As an independent school, we also offer an independent curriculum

At Cambridge Home School Online, we believe that an excellent curriculum plays a big role in helping students succeed. Unfortunately, the national curriculum for England fails to help students develop an academic edge. It’s deemed too prescriptive by Cambridge Home School Online’s education specialists and other top independent schools across the globe. The national curriculum is also subject to political turbulence, making it unsuitable for students who wish to secure top grades consistently.

At Cambridge Home School Online, we’re committed to helping students progress exceptionally well from one academic stage to another. This can only be made possible when students are taught a broad, balanced, and well-rounded curriculum. Since our inception in 2002, we’ve been adjusting our curriculum every year. Today, we offer a well-rounded, independent, and interdisciplinary curriculum that maintains:

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1. Curricular Breadth

Covering more topics and subtopics to help students develop a nuanced understanding of their respective subjects. Instead of targeting a handful of areas superficially, we cover more ground laterally. As a result, students reap the benefits of receiving a comprehensive, balanced education.

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2. Curricular Depth

We cover each topic and subtopic in greater detail, helping students develop mastery over their subjects. This is a longitudinal approach. Students take a deeper dive into each aspect of their curriculum, thereby gaining deeper knowledge. Their concepts are cleared, and knowledge capacity is increased.

 

Our curriculum retains the best aspects of the national curriculum and introduces new elements to help students succeed. There is greater fidelity to the national curriculum at Primary Prep (Key Stage 2) than at Key Stage 3. The national curriculum is retained minimally as we move towards more advanced stages. Key Stage 4 and 5 have very little influence of the national curriculum because we have a stronger focus on helping students secure excellent grades. As discussed earlier, we believe that this cannot happen without covering curricular breadth and depth. Therefore, Cambridge Home School Online’s independent curricular changes are more prominent in the advanced academic stages.

 

Continue reading for a closer look at the basic trajectory of our curriculum across different academic stages. You can explore the links provided with each stage for a nuanced understanding of the specific details.

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Key Stage 2 Ages 7 to 10

Young students are in an active learning and developing stage. They also have a shorter attention span than older students, which warrants an engaging, stimulating, and retentive approach to learning. We believe that a well-structured curriculum is imperative at this stage of a child’s development. We largely follow the national curriculum for England, which offers the essential structure and content young students require. However, a few alterations are made to help students develop a greater interest in their lessons and absorb more knowledge. This balance helps our students remain engrossed in their lessons through and through. They develop a strong academic foundation, vital for more advanced learning in the upcoming stages. We also build a range of essential soft skills in young students, including communication, collaboration, respect, honesty, creativity, and critical thinking.

Key Stage 3 Ages 11 to 13

As students enter Key Stage 3, they require a significantly more rigorous approach to learning. We systematically build on the foundation that was created in the earlier stage. Students become more confident in their knowledge and skills. They learn new concepts and begin to develop a mastery over their subjects. At this stage, the influence of the national curriculum of England starts waning. Cambridge Home School Online’s independent curriculum is given precedence to help students enjoy a focused, comprehensive, and retentive online learning experience. We combine a well-balanced curriculum with access to a vast online library of educational resources to further enhance the learning experience both inside and outside of the classroom. Our students become curious, critical, and sharp learners.

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An A-Level student preparing for online classes in Nottingham

Key Stage 4 Ages 14 to 16

At this stage, students must excel in their chosen subjects. The IGCSE examinations carry immense weight and value. They determine the trajectory of a student’s future academic and professional journey. Entering Key Stage 4, our MA/PhD qualified subject specialist teachers have already done the foundational work required to help students develop an academic edge. We start building new concepts atop this foundation. Our goal is to help students step into the high-pressure environment of the IGCSE examinations with confidence, sure-footedness, and clarity. If students lack the knowledge that is required of them, they may perform poorly. We ensure that this doesn’t happen. Students can choose which subjects they wish to study in greater depth at this academic junction. It’s important to note that students cannot just study any subjects in A Levels. They can only select subjects they have previously studied at the IGCSE level. Therefore, students must choose their IGCSE subjects very carefully. At Cambridge Home School Online, we help students make the right decision based on their interests and future academic inclinations. It’s extremely important to keep one eye on which A Level subjects are required for university (based on the program you wish to study). Our IGCSE students enjoy numerous advantages. You will not be limited to studying 9 or 10 IGCSE subjects, for starters. You can select fewer subjects if you’d like. Moreover, you will also not be required to study all of your chosen subjects simultaneously. This is the case in the large majority of conventional schools. We believe it’s better to split the subjects and sit your examinations over two years. If they’re all attempted in the same year (the final year), you may feel overburdened, overwhelmed, and anxious. As a result, your performance may be affected. Some students also fail to prepare as well as they could have had they split their examinations over two years. Read More

Key Stage 5 Ages 17 to 19

As the last academic stage, Key Stage 5 is undoubtedly the most critical. This stage determines which university a student attends. If they secure stellar grades in their IGCSE and A Level examinations, students have a fair shot at securing admission to Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford, or any other top university today.

At this stage, students enjoy the same academic advantages that are provided in the preceding stage. However, our approach is slightly more rigorous here. Moving almost completely away from the national curriculum, we use an independent, interdisciplinary, and well-rounded curriculum for Key Stage 5. Our teachers are completely focused on helping students cover greater curricular breadth and depth. Most students study 3 or 4 A Level subjects in Key Stage 5. This helps them gain sufficient UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) points to attend their dream university. Students generally apply to university through UCAS. The higher your grades, the higher your UCAS points. Today, the leading universities have very high entry requirements. Students must earn more UCAS points to become eligible for admission.

In Key Stage 5, you can only complete your A Levels in subjects that you have previously studied at the IGCSE level. You should have good grades in these subjects. This makes the IGCSE subject selection process extremely important. Choose your subjects carefully, keeping your future study plans in mind. If you secure poor grades in your IGCSE examinations, you will not be able to study those subjects in A Levels. You also cannot select new subjects as you never attempted them in the preceding stage. This puts students in a precarious situation. Take your time and make an informed decision to maximise your chances of attending your dream university.

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An A-Level student preparing for online classes in Islamabad

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