Best online school for G&T 12 year old who is very self-directed

[superninny101]

My DC12 who is extremely gifted also has ASD, possible PDA and is on the cusp of school refusal. I cannot see another local school (or even not that local!) that could meet his needs as his ability in some areas like maths is so high (university level). However, this is complicated by the fact that he needs to be self-directed unless he has a particularly inspiring teacher.

I am now thinking our only option is home learning (which is not ideal) for our family. I know there are various schools out there but wonder if anyone has had any success with a particular one with a child with a similar profile?

I don't know how old your son is but I do know there are GCSE and A level courses you can study online. You have to find a centre to do the exam though. Many independent schools will allow external students to go in to sit exams for a fee.

Brilliant is good for self-directed learning in Stem subjects. We used it during lockdown.

What would not be ideal about home learning? What's your annual budget for tuition?

Thanks for the replies. The reason things are not ideal is that I have a disability which means I need to rest in the day as much as possible so I can function before and after school. However, I will absolutely home school if necessary. I am currently just trying to find out if there was a good online platform we could use which would be able to meet their needs for very advanced learning and which could also be self directed.

Kings Interhigh is one, I don’t know how good.

Can he attend clubs and things to keep some social interaction going?

I have found Wolsey Hall quite good with my kids with similar needs.

It is more paper based and no online lessons which I think suit potential PDA profiles better as it's much more self directed. It's also cheaper than some of the alternative online classroom set ups.

As others have said you will be responsible for funding and organising GCSE arrangements.

We used kings interhigh for 18months. They are happy to work with families and will have kids working in a higher ages class if they are better suited. They do have online lessons but then it is self directed study after that.

Thanks everyone, we have just signed up for Brilliant and that's good to hear about Interhigh and Wolsey Hall. We have an EHCP and I will need to have the battle to move to EOTAS...

Both my kids have had/ have Wolsey hall as part of an EOTAS package.

My DS did GCSEs through EOTAS and decided to go to 6th form for A Levels and has thrived, he's got ASD and a PDA profile.

He is now applying to Oxford for his chosen subject he has done so well in his 6th form.

My DD now is doing GCSE's through an EOTAS.

If you can get EOTAS your LA should fund / organise your DC's GCSEs but they will take a lot of time. Bear in mind they don't need 9 GCSEs. DS only did 6 which was the requirement for his local 6th form and it is not causing issues for university applications.

Good luck. What I found helped was getting OT/ EP reports that said that main stream school was not suitable. For my eldest he was completely refusing and self harming so that was not difficult.

My youngest was not eating and non -verbal at school yet completely verbal away from school environment. It's not easy to get them to agree it but with the right evidence it is very possible.

I know that my LA also fund something called Nisai learning which is similar to Kings Interhigh which is more suitable from those who prefer directed learning that an online classroom gives.

lifeturnsonadime that's really great to hear. I need to start making plans. Can I ask if your DC did other things like tutoring, home schooling groups etc. or just Wolsey Hall? Unfortunately my DC is (newly) tricky about joining in groups or anything social as he just wants to pursue his special interests (which are all academic) for hours and hours a day.

Minerva's Virtual Academy is another online provider.

No he resisted any groups , I was worried about this but you can’t force someone to do something they can’t .

He has found his tribe at 6th form and even has a girlfriend.

A lot of my DSs demand avoidance was anxiety driven which was precipitated by the unsuitable environment of mainstream school. With that removed , over time, he has wanted to engage more. But he’ll never be a party animal which is ok.

lifeturnsonadime thanks for sharing that. I can actually see my DC thriving at 6th form and even more so at university. He was actually very sociable before this year.

My son was also very sociable until he couldn’t be anymore. It was such a shock. Lots of people doubted the autism diagnosis as a result. Our DSs sound similar. You are doing the right thing .

@superninny101 what did you decide in the end? looking a wolsey hall for DD 13, would love to have recent feedback.