A teacher from St Mark’s Academy in Mitcham, part of Anthem Schools Trust, has set up a school in Ghana after starting work on the vision with his wife twenty years ago.

Mr Mensah and his wife, Philomena, have used their own savings and a bank loan in order to make their dream become a reality. The Oakhill Royal International School is now open and offers the British IGCSE Cambridge Curriculum alongside the Ghanaian Curriculum so students and parents can decide which they would like to study.

St Mark’s Academy is an all-inclusive Church of England Academy built on the foundations of love, hope and trust and having worked there since 2006, Mr Mensah set up Oakhill to mirror these values. He felt that what worked well in the UK would work well in Ghana and he wants the school to be a hub of outstanding teaching and learning. Mr Mensah leads the Senior Leadership Team at the school and spends every Sunday afternoon with them online crafting the activities for the following week.

The school now has over 100 students and aside from a top-class education, they are provided with food and buses to and from their villages. Oakhill also supports a local orphanage. Aside from the school’s academic offering, there is also a focus on experiential learning to ensure that the students also gain cultural capital.

Mr Mensah said:

“My wife and I both came from humble backgrounds, and we wanted to provide children with opportunities that we didn’t have, giving them a good start in life. We decided that opening a school would be the best thing to do. We want to help Oakhill students unlock their full potential and educate them for the world stage so that they can be true global citizens, able to thrive and affect change wherever they are.
Hannah Fahey, Principal at St Marks Academy said:

“Everyone at St Marks is so proud of Mr Mensah and his incredible achievement. We are looking forward to hearing more from him about the progress of Oakhill and seeing how the school can learn from each other.”