A Libanus student is celebrating her A-level results this week - which were achieved in a not-so-traditional way.

Grace Davies, 18, studied psychology, English language and English literature at King’s InterHigh, a leading global online school, trusted by over 6,000 families. Cambridge International Education awarded Grace an A* in psychology and Bs in English language and literature. “I had a lot of nerves. It was lovely seeing the results, and seeing that the hard work paid off.”

Part of Inspired Education group of schools, King’s InterHigh aims to empower every student to succeed in their academic and personal lives. It follows the British curriculum and offers students from aged 7-19 a flexible learning environment, where each child’s individual needs are recognised with a personalised education. Students benefit from virtual classrooms, small class sizes, collaborative learning, valuable teacher feedback, and inclusive learning through technology, and is adaptable around their lifestyle.

It was in 2021 when Grace first joined King’s InterHigh, leaving Brecon High School in Year 9. She completed her GCSEs with King’s InterHigh before continuing with her A-levels. “It wasn’t my personal decision. I used to go to Brecon High School, and I thought it had gone downhill a lot, especially in my last year in 2020. I felt like I was a robot. I was surrounded by a lot of naughty kids and disruption, and I was in the bottom sets and believed I wasn’t good enough. I didn’t know who I was. My parents saw that and thought something wasn’t quite right. My mum, who is a teacher at King’s Interhigh, tried me out there.

“I was hesitant about it first. I was put off by it. I didn’t want to leave my friends. As soon as I joined I flew. Being at home, being isolated, allowed me to have the time to myself and think ‘what have I been doing? I’ve been learning nothing.’ I started to enjoy school.”

Grace was moved to top sets soon into her online education, adapting to the situation with speed. “At King’s you are independent. It’s all up to you. I found the learning fun. We all work differently at different paces. I did about six hours of studying, with two hours for each subject, and I built that up over time.”

During her time at King’s Interhigh, Grace discovered that she had dyslexia. “If I hadn’t come to King’s I wouldn’t have known that. In Brecon I was told I didn’t have dyslexia. King’s helped me grow as a person and they were so supportive, thinking about how I would sit my exams, asking how they could cater to my needs.” She was given 25 per cent extra time on her exams, as well as rest breaks.

Grace has chosen not to go to university after her results, instead getting work experience in York. “I would never go back to mainstream school again. Kings is the best thing that ever happened to me. There’s this assumption of going to university, but for me the debt scares me. I think it’s important to get out there and get work experience. I took A-levels because I knew I wasn’t finished after GCSEs. I haven’t regretted that. I want to neutralise that it’s okay to be unsure. Just go with it, get a few part time jobs, see what you like.”

Now, she’s looking forward to the future, happy with the A-level results she has had. “Kings Interhigh made me incredibly happy. I learned to be a leader. I led people. I made people smile. I made people laugh. That in itself costs nothing, but it means everything, and I’m so incredibly grateful and happy, and I recommend it to anyone.”