With a population of over 750,000, Sheffield is known for its rich culture, dynamic art, beautiful landscapes, museums, theatres, and impressive industrial growth. Located in South Yorkshire, England, the city is home to thousands of committed, dedicated, hardworking, and motivated students.
Sheffield has always enjoyed a robust conventional schooling structure. However, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a temporary shift towards online learning.
As we recover from the pandemic, we’re noticing an increasing interest in virtual schooling. While parents have the option of sending their children back to conventional school in Sheffield, many of them are continuing with the online or hybrid schooling model.
Why should both parents and students welcome this transition? What are its benefits for students living in Sheffield? In this blog, we’ll dig deeper. If you have any questions, feel free to comment your thoughts below. You can also drop your questions with our chatbot. Let’s begin!
1. Effective Learning Process and Pace
Conventional schooling is marked by its fast-paced nature and lack of flexibility. Students shuffle in and out of classes, attend protracted lessons, and return home feeling tired, overwhelmed, and burnt out.
Most conventional schools follow this style and pace. It affects temporary academic growth, but it also has repercussions on student academic progression in the long run. Pupils attend poor grades and become weak learners over time. Their skill development journey is also affected.
In comparison to conventional schooling, online schooling takes a complete 180-degree turn. Students attend well-structured, well-paced, and meticulously delivered online classes from home. The lessons are balanced.
At Cambridge Home School Online, we use this approach to ensure that our students aren’t bombarded with knowledge they cannot absorb and retain. We assiduously plan our lessons, ensuring that all the ground that’s covered is cemented.
As an experienced institution with over 20 years of experience, we have a team of MA/MSc/PhD qualified subject specialist teachers on board for students living in Sheffield. Our teachers use advanced audio-visual technology, an independent curriculum, and the student-centric teaching model to deliver excellent lessons that prompt increased class engagement and interactivity.
According to our education specialist, “The online schooling system is generally well-built for students. They reap the benefits of a flexible system that doesn’t gradually tire them out over the course of the day. We’ve noticed that students learn better when taught balanced lessons in smaller classrooms.
At CHS Online, we keep our student-teacher ratio as low as possible (8–10 students per group). When combined with well-structured lessons, this approach helps students have a more enriching learning experience.”
Today, most conventional schools teach between 20 and 30 (sometimes even up to 35) students in a single classroom. This approach is flawed as there are simply too many students in the classroom. Teachers fail to provide one-on-one attention to every student, which affects how well they learn. Since online learning breaks away from this mould, it achieves better learning outcomes.
2. Academic Growth
Whether you’re a student interested in online schooling or a parent deciding whether online learning is right for their child, you should have one clear focus: academic growth. If students don’t secure better grades by switching from one system to another, it goes without saying that the transition wasn’t right for them.
The online schooling system is recognised for its strong focus on academic growth. At CHS Online, we check off a lot of boxes. In the previous section, we touched upon our independent curriculum. We’ll dig deeper in this section. Effective schooling is largely contingent on using a balanced, well-rounded, interdisciplinary, and assiduously customised curriculum. As an institution, we believe that the national curriculum is too prescriptive for students living in Sheffield.
Today, academic competition is particularly high across the UK. If students aren’t given an academic edge, they may fail to perform as well as their peers. We make sure this doesn’t happen. Most online schools utilise an independent curriculum. At CHS Online, our education specialists have developed a robust, balanced, and effective curriculum that covers greater educational breadth and depth. As a result, students cover more ground, develop more nuanced insights, and build a stronger foundation leading up to their examinations.
We use an independent curriculum across every academic stage, especially the two latter stages. As a quick refresher, we offer four competitive homeschooling programs at CHS Online: Primary Prep/Key Stage 2 (ages 7 to 10), Lower School/Key Stage 3 (ages 11 to 13), Upper School/IGCSEs (ages 14 to 16), and Sixth Form/AS & A-Levels (ages 17 to 19). We combine our independent curriculum with the national curriculum during the first two stages. However, we use our own curriculum with no additions for the IGCSE and A Level academic stages.
This approach is combined with access to a vast online library of educational resources. Students can access recorded catch-up lessons, videos, presentations, past papers, teacher guides, worksheets, and a wide range of other tools that help them learn more effectively. By providing catch-up lessons, we ensure that every student can revisit what they’ve learned and review it.
Activating the memory is essential. No matter how rigorous your classes may be, you’ll fail to retain knowledge if you don’t revise your lessons for the day. Our catch-up lessons help students get a refresher after school. They can also consult this invaluable resource when they revise for their examinations.
We believe that excellent teaching support isn’t just important, it’s imperative. However, it must be combined with top-tier resources and a well-planned curriculum. Online schooling helps students reap the benefit of both of these add-ons. The outcome is clear: impressive academic growth.
At CHS Online, our students have achieved high levels of academic success in Sheffield over the years. Let’s take a look at the previous year in numbers. In June 2021, 86% of our IGCSE students secured A*s and As in their target subjects. 83% of our A Level students secured two As and a B or higher, as requested by top universities.
Moreover, all students who applied received offers from some of the best universities across the globe, including Oxford, Cambridge, London School of Economics, King’s College, Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Berkeley, and Caltech, among others. When the right online schooling model is utilised, it significantly boosts academic performance. We couldn’t be more proud of our students.
3. Personal and Social Growth
Parents often believe that effective schooling is all about academic growth. This is partly true. Yes, effective schooling is contingent on academic success. However, that’s not all. A good schooling experience focuses on three key aspects: academic, personal, and social growth. Some institutions add two more facets to the mix: moral and ethical growth. However, the first three are necessary, no questions asked.
Conventional schools often put all their eggs in one basket: the academic growth basket. This backfires. As human beings, we enjoy various activities, hobbies, interests, excursions, and explorations. You may enjoy science lessons, playing the piano, challenging your friends to a gruelling night of Scrabble, watching anime, and listening to indie music. These interests are varied. They’re not just restricted to academic growth; they also take other types of growth (personal and social) into account.
Maintaining this balance is extremely important. By strictly focusing on academic growth, most conventional schools bring students to the brink of burnout. Strict academic growth stifles student creativity and artistic expression. Think about it. When students are encouraged to focus on academics and academics alone, they feel discontent owing to the lack of personal and social enrichment. The online schooling model achieves a good balance.
We plan a range of fun, engaging, and skill-building activities for students. Moreover, we encourage our students to play their favourite sports, socialise with their friends, develop new hobbies and interests, and develop creatively. While we check “academic growth” off the list, we also double down on other types of growth to help our students become happy, confident, and fulfilled learners.
Our students continually impress us by playing competitive tennis, participating in the national Spelling Bee, and achieving other impressive feats. Conventional schooling leaves little room for extracurricular growth. This gap is filled by virtual learning.
4. Skill Development
As highlighted before, skill development is crucial for students of all ages. At CHS Online, our MA/MSc/PhD qualified subject specialist teachers build a range of soft and hard skills in students, including:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Critical Thinking
- Time Management
- Creativity
- Public Speaking
- Empathy
- Adaptability
These are just a handful of essential skills we develop in our students, enabling them to achieve higher levels of success and enjoy excellent academic progression. Our students also enjoy successful careers as we equip with them a range of essential professional skills.
5. Improved Student Mental Health
Student mental health isn’t just important, it’s imperative. Today, students face a range of problems, many of which go unaddressed by their teachers. Stress, anxiety, and burnout are three of the most common warning signs among students of all ages, not just older pupils.
At CHS Online, we provide one-on-one coaching and pastoral support to every student. We provide a safe space to students, enabling them to discuss their concerns openly and honestly without hesitation. By providing the support and guidance students need, our school counsellors help them stay on track.
According to our education specialist, “If students feel burdened by their studies or any other personal/social problem, there’s a high chance that they’ll hide it. Teachers shoulder the responsibility of understanding whether a student is facing any difficulties: academic, personal, or social.
However, teachers must also not be intrusive. This is a very tricky balance to achieve, one that we have proudly mastered at CHS Online.
Our teachers and counsellors are provided extensive training on how to coach, motivate, and empower students. We assiduously understand each student’s unique journey and guide them accordingly. This helps them progress exceptionally well in school and other facets of their life.”
Should I Make the Switch to Cambridge Home School Online?
If you live in Sheffield, switching to online schooling is a great way to prioritise your academic, personal, and social growth. At CHS Online, we provide a quality British online education to students living across the UK, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds, and Newcastle, among other cities, towns, and villages.
Our school is also open to students living in Europe (including Western Russia), Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. If you’re interested in switching to online learning in Sheffield, explore the following pages to get started:
- Admissions Process
- Term Dates
- Application Form
- Scholarships & Bursaries
- Grades & Fees
- Online Reviews
Please note that we have a limited number of places available. As one of the most prestigious Online British schools in Sheffield, CHS Online receives thousands of applications from British students every year. As a result, we accept a limited number of students from each country. Maximise your chances of enrolment by submitting an early application. If you have any questions, please leave your message with our chatbot. We’ll get back to you shortly.
In addition to providing a full and balanced curriculum of live lessons, we also provide academic booster classes. These are planned during the holidays. We build a strong foundation during the summer vacation.
Not only do our students get a chance to learn, but they also have a lot of fun! Whether you’re interested in consistent online schooling or temporary summer sessions, reach out to our team. We’re always happy to answer your questions and help you make the right decision.
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FAQ
What sets online schooling apart from conventional schooling in Sheffield?
Online schooling provides a more flexible, well-paced, and student-centric approach than conventional schooling. Students benefit from low student-teacher ratios, enabling them to receive more individual attention. Moreover, it allows students to learn at their own pace, reducing the risk of academic burnout and long-term negative repercussions on academic progression.
How does online schooling contribute to academic growth?
Online schooling systems like Cambridge Home School Online focus intensively on academic growth. They use a balanced, interdisciplinary, and customised curriculum designed to give students an academic edge. The focus is not only on covering educational breadth but also depth, which ultimately boosts student performance in examinations.
Does online schooling offer more than just academic growth?
Yes, online schooling focuses on a holistic development model that includes personal and social growth in addition to academics. Schools like CHS Online plan a variety of extracurricular activities and encourage students to develop new hobbies, play sports, and socialise, aiming to produce well-rounded individuals.
What skills can students expect to develop through online schooling?
Students can develop a wide range of both soft and hard skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, time management, creativity, public speaking, empathy, and adaptability. These skills are built by subject specialist teachers and are aimed at ensuring the students’ long-term success both academically and professionally.
Is there support for student mental health in online schooling?
Yes, online schools like CHS Online offer one-on-one coaching and pastoral support to students. They provide a safe space for students to openly discuss any academic, personal, or social concerns they may have. This tailored approach helps in addressing issues like stress, anxiety, and burnout, ensuring better mental health for students.