iain Richardson

I attended Banbury from grades 8-12 between the years of 1996-2000. The independent learning environment allowed me to explore my academic interests while ensuring that I recieved a well grounded and comprehensive high school education. The teaching staff encouraged me to develop intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivations for learning; this has given me a lifelong appreciation for the value of self motivation both during my post-secondary education and my career. I cannot speak highly enough regarding the dedication and commitment of the teaching staff. I have maintained a relationship with the teachers at Banbury and consider them to be both my mentors and friends.

April Burnell

When my son and I first went to Banbury Crossroads school, we were immediately overtaken by a feeling of inclusion and acceptance. My son had been attending a public junior high school where he had been subject to both physical and verbal abuse. This abuse was not just meted out by the other students attending there, but also included name calling and rejection by the teaching staff at this school. My son had begun to exhibit signs of severe emotional stress that began to wear down his mental and emotional health and well-being. This was how we came to discover Banbury Crossroads, in a desperate search for a place of belonging and supportive education. And what we found at this school was so much more than we could have ever imagined! The school administrator, Diane Swiatek, immediately made us feel welcome as she showed us around the school for the first time. Following this initial introduction to the school, we quickly discovered that this was more than just a school for learning educational subjects: this was a place where children who did not fit the mold of mainstream education, were accepted and embraced for their unique traits and abilities. This was a place of inclusive acceptance, even to those children who appeared odd and unusual to outsiders. In Banbury, there is a philosophy of equality and respect for all who attend. The children are treated with the utmost dignity and allowed to learn at their own pace and in their own manner. There is a progressive wisdom that acknowledges the differential ways in which different children are capable of learning. The staff understands the importance of flexibility in education so that each child’s education is tailored to their unique manner of learning (some children are more visual learners while others are more tactile, etc.). However, Banbury goes beyond basic institutional education. Here, the children learn the fundamentals of adult living and survival as well. In the higher grade classes, they work with a school mentor to choose a job internship that complements their own interests and inherent abilities. This allows the young adults attending there to learn valuable life lessons and gain priceless experience in the adult work environment. They also learn immense life skills such as money management and conflict resolution in the larger world beyond the boundaries of the school. Most notably, however, is the atmosphere of genuine caring and compassion exhibited by all the staff at Banbury. All students are engaged and accepted equally, and praised, rather than criticized or ostracized, for their uniqueness and individuality. They are not forced into a mold of “normalcy” but are actually honored for who they are. They are accepted with open arms into a loving “community” that allows them to feel safe and supported. I will always remember my son’s education at Banbury with immense gratitude for helping him to feel accepted and nurtured in his experience there. And to Diane Swiatek, I can never adequately repay your kindness and support for accepting us as part of your “family”! We will never forget you. Thanks to you, my son finally finished his high school education and acquired the confidence he needed to believe in himself again. With a sense of self-esteem and confidence in his abilities, he forged forwards and is now studying at university for a degree in political science. Without the support of Banbury, he would have dropped out of school and limited his opportunities for a successful and prosperous life where he can have a fulfilling and rewarding career, while giving back to the community!

Will Anon

This school was a huge disappointment. The statements the school provides, and how it sells itself as a nurturing environment for students to feel safe, work at their own pace while supporting diverse learning requirements is not true from our experience at all. The staff, led by Diane Swiatek and Karen Harrison lack professionalism, respect for students and parents and at times were proven to be quite deceptive. They, along with the majority of the teachers in the school cross the line with students in a negative emotional manner and used bullying tactics to intimidate, and humiliate. From our experiences, we came to realize that these practices in behaviour was a strategy used to protect themselves when called out on their administrative, educational and moral shortcomings. An over all safety concern for us was also how little supervision there was for the primary students. They were left unattended, wondered the school unaccompanied indoors and outdoors. This resulted in students hurting themselves unnecessarily and being exposed to adolescent conversations that were not always appropriate for younger students. When these issues were addressed with staff, they brushed this off and went on to blame the students as opposed to taking responsibility for their lack of supervision. From our experience, there is little support or structure for students academically. The school work is module based with very few learning opportunities to explore content away from the desk, through social media, or field trips. The practices in place to support students who have learning exceptionalities are very limited. It is bare bones education that you are paying tuition fees for, with a high turn over rate of students coming and going. In my opinion, the school takes in students, make promises to families just to fill spaces and collect tuition fees. The practices displayed within the school indicate the institution as a whole is not equipped to care for students and their educational needs as required both academically and socially. There are students who have experienced more damage done with time in attendance at this school than there were benefits. It is reassuring to know that children can move on from this negative environment at Banbury and thrive else where, finding success and happiness with their academic performance, peers and educators. There are people who may have had and continue to have positive experiences at this school and they are fortunate, but the negative experiences also need to be shared, heard and taken into consideration. I would not recommend this school as a positive, productive environment to anyone.

Greg Mather

Dear Banbury Crossroads Like most parents we wanted what was best for our daughter. After having a satisfactory public grade school experience we started to become concerned with the public education system in middle school as class sizes increased, teachers in general seemed overwhelmed adding to the increased pressures of children’s social insecurities, limited one on one, lack of awareness, stress and anxiety. Our first encounter with student issues concerning our daughter was not handled in the most sensitive and productive manner in our view motivating us to seek alternative educational opportunities. Banbury Crossroads was one of the schools we researched. Once our daughter’s good grades started to drift to average and with much natural uncertainty but confidence, due to Banbury’s proven philosophies and history, we made the move to Banbury. Within weeks our daughter had become motivated to learn again and with no influence from us she excelled beyond expectations allowing her to advance with no limits but rather received encouragement and support allowing her to be the best that she can be. Now in her final years of High School every opportunity in the world is open to her with application processes now beginning to apply to the top universities in North America. On top of this is the positive development in character, kindness and understanding she received from attending Banbury which is priceless. Like most parents who want what is best for their children, to Banbury Crossroads we will be forever grateful. For more information on our experience Please feel free to use us as a reference anytime. T&G

Richard Weber

As a parent for 6 years, I can say that this school is ideal for many students who find that the public system does not work for them. The learning is student focused and the students are responsible for their education. The staff not only know every student by name but also their background and situation so no student slips through the cracks. Many of the behaviors that are typical in other schools are not tolerated at Banbury due to their "respect for self, respect for others and respect for our place" policy. Students feel very safe at this school.

Cory Wright-Maley

I cannot say enough about the positive experience we have had with Banbury Crossroads. Our son, who struggled to have his gifted needs met at two different public schools, has absolutely thrived here. The teachers embody the kindness, curiosity, and dedication that are the hallmarks of humanistic education, and their teaching is tailored to students' unique abilities. As a professor of education, I am convinced that Banbury's approach to education is how we would design teaching and learning if we were somehow able to start schooling from scratch.

chau ngo

As a parent of a child who has been attending Banbury Crossroads for four years, I must say I am thrilled with the skills the school has promoted in my child. I very much appreciate the school’s attention to individual needs – it has fostered a healthy level of autonomy in my son, who is now able to work independently and self-directed. His particular and personal needs are met and has developed a great deal of confidence since attending Banbury. I am so happy to see his personality shine through in the work he does and to have hope for his future career.