11 minute read
ONLINE SCHOOL
A UNIQUE PATHWAY
How online school King's Interhigh o ers a full, personalised school experience
Like many schools, we were proud to celebrate last summer as so many of our students gained entry to their dream universities. Take Thomas, for example, who achieved four A* grades and gained a place at the University of Cambridge.
Unlike most pupils, however, our learners didn't study for their
A Levels in a physical classroom.
King’s InterHigh is a fully online school—and, a unique, alternative pathway to university success.
It’s a common misconception that brick-and-mortar schools are always the best way to get into university. In fact, for many young people, the traditional route can be a hurdle in itself.
One in five students with anxiety, for example, told The Student Room that anxiety has deterred them from applying to university. Mental health and wellbeing concerns can be an immense barrier to achieving one’s full potential. For these students, online learning can be truly transformative.
Heidi, one of our alumni, made the move to virtual school "in hopes of finding joy in learning and rediscovering the person I used to be" after struggling at her school in France. After joining us, Heidi says, “I regained my voice.” Achieving ABB last year, she’s now studying her dream course—veterinary nursing—at one of the world's most highly respected schools in her field.
But what makes online school di erent? The key is personalisation: online learning can revolve around each individual student, no matter their needs, lifestyle, or ambitions.
That also includes students living abroad, young actors and athletes building their careers, and all those for whom the traditional route simply doesn’t work.
If your child struggled through distance learning a few years ago, you may be looking at all of this with a dose of scepticism. However, true online schools are a far cry from pandemic schooling. Here, students get a full school experience: highly qualified teachers, interactive live lessons, clubs and social activities, and comprehensive university guidance— just like at any top-tier Sixth Form.
The di erence? In a virtual environment, we simply aren’t bound to the same limitations as physical schools. Online, students get unprecedented flexibility and freedom. They can choose any combination of A Level subjects for their chosen degree, without timetabling constraints. Or, they can study the world’s first online IB Diploma with us, renowned and respected by top universities across the globe. Classes are live and free from distractions, and all lessons are recorded for reviewing at any time.
Plus, virtual classrooms allow for new levels of innovation. Alongside their usual lessons, students can explore their studies with virtual reality headsets, use cutting-edge technologies, and learn with tools and resources that suit their learning style.
With an education that fits, every child’s full potential can be unlocked. At King’s InterHigh, learning is designed to do just that.
KING'S INTERHIGH
Alessandro Capozzia, Head of Sixth Form kingsinterhigh.co.uk
CHILDREN AT SOUTHBANK INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Responsible Entrepreneurship
Southbank International School on teaching entrepreneurship and global thinking at a young age
Developing fi nancial acumen and a savvy business brain at a young age are increasingly important elements in modern education. At Southbank International School, children as young as grade 2 (age 7 and 8) get involved in learning about entrepreneurship.
Children focus on how people work together to create products for the community – and with a big focus on interconnection. To make the experience immersive, children work in teams to start a small business together.
They decide on a product that they can sell to their target market (which is their parents).
There is emphasis on considering audience needs and wants, and the children do their own market research. Teachers fi nd this a fantastic way for them to learn how to formulate questions. At Southbank, everything is cross curricula and data gathering work feeds into maths learning.
Next the groups think about marketing.
There is a talk by a member of sta or parent to help them decide how to communicate their message and then create an advert. Experts are enrolled throughout the product development phase to give constructive feedback.
Finally, the product goes into production, with each team member assigned their own tasks. They form a production line and make the right number of pieces as per the order forms. Deciding on a suitable price during the market research phase and collecting money (further maths work) are important parts of the process. They also decide on a suitable charity or environmental cause they want to support.
Throughout the entire project there is a lot of refl ecting on IB Approaches to Learning, particularly focusing on communication and collaboration skills. Everything is seen through the context of the IB – striving to educate students to think beyond themselves and consider their responsibilities in the world.
Entrepreneurship is also introduced through extracurricular activities. Clubs such as Action Through the Arts o er an opportunity to work together to make a di erence. For instance, Southbank International pupils recently made a video on climate action and also created a book for refugee children coming to London from Afghanistan – children drew pictures and the words were translated.
Last term, children (ranging in age from 5 to 9) decided it would be a good idea to fundraise to support young people fl eeing the war in Ukraine. The group settled on key chains and bookmarks – determining costs to make units and a fair selling price. The project raised an impressive total of £373 to buy book boxes for Ukrainian children to be given as gifts on arrival in the UK. Children typically spend 10-12 weeks working on Action Through the Arts projects, and all the work involved orientates around entrepreneurship, and there is always a focus on making money not for themselves but to 'give back'.
NURSERY BENEFITS
How the preschool approach at North Bridge House West Hampstead provides a strong learning foundation
Department of Work & Pensions records show that 76% of mothers return to work within 12 to 18 months of having a child, and day nurseries remain the most popular form of childcare for under-threes. While cutting the cord and enrolling your little one can be a tough decision, fraught with guilt if tears are involved, the benefits are clear. Aside from the security of a daily routine, spending time in a play and learning environment helps children’s academic readiness.
“A nursery or preschool environment provides structure and routine for young children, while building the social, pre-academic, and general life skills that prepare them for ‘big school’,” says Eilish Sleator, Head of School at North Bridge House Nursery & Pre-Prep in West Hampstead.
So how do you choose the best nursery for your child? The di erence between settings often lies in how the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is delivered. EYFS providers are not all bound by the same sta to-child ratios. For example, for children aged 3+ in a private nursery or preschool, the typical sta -tochild ratio is 1:8. At North Bridge House, the ratio at Nursery (age 2+) is 1:4 and in the pre-Reception (3+) class, it is 1:6. Individualised support gives children time to grasp an idea and gain deeper understanding.
Alongside academic development, it’s important to consider the whole nursery experience. Non-cognitive skills are just as essential to a child’s growth and wellbeing. Nursery is your child's opportunity to interact and empathise with others, express feelings and opinions, and discover more about life outside the family unit, developing key social and communication skills and self-confidence. “At North Bridge House Nursery, we look to provide as much opportunity as possible to spark curiosity outside of the formal curriculum,” says Eilish Sleator. Specialist subjects are o ered from the outset, with Italian, drama, music and dance delivered on a weekly basis in the Nursery. In the 3+ Pre-Reception class, children also benefit from twice weekly French lessons and bi-weekly Forest School, providing opportunities to develop their cultural literacy, understanding of the world and a nity with nature.
“At this age, we do not o er specialist subjects with the aim of developing the next Mozart. Our primary aim is to provide breadth and depth, to inspire a lifelong love of learning, and to equip our little ones with the confidence and resilience to thrive in everything they do,” says Eilish Sleator.
“While factors such as location and ease of access will play a significant part when choosing a nursery for your little one, I would always recommend finding out about how they will be supported and developed as an individual, and what the nursery or preschool can o er to provide a wider learning experience than the EYFS framework.”
northbridgehouse.com
POSITIVE SHIFT
The Head of St Margaret’s refl ects on the impact of recent social and political movements, seeing positive shifts in the way schools now listen to the student voice
Creative departments so often showcase what matters to young people today. If you walk through our Art department right now, the impact of Black Lives
Matter (BLM) and Everyone’s Invited (EI) are evident. In our photography rooms are images of protestors and signposts with words like ‘She just wanted to walk home safely’. If you make your way into our Sixth Form art studio you will see displays of A-level artwork, with students proudly displaying their own faces with Jamaican, Nigerian and Gambian fl ags superimposed across them.
Fuelled by movements like BLM and
EI, and by the fl uency of their IT skills, young people feel more entitled to share their opinions on any topic important to them. While standing up for one’s beliefs is admirable, not all of this has been positive. PSHE programmes and pastoral sta are having to coach children in how to convey their thoughts respectfully.
The impact will have been felt across all classrooms, especially in English and RS lessons, but we schools are also listening harder. Regular drop-in sessions with
Headteachers have been commonplace for many years, but so too other ways of eliciting views – questionnaires, pupil focus groups and bystander training to inspire even the most reticent child to speak up.
Schools are having to continually fi nd
STUDENTS AT ST MARGARET’S
new ways of leaning into conversations keeping up as parents is not easy. Strong so they encourage pupils to talk more. pastoral settings in school are providing
Issues around feeling safe have had a parents with help on how to navigate much sharper focus since the EI movement. and best encourage and support their At St Margaret’s we have thought hard children. This term we are running a about this and have asked pupils to follow up to previous parental pastoral physically draw onto site maps where they webinars and events. It’s entitled: ‘What feel safe and where they feel vulnerable your teenager wants to tell you but can’t’. so that we can adapt our common spaces Like many schools, we are looking and our duty system. Further emphasis hard at how we can ensure our sta on how to handle intimate and governors refl ect our relationships as children get community. Allowing pupils older has been important too, to run with societies that are always explored in a way that important to them – whether is clear, open and respectful. it is the LGBTQ+ group
PSHE now has more time or a faith service of their and energy dedicated to choice – is also important. it and is part of joined up In this regard, things have thinking across all that we do. shifted irreversibly for the This includes the refl ections good. Thankfully, schools of pastoral sta and the are thinking about how support-driven parent events to help young people in a that sit alongside our work positive way rather than with young people. As ever, simply reacting to events.
LARA PECHARD Head St Margaret’s School
Family FUN
Family memberships let you explore at your own pace, time and again, and often with extra benefits that make them a brilliant year-round investment
By RACHEL HOGG
THERE'S SPACE TO LET OFF STEAM WITH AN ENGLISH HERITAGE MEMBERSHIP
BIG SCIENCE AT THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
With the right family membership, your family will never be short of a weekend activity. These passes promise unlimited days spent learning and exploring, whether that be roaming through open fields, visiting castles or getting to know some of the UK’s most interesting museums.
They can be a smart buy if you live close to a particular museum or stately home, encouraging repeat visits, but are also a good way to inspire family days out much further afield. Many memberships also come with benefits – from priority entry and members' events to access to spaces where you can escape the crowds. And, good to know, when you buy a family membership, you help to support work to preserve our heritage for generations to come. We've shortlisted some favourites, from London museums large and small to memberships that open the door to exploration right across the country.
