‘I was miserable at my old school’: UK social media ban puts spotlight on hybrid learning

Two years ago, Ellie Ball could barely bring herself to attend school. Today, the 16-year-old is planning to take four A-levels and hopes to study astrolaw – “It’s basically space law,” she explains – at university. The transformation happened largely through a screen. Four days a week, Ellie attends remote, on-screen lessons from home administered by the only UK-wide hybrid school provider. Then once a week, the girl who in years 8 and 9 could barely force herself to take the seven-minute drive to her local state school travels alone on train and tube, alongside crowds of commuters, to attend lessons in person. “The journey takes an hour,” she said. “I don’t like it. But I do it happily because I absolutely love going to school now.” This week Ellie’s school, the London-based London Park School (LPS) Hybrid – part of the private Dukes Education family of schools – was named a World’s Best School prize finalist in the overcoming adversity category, a shortlist that also includes a Polish school helping Ukrainian refugees, an American school serving the children of poor, migrant workers, and a school in the Amazon that has become an educational hub for about 4,000 young people. LPS Hybrid, which will shortly open a sixth form has also been shortlisted for a Tes Schools award for pupil mental health initiative of the year. …