Muddy Stilettos

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Teens-boys-girls-multi-ethnic-smiling.jpg" alt="group of teens mixed ethnicity smiling at camera " class="wp-image-99800" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Teens-boys-girls-multi-ethnic-smiling.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Teens-boys-girls-multi-ethnic-smiling-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Teens-boys-girls-multi-ethnic-smiling-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



It&#8217;s been nearly 20 years since <a href="https://kingsinterhigh.co.uk/?utm_source=muddystilettos&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=kings-interhigh-2024" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">King&#8217;s InterHigh</a> launched as the first fully online school in the UK, aimed primarily at children who were struggling in a mainstream setting. What started as a niche offering became, during COVID and beyond, a more mass appeal model &#8211; not just for pupils suffering from anxiety, bullying or spectrum-related learning issues, but for families willing to see beyond a bricks-and-mortar education and attracted to King’s InterHigh’s creative and forwarding-thinking initiatives that are keeping it at the cutting edge of online education. If you&#8217;re looking for an online school, here are some of the latest King’s InterHigh innovations we think you&#8217;ll want to know about.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pastoral-care-has-been-turbo-charged">Pastoral care has been turbo-charged</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="844" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kings-InterHigh-2.jpeg" alt="kings interhigh girl working on computer " class="wp-image-99947" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kings-InterHigh-2.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kings-InterHigh-2-600x338.jpeg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kings-InterHigh-2-1000x563.jpeg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



If the pandemic taught us anything, it&#8217;s that the absolute foundation of a good online school is strong pastoral care. Though students join online schools for various reasons, from flexibility to subject variety, many children swap out of mainstream education due to unpleasant experiences. To ensure students have access to a strong support system, King’s InterHigh has full-time pastoral leaders, dedicated co-ordinators for each year group, a safeguarding team, including a Designated Safeguarding Lead who supports every student.



But the school has now ratcheted things up a further notch with the introduction of an Enhanced Services Hub to provide an extra layer of help for those students who are struggling – think small group Wellbeing courses across 10 weeks, one-to-one counselling as well as one-to-one wellbeing support plus practical help with anxiety management and social skills. There are even study skills sessions which parents can also attend to better support their children.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-edu-tech-is-mind-blowing">The edu-tech is mind-blowing</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="594" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/William-Blake-1.jpeg" alt="william blake drawn for computer and original portrait kings interhigh" class="wp-image-99792" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/William-Blake-1.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/William-Blake-1-600x238.jpeg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/William-Blake-1-1000x396.jpeg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



This is an area where experience (and investment) really tells. King’s InterHigh builds all its own VR content in-house, which means the teachers have exactly what they need to create engaging learning experiences.



Case in point is the English VR environment which has just been upgraded to include an AI-powered William Blake, so students can explore not only his poetry and artworks in the context of 18th century London, but they can actually ask him questions – not a type-and-wait chat GPT answer, but verbally. Then, William Blake also answers &#8216;in person&#8217; with an appropriate answer. 



Meanwhile around him, there are background characters doing their own thing, like the chimney sweep and the newspaper boy. It&#8217;s all part of this idea of active engagement rather than passive receiving of information, and of course, the kids are going wild for it. In other lessons, pupils can also interact with Churchill, Rosa Parks, Cleopatra and a host of other historical figures, which sounds like massive fun.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="879" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Winston-Churchill-1.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-99799" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Winston-Churchill-1.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Winston-Churchill-1-600x352.jpeg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Winston-Churchill-1-1000x586.jpeg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Also on the menu here and the next big thing in education is &#8216;Mixed reality&#8217; – a blending of real-world space with digital assets. So, for example, there&#8217;s a painting app used in art &nbsp;that allows pupils to paint on a virtual canvas with a real brush. The harder they push, the deeper the brush strokes, and they can even smudge the paint on the canvas by hand and, because it&#8217;s virtual, if they make a mistake, they can start again easily, allowing for maximum creativity.



VR is also being used much more as a social tool now – when pupils join the school, they&#8217;re assigned a &#8216;buddy&#8217; and meet up in the supervised VR space. Kids are inducted with a VR &#8216;walk through&#8217; the school, and there&#8217;s even a playground with a Friendship Bench for KS2 (7-11-year-olds), replicating the traditional school social experience as much a possible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extra-curricular-clubs-and-activities">Extra-curricular clubs and activities</h2>



One of the biggest perceived weaknesses of online schools is the lack of group activities away from studying; the clubs and societies that create friends, teach resilience and teamwork and broaden interests and minds. The truth is markedly different, with King’s InterHigh introducing over 175 extra-curricular (including 12 student-led groups) into its 2024-25 programme, a 26% increase on the previous year. The clubs range from the usuals of Mode United Nations and Fantasy Football to some pretty funky options, from Mobile Phone Photography, Typography and 3D to Poetry, E-Sports, Young Criminologists, Yoga Nidra and even Gardening.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-ultimate-irl-activity">The ultimate IRL activity</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="998" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Brecon-Beacons-Pen-y-Fan-mark-fairhurst-AXPMwA_fe5U-unsplash.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-99794" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Brecon-Beacons-Pen-y-Fan-mark-fairhurst-AXPMwA_fe5U-unsplash.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Brecon-Beacons-Pen-y-Fan-mark-fairhurst-AXPMwA_fe5U-unsplash-600x399.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Brecon-Beacons-Pen-y-Fan-mark-fairhurst-AXPMwA_fe5U-unsplash-1000x665.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Brecon Beacons</figcaption></figure>



Well, hello school trip! Whilst there are plenty of mirrored activities between bricks-and-mortar and online schools, including live lessons, tutor groups, assemblies and after-school clubs, physical days out or longer school trips have never been seen as central to the online school experience, and they’re clearly tougher to co-ordinate with students all around the world.



King’s InterHigh is bucking that trend with a schedule of IRL trips and meet-ups. This summer, the school ran its first big overseas trip for 30 students to Madagascar (tough gig, teachers!). For pupils based in the UK, there are geography field trips to the Brecon Beacons, so yes, your child can also experience the rite of passage of being drenched in Wales. 



IB pupils have been to Dubrovnik, and by the end of 2025, all children across all Key Stages will have a chance to attend &#8216;Bonding Days&#8217; with their peers. These ‘Bonding Days’ are carefully chosen to work for all pupils, including those with SEN needs. For instance, Key Stage 3 students recently spent the day at London Zoo on a bonding day.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gsce-a-levels-choices-abound">GSCE/A levels choices abound</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="844" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kings-InterHigh-1.jpeg" alt="kings interhigh science lab with pupils in it " class="wp-image-99946" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kings-InterHigh-1.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kings-InterHigh-1-600x338.jpeg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kings-InterHigh-1-1000x563.jpeg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Muddy reviews a lot of schools (600+ over the last year!) and the breadth of choice for GCSEs and A levels varies massively between settings, with some schools offering a surprisingly squeezed choice of traditional subjects. The opposite is happening at King’s InterHigh because as technology improves, so does the ability to teach a wider variety of subjects. King’s InterHigh now offers 25 GSCES and counting &#8211; including Arabic, Business, Film Studies, ICT, Economics and Psychology.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2560" height="1920" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ARTWORK-Kings-InterHigh-1-scaled.jpg" alt="watercolor paintings of skull with paints nearby" class="wp-image-99793" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ARTWORK-Kings-InterHigh-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ARTWORK-Kings-InterHigh-1-600x450.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ARTWORK-Kings-InterHigh-1-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ARTWORK-Kings-InterHigh-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ARTWORK-Kings-InterHigh-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">iGSCE art is now available via camera </figcaption></figure>



Also for the first time, iGSCE Art has been introduced this year to all pupils, an exciting development now possible because art teachers can use their cameras at home to see the development of students’ art pieces, check progress, and supervise the child for the exam itself. iGSCE music and drama are a little way off, but introducing the creative arts to the exam boards will be the next frontier for online schools. In the meantime, King’s InterHigh students can study for City &amp; Guilds accredited courses in some really exciting areas such as Drama &amp; Performance, Music in Culture &amp; Society International Relations, Computer Game Development, and Health and Wellbeing Management.



As for A levels, there are 22 subjects on offer, including Classical Civilisation, Media Studies and Law , and for IB students, Film Studies, Global Politics and German have been added to the mix. Importantly there&#8217;s never a question of not being able to do a subject because it doesn&#8217;t fit the schedule &#8211; the schedule fits firmly around your child and his or her loves, interests and personal situation. Other schools could learn a few lessons from that! 



<a href="https://kingsinterhigh.co.uk/?utm_source=muddystilettos&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=kings-interhigh-2024" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">King’s InterHigh</a>

Online schooling 2.0 has arrived!

You may also like