New Year, new start. Could online schooling be right for your child? How to decide what’s best for your family
Discover how online schooling works and why, for a growing number of families, it’s the best learning solution
As a parent, choosing the right education for your family is a deeply personal, and sometimes difficult, decision. All parents want the best education for their family but with every child being uniquely themselves, working out what type of education option will ensure your child is happy, healthy and flourishing, isn’t always straightforward. While some children really suit the traditional school system, the one-size-fits-all approach, naturally, doesn’t work for everyone.
The best online schools provide a safe, regulated, and supportive learning environment specifically designed to meet each student’s unique needs. Just like traditional schools, students are taught by expert, qualified, teachers and follow a structured curriculum, with live lessons and opportunities to socialise. However, while the best online education mirrors many aspects of mainstream schooling, it also offers a more personalised approach, giving students greater flexibility in their schedules and more tailored support so they can progress academically and grow as individuals.
At King’s InterHigh, students can get a British education from anywhere in the world. Combining almost two decades of online education expertise, King’s InterHigh is the UK’s leading global online school. It welcomes children aged seven to 19 and offers a high-quality, flexible and inclusive education where every student can thrive. Students join their classmates for live lessons each school day in a virtual classroom environment. They also have the opportunity to be part of a vibrant community via houses, regular assemblies and a wide variety of clubs, societies, and in-person events.
Here we explore the many, varied reasons why online schooling may be the best education solution, both for your child and your family.
A supportive environment where kids can thrive
Online schooling provides an alternative option to the standardised approach offered by the traditional school system. For instance, children who have struggled with attending a physical school because of issues around anxiety, confidence or mental health may find that an online school is better suited to their needs.
Joanne turned to King’s InterHigh after her daughter faced bullying and mental health challenges at her traditional school. “She was attacked, and it was traumatic for her,” Joanne recalls. “We found very quickly that the school was more interested in getting her back in the building than supporting her mental health.” At King’s InterHigh, however, Joanne’s daughter found a space where she could process her education at her own pace and feel safe. “When we started, she was at her lowest mentally, with panic attacks that she’d never had before and were very frightening. Now, she’s the happiest and most confident she’s ever been.”
At King’s InterHigh, a pressure-free learning environment is prioritised and every student is listened to and encouraged to be their unique self. Lessons are 40 minutes long to help optimise concentration, and students are given access to lesson recordings, allowing them to revisit material at their own pace. From inclusive teaching plans to personalised learning pathways and extra academic support, every individual child’s needs are taken into account. This more supportive, individualised approach, enabled Joanne’s daughter to process information at her own pace, reducing the anxiety she once felt in a traditional classroom. She could choose how to communicate, whether verbally or through writing, and this flexibility allowed her confidence to grow.
For Helen, whose daughter first displayed signs of sensory issues and difficulties coping with school life around Year 3, attending in-person school was extremely challenging. “The mornings were awful in our household; she literally woke up with a scream because she just couldn’t face the day ahead,” Helen recalls. “When she came home, she couldn’t emotionally regulate. She was always exhausted and couldn’t access after-school clubs or see her friends because she was just very unhappy.”
When Helen’s daughter joined King’s InterHigh, she found a completely different environment where she could thrive without the overwhelming sensory pressures of a physical classroom. Helen describes her daughter’s transformation as almost immediate. “It was clear that this was the right path for her. Now she gets up in the morning, she’s bright, she’s chatty, she’s engaged, she’s looking forward to the day.”
When it comes to children with special educational needs (SEN) like Helen’s daughter, online schooling can provide a supportive environment they might not be able to access in traditional education. At King’s InterHigh, teachers are trained in supporting special educational needs and delivering inclusive education while a dedicated team of caring SEN experts collaborate with teachers to ensure learning is accessible to everyone. While the traditional classroom can be overwhelming due to sensory overload, rigid schedules, or the social complexities of physical schools, online schools like King’s InterHigh provide an alternative learning environment for students to reset, re-engage, and thrive.
To improve engagement and confidence, King’s InterHigh teachers use a mix of interactive tools like polls, quizzes, and multimedia content (including virtual reality) that brings lessons to life. Additionally, they apply visual learning aids such as mind maps and graphic organisers to aid knowledge retention, alongside strategies like breaking instructions into smaller, manageable tasks. These kinds of shifts, as well as being able to learn within the comfort of a safe, secure and comfortable home environment, can ease the pressure and give children the emotional space they need to enjoy learning.
A flexible, dial-up, dial-down structure
One of the biggest benefits of online schooling is its flexibility. At King’s InterHigh, timetables are created across multiple time zones (UK, Middle East, and Southeast Asia) and while students are always encouraged to join classes at their live times, anyone that needs more fluidity with their schedule can easily rewatch any class at a later date. This flexibility is key for a number of different students, especially those pursuing passions like sport or entertainment who want to balance their burgeoning career while keeping up their education.
Theresa, whose family is based in UAE, has found that King’s InterHigh has worked out really well for her son Alexander, who is an athlete. “His athletic program fits with the King’s InterHigh timetable because of the flexibility. In between having lessons, whether they’re recorded or live, he can go off and do what he really enjoys. And I find that that really motivates him,” she explains.
For another parent, Ellen, King’s InterHigh proved the perfect solution, when her daughter Elizabeth’s tennis training – which required extensive travel – started taking a toll on their family’s quality of life. “It’s just been fantastic,” she reveals. “It’s delivered the right solution that allows Elizabeth to really do well in her studies, as well as in her sport. The results have been better than we could ever have imagined.”
A more flexible program can also be vital for children with ongoing medical conditions who need to organise their lessons around attending necessary appointments. Online schooling can be a true lifeline when it comes to completing their education, making friends and feeling part of a community.
Greater consistency
Online schooling can also provide vital stability and continuity for families who travel a lot. With the rise of remote working, more families are moving abroad, travelling frequently or adopting more nomadic lifestyles, while the nature of some job roles require frequent relocation. Online schooling is an ideal set-up in this instance as it allows children to have a consistent British curriculum education, take key exams like GCSEs and A-levels and maintain a familiar school environment, wherever they live.
With plans to build a new home in Mexico and aspirations of travelling back and forth from the US, Sharmila found herself looking for a learning offering for daughter Corina and son Dante, that would fit in with their new family life. “We started thinking about schooling, and the house we’re building is in a small village,” explains Sharmila. “There aren’t good schools, and education is very important to us.” And while the family knew they wanted a base in Mexico, their family ties span as far as Spain. For that reason, among others, they knew they wanted to travel regularly. “But again, we didn’t want to affect the kids’ schooling.”
The family began a deep dive into schooling options. “My husband is the one who came up with online schooling,” says Sharmila, but she wasn’t fully convinced at first, thinking initially of the distance learning experience her children had during the pandemic. “But then we realised, okay, that was an enforcement of regular schools going online. But there might be online schools that are good.”
The right fit
The couple explored multiple virtual school options, but, when they found King’s InterHigh, they knew it was the right choice for a number of reasons, from expertise to community to curriculum. After reading parent reviews and watching YouTube interviews with students, Sharmila and her family decided to join. And, as she explains, it’s not just the flexibility that’s improved their lives – it’s the learning itself.
“I’m actually happier with the curriculum and what they’re learning now than what they were learning at their previous school,” she reveals. Of Corina, Sharmila says “She is extremely artistic, and she likes business too, so she’s pretty rounded and flexible.” With the broad and balanced curriculum of the IB Diploma Programme, Corina will be able to keep her options open for universities and careers all around the world. “When they get to those ages where they’re getting closer to preparing for college and all of that, I think it’s a great advantage.”
Also, since they are usually finished by 2:00 or 3:00pm, Sharmila’s children have plenty of time to pursue their passions. Dante loves karate and Corina enjoys aerial dance, and both love swimming.
For Sharmila, joining King’s InterHigh has also brought a positive change to the daily family dynamic. Since Corina and Dante have an early start to classes, Sharmila gets up with her children at the same time each morning so they can all work together. It’s her way of helping everyone stick to their routine, and she enjoys getting to see her children participating in live lessons and being able to support them by answering questions and discussing their work.
Ultimately, Sharmila suggests, it’s all about doing your research and finding the best education solution for your family. “If we open our minds to the different possibilities out there, you’re going to see that there are good options.”
To find out more about online schooling and whether King’s InterHigh might be the right choice for your family, visit Kings InterHigh