How does an online school work? Your questions, answered

With traditional schooling not suiting every style of learning, more parents are turning to online education as a flexible alternative. At InterHigh, we want to make the shift to online education as smooth as possible. Read below for an insight into learning with InterHigh, and answers to your online education questions.

What is online school?

Online schooling with InterHigh includes a completely interactive Primary School, Secondary School and Sixth Form College. Using our specialised online learning platform, InterHigh is accessible to learners wherever they are in the world. We provide students with everything they would expect from a traditional schooling environment, plus a whole lot more.

InterHigh learners have complete autonomy over their learning, as well as their school interactions. Our full British curriculum is delivered by expert teaching professionals via highly engaging real-time lessons. Students log into their live lessons each day, following a structured timetable that will be issued upon registering with us. This timetable will depend on the core/additional subjects they have chosen, and there will be planned gaps within the timetable to be used as an opportunity to do homework, look over previous lessons, and for breaks throughout the day. Our school day runs between 9am and 4.20pm Monday to Thursday, and between 9am and 1pm on a Friday.

If a child has to miss a lesson, parents are able to authorise their child’s absence using the parent portal, and students can easily catch up on work by using the lesson recordings and associated lesson resources.

The effectiveness and flexibility of InterHigh also gives young learners time. Our students are only ‘in school’ for three to four hours a day, providing them with an unrivalled opportunity to pursue their personal interests, hobbies, pastimes and goals.

InterHigh is as individual as the pupils who learn with us.

How can I be sure my child is receiving an exceptional education?

At InterHigh, you can rest assured that your child will receive an excellent education with our extensive British curriculum. Delivered by high-quality, enthusiastic and experienced teaching professionals, InterHigh learners are provided with engaging lessons that keep them motivated.

For InterHigh Juniors, the priority is to ensure these young learners are receiving top quality education, whilst equipping them to thrive in the long run and foster inquisitive and engaged learners.

At secondary school level, InterHigh adhere to the National English curriculum for our KS3 and KS4 students studying the core IGCSE subjects. Following the exam board Edexcel, our pedagogical approach emphasises the development of independent study skills and promotes further enquiry, whilst studying towards their IGCSE qualifications.

For Sixth Form learners, the transition to university can be a particularly daunting process. However, our dedicated team of teaching professionals are available to help every step of the way, providing guidance for personal statements and everything else they need to submit a strong UCAS and Oxbridge application.

Will my son/daughter miss out on socialising with peers if they are taught online?

We find that InterHigh learners develop a real peer community on the online learning platform, developing friendships with fellow learners from all over the world. Students are able to easily liaise with one another, as well as work together on group tasks assigned by their teacher.

On Friday afternoons, the virtual common room is open to the whole school, where many extra-curricular activities take place. These include guest speakers, rehearsals, public performances, parties, demonstrations, competitions, games, hobbies, fundraising, careers advice and more!

InterHigh actively encourages learners to engage socially both online and in person, holding regular school trips throughout the year as well as the Summer Party. Our annual events are fantastic opportunities for pupils to meet and socialise with one another whilst sharing the experiences of the trip. Families travel from across the UK and all over the world to meet up and spend time together.

My son/daughter has health struggles and requires tailored attention. Is this something he/she will receive with online learning or will they be left behind?

One of the many benefits of learning with InterHigh is the way it allows teachers to deliver tailored education to all learners. Traditional classrooms can be unpredictable in their nature, causing teachers to become easily distracted by misbehaving students and unable to teach all learners equally, which isn’t the case with online classrooms. In this mainstream school setting, students who miss lessons due to hospital or doctor’s appointments may also find it difficult to catch-up, causing them to fall behind.

With the interactive setting of InterHigh, teachers can give learners the tailored attention they need to reach their full potential. Every lesson is recorded and stored in the lesson archive, enabling them to catch-up at any point. Plus, students are able to privately message their teacher at any time during or after lessons with queries, getting their questions answered without the fear of feeling embarrassed in front of their peers.

How do I track my child’s progress?

InterHigh makes it easy for parents to be involved with their child’s progress. Parents have their own login to the online learning portal, with constant access to information about their son or daughter’s progress, feedback and homework assignments.

This information is also supplemented by frequent written feedback from all their teachers.

My son/daughter might not always be able to attend timetabled lessons. How will they catch up?

InterHigh adopt a flexible approach to learning. As all lessons are recorded, learners who are unable to attend timetabled live lessons can easily catch up using our online lesson archive, accessible 24/7.

Plus, if they have any questions, they can simply email teachers directly from their school email account.

How many lessons are there a week?

Depending on how many subjects are studied, lessons are generally two hours a week per subject i.e. three 40-minute lessons. So, if a learner is studying seven subjects, this would typically cover 4/5 lessons a day, including a tutor group and an optional exercise class.

Pupils are taught using a two-prong format: each subject has a Lead Lesson and two Follow Lessons. For more information on Lead and Follow lessons, see below.

How many students are taught per lesson?

Each week, teachers deliver a subject Lead Lesson to the year group (except for KS2 and year 12), which is generally a presentation of key learning objectives for the week. This larger learning environment prepares students for higher education, comparable to a University lecture hall.

After this initial 40-minute Lead Lesson, students have two Follow Lessons of 40-minutes each, which are taught in class sizes of up to 20 students. These Follow Lessons are where teachers and students explore the previously discussed learning objectives from the initial Lead lesson in more detail, really honing in on the week’s content.

All InterHigh lessons are enhanced with engaging resources, in which pupils can sometimes work in designated pairs or groups. Teachers constantly monitor pupils’ interaction, responding to general questions or privately to individual queries.

Do I need specific software for online learning?

Students will require Microsoft Word and PowerPoint to learn with InterHigh, as well as essential textbooks for KS3, KS4 and KS5. Once learners have enrolled with us, a full booklist will become available to each parent via their Parent Portal.

Can I see a sample timetable?

If you would like to request a sample timetable for specific Key Stages, email us at enquiries@kingsinterhigh.co.uk with your request.

How long is an InterHigh term?

An InterHigh term is the same as standard independent school academic terms, which is usually around 12 weeks. We closely follow the independent school calendar of 35 weeks, although some half-term breaks can be different.

Click here for more information about InterHigh terms.

Are InterHigh qualifications recognised by universities and employers?

Our core offering of IGCSE courses and A level subjects contain embedded transferable skills, promote self-directed study and are widely accepted and sought-after by colleges, universities and employers all over the world.

Plus, the experienced and highly qualified staff at InterHigh are on hand to guide learners through their personal statements, as well as everything else they’ll need to submit a strong UCAS and Oxbridge application.

Do we have to wait until the end of the year to register with InterHigh?

Not at all! We accept enrolment throughout the academic year. Although if in Year 11, 12 or 13, we would recommend joining before October half term.

To register with InterHigh, click here.