We couldn’t have ordered better weather for the inaugural Harrow School Online graduation which took place in July at Harrow School in Harrow on the Hill, London. The sun shone brightly as the online school pupils met face-to-face for the first time, coming together for their graduation and award ceremony. The graduates and their families came from all over the world including Australia, Sri Lanka, Spain, India and Romania to name a few.
Harrow School Online is a fully online global sixth form, delivering an International A Level education to young adults aged 16-18. The school prepares pupils for the world’s top universities and beyond, with rigorous academic studies combined with a diverse range of extracurricular opportunities to develop character and foster friendships with peers across the world. As a fully online school, Harrow School Online offers students flexibility in terms of when, where, and at what pace they complete lessons.
Owned and operated by Pearson, the school has a sub-license from Harrow School Enterprises Limited.
Harrow School Online brings together the richness and heritage of a Harrow School education with leading online learning technology and teaching practices from Pearson. The school enrolled its first cohort in September 2020, and this year's pioneering graduating class had a lot to celebrate.
The day started with a formal ceremony hosted by Principal Heather Rhodes, where teachers and pupils shared their highlights of the year, and the house awards and graduation certificates were presented. The pupil heads of school both gave inspirational and thought-provoking speeches where they talked about the future and their hopes and aspirations for their friends, peers and themselves.
A tour of Harrow School was then followed by a boisterous rounders match which was Year 13s versus Year 12s, where a closely contested competition led to the Year 13s winning. A barbecue rounded off the day where pupils chatted with friends and teachers; parents talked to each other, and Year 13s said their goodbyes.
The Year 13s now move onto their next chapter. Some are taking a gap year, while others are accepting places (results dependent) at Cambridge University, Queen Mary University London, Imperial College London, University of Warwick, University of St Andrews, IE Madrid and Luiss (Italy) -- the list goes on! What is wholly apparent is their shared enthusiasm and passion for whatever comes next.
In talking to some of the pupils before they left, what came across most to me was the camaraderie and love of a more independent learning approach, one that enabled them to get involved in a lot of extracurricular activities outside of school and follow their dreams. Their futures are definitely bright, ambitious and inspirational, and I for one will watch out for their impact on the world.
Elaine Tibbatts is the Director of Partner Outreach at Pearson where she spearheads partnerships and affiliations at Pearson Virtual Schools. Elaine has been in Marketing for over 20 years and worked with international brands such as Tui, Pearson and awarding winning Harrow School Online. Elaine’s own learning journey was not what she had originally planned and after many twists and turns she found her vocation, and this has given her the drive to support students to get on the learning path that suits them.