Meet Ade, the young footballer doing his A-Levels between training sessions

Unlike most of his teammates, Ade is one of the few players on Bromley’s Under 18 squad taking on A-Levels alongside his football dreams. And with King’s InterHigh, his education and his sporting career don’t have to be competing priorities.

We caught up with Ade to find out how he’s giving his all to both his sport and his studies with online learning.

From kickabouts to club football

Ade’s love for football started in the same way as most, kicking a ball around for fun around the age of six. But as he got older and started following players like Neymar and Ronaldo, his love for the game grew into an even bigger passion.

“I really wanted to take football seriously,” Ade says, and he was quick to put those words into practice. Over the years, he progressed from local clubs to trials at top academies. Some were successful, and in others he was less lucky, but every opportunity was a chance to take his skills to another level.

Then came one of his biggest breaks so far, when Ade signed with EFL League One team Bromley FC last September! Of course, for many young athletes, major moments like these can also come with their own challenges. It’s not easy to fit a professional youth football career alongside a full-time, mainstream education without sacrifices, and that’s something Ade knows well.  Just two years ago, his GCSE revision and training schedule were constantly pulling in opposite directions.

Thankfully, when Ade found our flexible, high-quality online learning at King’s InterHigh, he found a way to put his all into football without giving up on his academic goals.

A school day built around training

Now, the difference between Ade’s old routine and his new schedule is striking. With our 24/7 library of lesson recordings, students can catch up with missed classes at any time, but Ade gets to start his week by joining his first lesson live alongside his classmates. A typical Monday might start with a teacher-led, interactive online lesson at 9:00 am, with no time wasted on a morning commute.

Then, he has just enough time to make the journey to Bromley for his 10:00 am training. And if he misses the start of his next class because of practice or gym sessions, there’s no problem. He just joins the lesson live as soon as he can, then goes back to watch the full recording to catch anything he missed out on so he never loses a single minute of important content.

“Luckily at Bromley, they have classrooms upstairs where I can just sit down and get my work done,” Ade explains. Between our flexible live timetable, lesson recordings, and numerous extra resources available through his Student Hub, Ade can prioritise his studies at a time when it matters most, all around a training schedule that keeps him busy almost every day of the week. And since he can take his learning wherever he goes, from his football club to matches around the country, he always gets to put his head down and focus at the times that suit him best.

Keeping up with A-Level success

In mainstream school, missing lessons typically means falling behind, and taking time off for competitions can be stressful when you’re approaching crucial exams. With online, Ade’s schoolwork can always fit around football, whether he’s training at the club or competing in a match.

But flexibility hasn’t been the only benefit of King’s InterHigh. While most of Ade’s teammates are studying BTEC qualifications (which can often be managed more flexibly around a full training schedule), he was set on studying A-Levels even if that meant a more demanding workload. That’s why over the past two years, our quality teaching and personalised support have also been so invaluable to his studies.

When asked about his sixth form highlights, Ade had plenty of answers, from getting great grades in his mock exams to being able to revisit content whenever he needs to. “If I don’t understand something, I can watch the lesson again or go through the resources until I’ve got it,” he explains. “I really enjoy that because it makes learning so much easier.” During sixth form, when knowledge and understanding make all the difference to a student’s final exam grades, it’s no surprise our learners love the ability to revisit their teachers’ explanations as many times as they need to and master topics at their own pace.

As for his favourite subject, he loves A-Level Sociology lessons, describing his teacher as “really friendly.” He takes time to check in with the class before each lesson starts, and gets everyone engaged with the material. “He makes it very interactive and fun,” says Ade, “which makes the whole class get together to ‘compete’ as well as learn at the same time.”

Whether in or out of lessons, we’re proud that our students come together as a community, and another thing Ade loves about learning with King’s InterHigh is how supported he feels by his teachers and classmates alike. “Even when I join lessons late, they welcome me in,” he says. Plus, they’re always there to cheer on his success. Last December, for example, when Bromley played Sheffield Wednesday, his entire online class got behind him, promising to watch the match themselves.

Unlike most traditional schools, where students pursuing a passion outside of school often feel different or separated from their classmates, our online school community is home to numerous young athletes, actors, and professionals who know journeys like Ade’s well.

Looking ahead to the Premier League

With training every day except Wednesday alongside gym sessions and other physical activity, Ade’s current schedule is intense, but his football club has welcomed him with open arms from the start.

“We had a really good group this year,” says Ade. “Everyone gets on with each other. Everyone around is very welcoming and very nice.” When he gets the chance to train and play alongside his seniors at the quad, he notes, “they are very patient. They really give you the opportunity to showcase yourself.”

Ade has a wealth of talent to showcase, and his goals for the future are high, with his sights set on the Premier League one day. “It’s the best league, so that’s what everyone aspires to get to,” says Ade, but he’s serious about working his way up the ranks with hard work — “You’ve got to take it step by step.”

In the meantime, he’s busy sitting his final exams, ready to prove that following his dreams doesn’t have to mean he can’t succeed in his studies. In fact, when asked what he’d tell other young athletes in the same position, Ade’s answer was direct: “Don’t write off your education. Try your best, motivate yourself to get the grades you need as well as doing well in whatever sport you play.”

And when it comes to succeeding in football, Ade’s recommendation is to remember, “You’re never the ‘best’.” A big believer in constant, incremental improvement, he adds, “There’s always stuff you can improve on, that one percent. Even if it’s going for runs or doing more shooting practice, you can always do that little bit more.”