Times 2 - UK (2020-10-26)

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the times | Monday October 26 2020 1GT 3


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a relationship, and too often it’s
dysfunctional or non-existent. I’m
assured that staff will stay put
throughout the year. Nsouli says,
“Students can email the teacher
directly. Each child will be assigned a
tutor on top of their own class teacher.
You have two hours of live tutor
sessions a week where you can follow
up on concepts or questions you may
be struggling with.”
Are there parents’ evenings? Round
my way, you’re more likely to spot a
lynx than a secondary school teacher.
“Absolutely. We’re trying to replicate
the school experience as much as
possible. You will have one-to-one
parent feedback just like in a
normal school.”
In fact, there’ll be more feedback
than in a normal school, with data
tracking on pupils’ attendance,
performance and participation. (I
think fondly of a friend’s 18-year-old
son at a top private school, switching
every lockdown Zoom lesson to audio
and playing online poker.)
Co-curricular activities are promised
— such as music, drama, art and
coding — plus access to “24-hour
pastoral care” and university
counsellors. No PE, though; the belief
is that children are better off joining
their local rugby club or gym than
doing push-ups in front of a screen.
Although, if your child has a passion
for sport, fashion or the performing
arts that persists through the holidays
they can attend (in person) summer or
winter camps delivered with partners
such as Real Madrid Football
Foundation, the fashion house Missoni
and the Berklee College of Music.
One wonders who might be worthy
of leading King’s College Online when
it opens to the UK, since every school
reflects the values of its head teacher
(unfortunately in some cases). The
search is in its final stages, Nsouli says.
“The Global Education Director is
Nick Wergan” — the former head of
Steyning Grammar School in West
Sussex, elected chairman of the
Boarding Schools’ Association in 2019
— “who’s leading our efforts to make
sure standards are at the highest level.”
I’m ready to sell the car and live
on potatoes, but don’t want to be
persuaded too easily. However, Jack
Woodnutt, 12, attends Fulham School
in London, so experienced the group’s
online provision when lockdown
began. “I think my teachers managed
very well,” he says. “They put in a lot
of effort. It was very much the same.
We were in online classrooms and the
timetable didn’t change. We still had
our fun lessons like PE, art, drama
and music.”
His mother, Lucy, has confidence
in the project. “I think they would
make it as close to the experience you
would get in a traditional private
school as they can. Like they did with
Jack’s learning in lockdown. Out of
everyone I’ve spoken to about their
experience with online learning, in
my view Fulham School did it the
best.” And given the events of this
year, she adds, “something like this
could be very beneficial in the
future for education”.
The only downside, she says, is
that Jack missed his friends. “That is
difficult to replicate online. Although
frankly,” she adds — and it’s a salient
point — “even when he’s talking to his
friends, quite often that’s over a
computer game these days.” True.
Even now, it still feels like a radical
idea — a big leap — but I imagine that
many will make the jump.

schools charge.) Bar travel restrictions,
you can opt for your child to spend a
term at any of Inspired’s schools at a
discount of up to 20 per cent. Nsouli’s
reasoning is that you might be able to
afford “a smaller chunk” if not four
years on campus. He says, “If it’s more
convenient for them to spend a term
at Berkshire, absolutely fine. If they
want to experience a winter term in
our Swiss school because they
want to do a skiing camp, they
can do that.”
Online pupils will be
taught the Pearson Edexcel
international GCSE and A level
curriculum — globally
recognised and equivalent to
the UK GCSE. Lessons will be
live-streamed and specific (not
broadcast from another class of
kids), and recorded so you can
catch up or recap.
“King’s College Online will
be a separate school with its own
teachers. We chose some of our
best teachers from our physical
schools,” Nsouli says. (It has a talent
pool of 4,500 — many would be
happy to supplement their income,
he says.) So a physics teacher in New
Zealand might finish her day, then “do
two hours of teaching for the King’s
College Online group”.
Classes will be about 15 pupils. If
uptake is considerable, “we will scale
up accordingly. We know how to run
schools,” Nsouli says. “We have to be
very careful in making sure we provide
a good service. If we end up providing
bad quality, then very quickly we’re
not going to have many customers.”
Lessons will be supplemented with
a tutor system — “a dedicated smaller
study group where they will have
more interaction with other children,
so they don’t feel they’re all alone in
cyberspace. It will have a similar
structure to university.”
I’m keen to know what contact
pupils have with teachers. You need

for multiple tutors. It’s not about


getting ahead — as if! — it’s about


covering the basics. We paid the


student son of friends to help our boys


with maths. I shortened my telomeres


teaching my 13-year-old how to write


a story (nine years of state education


and he hadn’t a clue).


We were frantic enough in lockdown


to blow £200 to give our 15-year-old


online access to a science teacher at


the online educational site Seneca,


who answered his questions. It adds


up. That a few more thousand pounds


could deliver one’s child a solid


pandemic-proof education is tempting,


but it’s not just that. I know many


teenagers whose mental health


improved when schools moved online


— unsurprising considering some


playgrounds are marginally less


frightening than prison.


I hadn’t heard of Inspired, but


Nsouli says, “We’re a global group that


has educated and graduated hundreds


of thousands of people. We have


a track record.” The education it


provides, I’m told, enables 90 per cent


of students to obtain a place at their


first-choice university, including


leading Ivy League and Russell


Group ones.


King’s College Online is


named after its schools in


Spain and Panama. He


adds, “We have people in


our education team that no


single school could afford. At


one point I had the [former]


heads of Westminster and of


St Paul’s working for the


group.” In March, Fulham


School was rated “good” by


Ofsted. This month it got the


seal of approval from the Tatler


Schools Guide.


King’s College Online is less


expensive than traditional private


schools, although still priced to


reassure or disappoint. (Its fees are


about 60 per cent of what its physical


Below: the fashion
house Missoni and the
Real Madrid Football
Foundation support
winter camps
for children

Bride drama!


Not more! I can’t bear it. I think
2020 turned every bride-to-be
into a Bridezilla.

Wrong monster. This is
Frankenstein.

Are we having Halloween early this
year? Actually, scrap that — it’s been
a horror show since March.

Enough of the pumpkin puns.
Let me tell you about Scarlett
Johansson, Angelina Jolie and
The Bride of Frankenstein.

I’m sure there’s a fantasy in that
for someone.

Probably. But what if Johansson
and Jolie were both playing
the bride?

You’ve lost me.


Johansson has reportedly
gazumped Jolie in a battle to play
the Franken-bride in yet another
reimagining of Mary Shelley’s 1818
character. Elizabeth Lavenza was
Dr Victor Frankenstein’s doomed
adopted sister-turned-fiancée in
Frankenstein. Johansson’s film,
Bride — she will produce and star
— will be directed by the Chilean
Oscar-winner Sebastián Lelio.
She said in a statement, “It is
long overdue for Bride to step
out of the shadow of her male
counterpart and stand alone.”

OK. So what’s that got to do
with Jolie?

Aha! This is the crux. In February,
Variety reported that Jolie has been
trying to get a Bride of Frankenstein
film off the ground since 2017 —
and there has been no news since.

Well that shouldn’t matter.
Haven’t loads of actresses played the
BOF? I seem to remember Helena
Bonham Carter was a particularly
terrifying iteration.

Yes, but it’s that the films would
be competing — and that it is far
more interesting to imagine the
celebrated actresses fighting over it.

I think they are probably more
into finding a coronavirus vaccine.
Or world peace.

Ugh. So dull.


Hannah Rogers


The lowdown


Franken-brides


k

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