First College Online School

[Iamaworrywart]

Does anyone have knowledge or personal experience of this online school. I have recently started considering HE for my 13 yr old mildly dyslexic son. Any feedback gratefully received.

No, but my DD attends InterHigh online and is doing brilliantly there. I think these online schools are perfect for certain children. Her grades have improved massively since she left her normal secondary school.

I would opt for interhigh, my daughter goes there and the education they provide is fantastic.The classes are engaging, the software is easy to use.extra curricular clubs are really good.

Thanks for the feedback so far. I haven't ruled out InterHigh but thought the small size of First College and it's old fashioned approach may be better suited to my son. First College seemed to have a clear idea about how they work with dyslexics whereas InterHigh seemed a bit more general. Anybody else have any experience of either school?

Another one at interhigh.

They've been brill. My son doesn't have dyslecksia,(I do) his issues were somewhat different in that he is bilingual, we live in Italy and his English needed a lot of work. Particularly in writing.

I can't fault the support they have given him. The pastoral side has been excellent on top of the academic side. One teacher mentored him and he blossomed under that one to one gentle, postive supervision and accuntability. After a year and a bit his English is more than up to level. I'm blown away at how far he's come.

I can't think of a single bad thing to say about them.

Which is odd. Cos I spent most of my time when he was at Italian state school deeply unhappy and prone to finding fault almost as a reflex. I was beginning to think I was genetically incapable of getting on with a school.

Thanks CarpeVinum

I know that Inter high is a lot bigger than First College so maybe that's why all the feedback has related to this school. Your comments have helped reassure me and I will contact them tomorrow to discuss in more detail the support they can offer dyslexic students.

Hi BlackberrySeason

According to their website £2280 a year.

The kids can study for IGCSEs and A levels. But not GCSEs, cos of the coursework I think. Then you sort out an exam centre near where you live and enter as a private student. With any luck I've found a couple of centres in Italy so won't have to fly home for his IGCSEs.

I think if you live in the Uk, or have a UK bank account you can pay the school fees monthly by a direct debit. I'm not in the uk so pay termly, 760 three times a year in sterling I think.

I know that Inter high is a lot bigger than First College so maybe that's why all the feedback has related to this school

That is one of the reasons I went for Interhigh. There was at least one other online school in the market place when I first looked into the concept. It struggled I believe, got bought out and then ceased trading, or turned just into an exam centre, or something like that. I think perhaps because it limited itself in terms of ideology in a market that was expanding with alternative options. My son has had so much chopping and changing. I really wanted something that could most likely offer continuity right through to at least O levels. Academius (sp) was expensive and had a "faceless firm" feel to it. FC made me worry about their ability to hold their market share in the future with what came across as a somewhat anti "move with the technology" self limiting ideology and a rather amateur website design possibly being a turn off to many. (Same reason why I didn't put my son in Briteschool when he was below secondary school age, I felt uncomfortable handing over a large chunk of cash to a web based business that didn't seem to understand the basic principles of web design post the 90s).

And then there is Periplus, which I still don't really understand what they do. Are they a school or a tutor service ?

Before I had my son I was a teacher trainer for state school teachers regarding the use of technology in the English language classroom here in Italy. I have had a long term personal obsession interest in the online school market which is HUGE in America. I first got interested during my first blip with my son's mainstream education in 2006. Looking at the issues and trends over there, and given the lack of movement in the state system in the UK setting up their own online arm, "faceless firms" starting up and running online schools (with pure bottom line as the priority) is IMO the way the market could go over here in the future. So my main concern when picking was to find an education oriented, BUT "family run" school with a very strong chance of growing and holding its market share in the future.

So I picked Interhigh.

What I suggest you do is call both, and any other that has caught you eye. I didn't make my final decision until I had spoken over the phone to all potential options. The direct conversations I had with Interhigh pretty much sealed the deal for me. For all other considerations it has to "feel right on your skin", and that is quite an individual, not so quantifiable factor. I think a significant number of the parents who choose this option have been through the mill a bit with school, and what will make a large difference is how well the final choice relieves that former "oh fuckkity fuck, school hell" stress with a sense of being able to form a partnership with the school in warmly and positively working together to help your child achieve their potential ..... without squishing them in the process.

which makes me sound like an ageing hippy. Except I'm not. I am almost relentlessly conventional. But I'm am only just now getting over the emotional ramifications of a system that seemed not so much to see the need for partnership as much as it perceived school children and their parents, especially those whose needs did not fit a tight "normal" box, as a deeply unfortunate but necessary inconvenience.

Have pm'd you Iamaworrywart

My son is dyslexic/ASD and we went for Briteschool. It is much smaller than Interhigh, but it has a lovely, structured old fashioned feel to it's set up that really suits DS.

Critical thinking along the lines of my old public school is much encouraged rather than the modern spoon feed the little darlings approach that has become so prevalent.

He's only primary, but I have to say that I am seriously impressed with the quality of the teaching he's getting. The lessons are well structured & recorded, which DS finds incredibly useful as he can listen again to any concepts he's found hard to get his head around the first time, at his own pace. The class sizes are small, and not age dependent, so DS can slot into the group that matches his ability rather than his chronological year.

First College does not guarantee that qualified teacher status staff will be teaching your child, something I felt was important to me. Though I understand that free schools, academies and private schools generally don't have to stick to this. Briteschool only has QTS staff.However it has a very nurturing ethos, which I could see being of great value for any child needing a self-esteem boost as part of a bullying recovery programme.

Interhigh does offer much more on the social front, but I want my son to do his socialising mostly face to face at local clubs etc due to his ASD, so that wasn't a key criteria for me. The lesson replay facility is far more useful to us. Interhigh is also the one with the best LA relationships.

I agree so much with the above comments on going with the one that "feels right" in terms of your school/parental relationship. It's such a relief to no longer feel like a PITA when I need to ask a question, & have the teacher just pick up the phone for a chat to me as soon as there's an issue iykwim.

My choice is the best for my own DS, BUT I can see exactly why it wouldn't suit other children with different temperaments. Just like with brick schools, each online school has it's own ethos, and you want the one that feels like the best fit for your child as an individual. Do pick up the phone and chat to the schools before deciding whatever you do.

It's such a relief to no longer feel like a PITA when I need to ask a question, & have the teacher just pick up the phone for a chat to me as soon as there's an issue iykwim.

Amen to that.