Benefits of online schools

Making it easier to access outstanding learning

In recent years, traditional independent schools have been rocked by the rapid rise in popularity and educational success of online schools. During the COVID lockdowns, many families came to realise that online schools - purposefully setup to provide outstanding teaching and learning online - were far more effective learning environments for their children. They’ve been particularly welcomed by families seeking access to the very best teaching and learning who do not live near an ‘Outstanding’ school; students requiring greater class timetable flexibility and those who dislike the increasing levels of disruption in today’s classrooms.

However, it is the academic successes that have caught the eye of many families. This summer, 41% of A Level results at Harrow School Online (yes, an online version of that Harrow School) were A*, and 25% of their leavers are either heading to Oxbridge or completing a medical degree. These results place the school in the top 5% of all independent schools in England.

The school’s Principal, Heather Rhodes, points to the innovative learning model - which is based on the latest best-practice scientific evidence about effective learning - as being the key factor in its academic success: “Our pupils work through interactive self-study materials to learn key concepts, before attending live lessons where their teachers challenge their understanding and stretch and deepen their learning.” Traditional schools just can’t begin to deliver such an individual and personalised approach to learning.

The core team behind Harrow School Online, including its Principal, are passionate about online learning. Their desire to make outstanding learning available to an even greater number of pupils around the world has led them to set up their online school, which will have lower fees and offer GCSEs as well as A Levels.

Highgrove Online School opens for admissions in October 2023 and, at just over ten thousand pounds per year, may well offer the cheapest route to outstanding academic success in the independent school sector.

HEATHER RHODES Director and Principal of Highgrove Online School