There’s a lot of concern currently about the provision of assistance for children with special needs or learning differences. Post-Covid, the numbers of children needing access to additional help in the classroom has increased substantially but local authorities have found that there just isn’t the available funding to support gifted and talented children.
For many years now, young people who could be considered, gifted, talented or more able have also found it impossible to have their needs or learning differences addressed in mainstream schools as authorities focus on improving outcomes for the less able, believing that the more able are more likely to be self-reliant or whose differences are easier to address in the mainstream classroom.
Parents and teachers of gifted and talented children and more able children rightly challenge this assumption, knowing from experience that it is often as difficult to provide a progressive and meaningful education within the standard classroom for more able students as it is for the less able. Difficulties include disruption caused by boredom and lack of challenge, bullying or isolation because they are ‘different’ and, at best, allowing such children to ‘coast’ meaning that their potential is often left unachieved.
For these reasons, we find that parents are now looking for alternative settings which will recognise the needs and the learning potential of their children and give them the education they need – and deserve.
The traditional option for gifted and talented and more able students has been to look at the private sector where smaller classes and often classes of higher ability children enable them to flourish. This avenue has been closed off to many parents because of the rising cost of school fees, exacerbated by the addition of VAT this year. So, what are the alternatives?
Some parents opt for private tutors outside of school in the subjects where their child excels. This carries a cost but also extends a school day for a child which could have been potentially draining because of the frustrations encountered during the school day.
Another option, which may have been unthinkable some years back, is to consider an online school. It could be asked how this might be different and, again, there is the cost element but, in addressing these questions, it’s possible to see that online education could be a viable alternative.
Whilst online schools vary in size and approach to learning, choosing a small online school which commits to small classes and a personalised online education, tailor made for the individual, allows the more able student to flourish. There’s also the flexibility of which class they enter. At Elea High Online School, we have students studying for their IGCSEs whilst taking courses in A level subjects where their ability and interest are ahead of their chronological age. Elsewhere, the ability of teachers to differentiate work more effectively in smaller classes and give more support to each student also improved the learning outcomes for all. Additionally, without the physical restriction of limited classrooms, online schools can often offer a wider and more varied curriculum.
Online schools are fee-paying but, because of their lower overhead costs, fees are often a fraction of those of a private school and are comparable to around five hours of private tuition a week.
If you’re considering online education as an alternative for your child, be sure to ask how the school will accommodate the educational needs of your child, how they will monitor their progress and how they will keep you informed.
