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Article April 6, 2022

5 ways online homeschool supports your child through their exams

By King's InterHigh

Taking on home education as a parent is comparable to becoming a superhero of knowledge. On top of all the other things parents need to do to keep a household running, they are now responsible for planning and delivering their child’s education – which normally takes a whole team of teachers to achieve. Thankfully, the homeschooling community is vast, and parents can rely on local or online groups for support.

Parents who are looking for help beyond this also have the option to use virtual schools, such as King’s InterHigh, to boost their existing home education framework.

Expert teaching support from qualified subject specialists

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Some people love history, culture, and the arts. Others enjoy problem solving and have a knack for mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Parents who home educate need to spend time learning a variety of subjects – possibly including the ones they struggle with themselves – before planning the lessons to teach their child.

A virtual school can give students access to qualified subject specialists, taking the pressure of teaching complex or unfavourable topics away from their parents. If a child has a question that a parent is unsure of, it can be noted down to ask in the next live lesson. The flexible online support provided by a virtual school can give home educating families the peace of mind that tricky subjects are being taught correctly, and students can receive accurate responses to difficult questions.

Insight from teachers on how to follow exam specifications

In the lead up to exams, it is normal for students to feel anxious. After all, taking tests is stressful no matter what age you are, and for students who have been home educated, these feelings can be difficult to manage.

Having online homeschooling support gives reassurance to parents and students that they have covered the right topics. Each subject has its nuances and exam boards often cover the same types of questions. Although it’s possible to look up past papers online, an experienced teacher can provide highly valuable insight into common mistakes, and what examiners are looking for out of each question.

The additional support from subject specialists can give parents and pupils additional peace of mind – replacing some of that worry with a feeling of confidence. This helps to give a home educated student the best possible chance at achieving higher grades.

Access to state-of-the-art study resources

We live in a digital age where younger generations have grown up using advanced technology. They already store their photos in the cloud, chat through mobile apps and learn new skills by watching YouTube, so thriving in an online learning environment just comes naturally to today’s students.

A good virtual school such as King’s InterHigh provides real-time education to students, delivered through a cutting-edge online platform. Better yet is the fact that we have a team of specialist content designers who work with the teachers to produce graphics and videos to help students grasp complex subjects with ease.

Without a digital learning environment, exam preparation can be a daunting and manual task. At a good virtual school, you have access to study materials and a library of past lesson recordings, making it easy for students to identify the areas they are weak in, re-watch past lessons and browse learning materials.

Having access to such powerful digital assets eliminates the stress of knowing where to begin and allows students to focus on their learning.

Online homeschooling provides additional wellbeing support

Home educating your child is a heroic feat that comes with so many advantages for both parent and child. It is, however, important to remember that as children get older and reach their teenage years, they can become less and less likely to share all their feelings with their parents. Many of us will experience issues with our wellbeing throughout life, and young learners are no different. Unfortunately, feelings of anxiety or depression are all too easy to bury and hide, and for this reason, schools in the UK must provide a range of pastoral and wellbeing support services for students.

A good virtual school will not only have academic support for their students, but they will also have teams who cover pastoral support and look out for the wellbeing of each child. At King’s InterHigh, parents often welcome the additional support we provide for children who are struggling with their wellbeing, because a happy student has the best possible chance at being able to focus on their exams and achieve high grades.

Students can thrive in a community of other learners

One of the biggest challenges that home educating families will face is how to ensure their child develops social skills and forms a strong network of friends. In a traditional learning environment, a student will take lessons with groups of others the same age, and they all take breaks and lunch at the same time, presenting so many opportunities for children to form bonds, make friends and play games outside of learning time.

Many home educating families use sports or activity clubs to help their children form important friendship circles, but sometimes, children can still feel a little cut off if children there already know each other from school. Being a part of an online community at a virtual school also gives children a network of friends that they can talk to both in class, and outside of school. Students with close friends who study the same subjects can work together to develop their understanding of tricky topics and encourage each other along to do well in their exams.

At King’s InterHigh, many of our students meet up outside of lessons both online and in person. We also hold regular events which give children the opportunity to meet their classmates in person. Although it’s not quite the same amount of face to face contact that students would get in a traditional bricks and mortar school, the combination of online connectivity and in-person activities can go a long way to making them feel they aren’t missing out.

By King's InterHigh

King’s InterHigh is an independent British international online school. Offering Primary, Secondary and Sixth Form education, we cater to students from age 7 – 18 who are looking for a high quality British education delivered in a way that revolves around their lifestyle.

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