King’s InterHigh is an online British school designed for families who need education to move with their lifestyle rather than limit it. Offering live teacher-led lessons, recorded classes, and a structured curriculum, the school supports children who travel, live abroad, or need a more flexible learning environment.
For many families, online schooling provides academic continuity, emotional stability, and the freedom to explore the world together without interrupting their education.
What Is King’s InterHigh?
For many families today, life is no longer centred around raising children in one place. Careers, lifestyle choices, wellbeing, and a desire for richer experiences are prompting parents to rethink how and where they live, and inevitably how their children learn.
While modern family life has become more mobile, traditional schooling hasn’t always kept pace. Fixed timetables, physical attendance requirements, and rigid systems can make moving abroad or family travel deeply disruptive for children’s education and emotional wellbeing.
King’s InterHigh was designed to bridge that gap. As an online British school, it offers structured, teacher-led learning that can travel with a family, providing continuity through a recognised curriculum, live lessons, and a global school community.
For families like the Smiths and British dad Jim and his daughter Jessica, online schooling through King’s InterHigh has provided consistency and support, regardless of where they are living or travelling.
Learning Without Borders with King’s Interhigh
The Smith family (also known as Clan Wander on Instagram) have been travelling full-time since 2019, after deciding to step away from conventional working life. “So much of our time was spent away from our children due to work,” they explain. “We began questioning why we were doing it and what we were actually working towards.”
After downsizing and leaving their corporate roles, they began preparing to travel the world together with their children Jacob and Erihn, “in search of a new way of living that prioritised time together.” Initially, homeschooling and worldschooling met their needs, but they soon realised their children needed more structure. “Our biggest concern was whether we could consistently give them what they needed educationally,” they reflect. “Especially as the years went on and the learning became more demanding.”
In 2020, while stranded in the Himalayas during the pandemic, the family discovered online schooling. This “really opened our minds to the possibility of remote schooling.” Seeing a recognised British curriculum delivered online gave them the confidence that this approach could work for their family, offering “reassurance that, alongside our travels and real-world life lessons, this could be a balanced and effective solution.”
With their two children often learning across multiple time zones, a more practical schedule became essential. “Having a teenager in the house meant planning carefully for her future. The option to study towards IGCSEs was extremely important to us in her final school years.”
The ability to join live lessons when possible, or watch recordings later, allowed learning to fit into family life. “Knowing that all lessons are recorded is a huge comfort for us. We stop no later than 6pm, and if any live classes fall outside that window, we simply watch them back the following day.” A typical school day varies by location: “When we’re in Asia, for example, our mornings are often spent together as a family getting outside, exercising, or heading out for breakfast before the school day begins.”
Their school days have taken place from the jungles of Costa Rica to the beaches of Lombok, Indonesia, as well as “airport departure lounges, cafés in new cities, and all sorts of unexpected places. Our learning environment is constantly changing.”
Finding Stability After a Challenging Start
For British dad Jim and his daughter Jessica, the journey to online schooling came from a very different starting point. Living in Europe, Jessica initially attended a local bricks-and-mortar school, which quickly proved overwhelming.“She was struggling academically and emotionally,” Jim recalls. “She was scared to ask questions and began developing stress-related symptoms. She just wasn’t in a good space.”
When schools reopened after COVID disruptions, the stress returned within just a few weeks. With no hybrid option available, Jim decided to homeschool Jessica for the rest of the year. “When I started homeschooling her, I realised how behind she was with learning; she couldn’t write or read English words properly,” he says. “Homeschooling was hard and I was always searching for resources. Both my wife and I work from home, which helped, but it was exhausting trying to balance parenting duties, cooking, laundry, preparing, and delivering lessons.”
That changed when Jessica joined King’s InterHigh in Year 3. The impact was immediate. “On the first day, we just all exhaled with relief and had tears of joy,” Jim says. “It meant we weren’t alone.”
Five years on, Jessica is now in Year 8 and continues to choose online schooling each year. For Jim, the combination of a British curriculum and a more tailored approach is reassuring. “Freedom to choose subjects and interests, the ability to learn around outside activities, the chance to change classes if something doesn’t work, or adjust the schedule to fit their needs, you don’t get that in traditional schools. Jessica likes live classes where she can interact, use the chat, speak on the mic, and feel connected to teachers and classmates.”
Jim also describes how the online format allows Jessica to balance school and hobbies. “No homework after school means she does her studying when alert, then relaxes in the evenings. She’s never bored; she fills free time with piano, gaming, or other tasks. The fixed timetable helps her stay organised.”
Living in Europe now enhances Jessica’s education rather than complicates it. Geography lessons connect to the local environment, and creative projects cross over into real life, such as a self-produced documentary about their town. “Geography has helped her understand where we live and the environment around us, like coastal studies and mountains. She’s into art and music and cultural events here relate to her studies. She did a film studies project creating a documentary about our town, interviewing local people in the local language, and edited it herself. This real-life application enriches her learning.”
Social Development and Global Community Learning
A common concern around online schooling is social connection. Both families acknowledge this, but also celebrate the benefits of the global set-up.
For the Smiths, friendships are often spread across countries. Online communication helps maintain connections, while in-person interactions occur through sports clubs, expat communities, and worldschooling networks wherever they travel. “Living a transient life means friendships look different,” they explain. “But our children are confident, adaptable, and comfortable with themselves.”
Jim echoes this perspective for Jessica, who thrives in King’s InterHigh’s global community “She’s surrounded by children from diverse backgrounds. Lots of neurodiverse students, lots of different life stories. She feels included in a way she never did before. She also enjoys local activities like tennis at a nearby club, walking the dog along the beach, and surfing or paddleboarding, which the flexible schedule allows her to fit in alongside her schoolwork.”
Academic Progress and Curriculum Structure
Online schooling, both families note, encourages independence earlier, but with plenty of support. The system also encourages individual academic growth.
Jim shares that Jessica is “preparing for some GCSE subjects two years ahead and other students excel in different subjects and move up as suited. The system is tailored to individual ability: if you’re below average you get support, if you’re advanced you can move forward. Cycle tests occur regularly and are viewed as revision rather than stressful exams. She’s confident and not worried.”
For the Smiths, the real-world experiences enabled by this kind of education complement the curriculum: “Learning about history becomes far more meaningful when experienced first-hand. For example, wandering around Mayan structures in 2021 in Mexico while Jacob, our youngest, was unaware that his future humanities class would cover this subject years later. Being able to see how life once looked and compare it to today, or visiting local markets in Vietnam and learning to communicate outside your own language, brings learning to life in a way that traditional schooling alone can’t replicate.”
Benefits of Flexible Online Education for Travelling Families
For families who travel or live outside traditional boundaries, education can no longer be fixed in place. When schooling adapts to family life rather than the other way around, children gain confidence, emotional security, and more freedom to grow into who they are.
The Smiths reflect on their journey as a nomadic family so far: “There’s no one right approach. It’s taken us time to find what works, but for us, slower travel, strong structure, and online schooling have brought the stability we were searching for. We’ve seen our children become more independent, curious, and resilient, qualities that wouldn’t have developed the same way in a traditional school.”
Jim shares a similar perspective. “It’s not a shortcut. It’s a commitment. But if the whole family is on board, the benefits are huge. Watching Jessica take responsibility for her learning, manage her schedule, and still have time for hobbies like tennis and surfing has been incredible. The balance between structure and flexibility has given her confidence we couldn’t have achieved otherwise.”
He adds: “It works best if it’s the child’s choice and the whole family supports it. It wouldn’t work if both parents worked away from home all day. Supporting local participation in events is very important to maintain language skills and connections. Being abroad means you have to make more effort as expat families usually lack extended family support. It’s a commitment, not a shortcut, but if fully committed, the benefits are huge.”
The Smiths note the ways this approach has shaped their children. “They seem comfortable with themselves, confident in their own skin, and able to adapt to new environments with ease. They’re constantly pushing their comfort zones in life. After so many years learning this way, it’s hard to know how they’d react to a traditional bricks-and-mortar classroom, but that isn’t a concern for us at this point.”
They add, “The world really is a very big classroom. Through travel, they’ve developed invaluable skills such as cultural awareness, empathy, which feels especially important in today’s world, and adaptability.”
Both families agree that online schooling evolves with the child, supporting academic progress while fostering independence, confidence, and personal growth. As family life becomes more diverse, it is essential that education keeps pace.
Learn more about King’s InterHigh.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Is King’s InterHigh a recognised school?
Yes. King’s InterHigh is accredited by the UK government’s Department for Education (DfE) through the Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS).
Can children travel while studying online?
Absolutely. King’s InterHigh was specifically designed for families whose lifestyles are flexible or international. Students can study from anywhere with a stable internet connection, whether they are living abroad, relocating, or travelling long term. Many families use the school to support world travel, expat living, or temporary moves abroad without disrupting their child’s education.
Do students attend live lessons?
Yes. Students attend live, timetabled online lessons every school day. Each lesson lasts 40 minutes and is delivered by experienced teachers who are specially trained in online education. All lessons are recorded and uploaded to the lesson library afterwards, allowing students to revisit the material at any time for revision or to catch up if they were unable to attend live.
Is social interaction possible in an online school?
Yes. Social interaction is built into the school day through live lessons where students see, hear and collaborate with their classmates. They participate in discussions, group projects and shared activities, building friendships within a global community of learners. Many students also combine their online schooling with local sports clubs, creative activities and community events in their area.
Is online schooling suitable for all children?
Online schooling can be highly effective for many students, but it works best when the child and family are fully committed to the approach. It particularly suits families who travel, live internationally, require flexibility, or want a more personalised learning environment. It can also benefit neurodiverse learners, academically advanced students, or those who feel overwhelmed in traditional school settings.
About King’s InterHigh
King’s InterHigh is a leading online British school designed for families who need flexible, high-quality education that moves with their lifestyle. Delivering a structured UK curriculum through live, teacher-led lessons and recorded classes, the school supports students living abroad, travelling, relocating, or seeking a more personalised learning environment. With recognised qualifications including IGCSEs and GCSEs, a global student community, and full accreditation through the UK Department for Education’s Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS), King’s InterHigh provides academic continuity, stability and connection, wherever in the world students choose to learn.
Read more articles about international education on the MumAbroad blog
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