Hi, Sunny here.

Running an online school is hard. Running one successfully is even harder. We have to compete with a lack of in-person interaction, which presents several other challenges, such as bad internet and tricky coordination problems. But it also presents us with amazing opportunities. People from different walks of life have the opportunity to come together and receive teaching that is far more flexible, personalised and boundary-pushing.

We have spent years helping students achieve their greatest dreams when it comes to university admissions. Their success inspires us. But we have also set ourselves the goal of finding out what a secondary school built for the modern age would look like.

Over the course of our 12 years, we have seen many students enter the world of university fundamentally unprepared for the challenges that lie ahead of them. Most schools are forced to teach to maximise students' marks. We think we can do better. We think we can go beyond what most schools can by equipping our students with the skills necessary to thrive in adult life.

How can we do this?

A&J School has been a small but growing part of our business. We thought we would take the best parts of it and then combine it with some new elements. A lot of the infrastructure is already there – A&J School students attend classes 9-5, Monday to Friday, for three terms. They can have one-on-one support. We accept students from Year 9 to Year 13. In terms of qualifications, we offer GCSEs, A levels and a US High School Diploma (with Advanced Placements) which provide students the qualifications they need to get into the best universities in the world. So far, so good.

But this is not enough.

There are so many additional components that students have to consider if they want to secure their future. University application processes are more competitive than ever, students need things like internships to gain an edge, and of course, students need to have basic life skills. As such, we have developed core compulsory programmes that students also will participate in during their time at the school.

A&J School Core Curriculum

This curriculum has been built from the ground up to provide students with broader skills beyond what they just learn in class. We have spent years fine-tuning a compulsory programme that will help prep students for the rest of their lives. Here is a broad overview of the different modules.

• Financial Management: How to file a tax return, how to manage debt, and investment and basic maths skills.
• Business Basics: Task delegation, drafting contracts.
• Sales: Storytelling, active listening, marketing psychology
• Communication: Body language, personal brand, presentation skills, writing skills.
• Emotional Resilience: Self-care, Happiness course, Boundary Setting, Conflict resolution.
• Lifelong learning: How to find information, how to find individual learning style.
• Health- Cooking, Nutrition, Exercise
• Software and Efficiency tools: AI and productivity tools, building websites, basic computer science.
• Critical Thinking: Fake news analysis, how to interpret and understand data.
• Geography and trends: Global and domestic threats, demographic trends, Physical geography
• Life automation: How to organise lifestyle, data backup, insurance.
• Commercial and Criminal Justice system: Know your rights, the court process.
• Navigating bureaucracy: University portal, healthcare, home buying
• Negotiation
• Cognitive biases & communicating across cultures.

Internship

A lot of universities want to see internships in a personal statement. A lot of students want to do them. However, there is a huge gap between those who wish to do them and those who actually find a place. We remove the hassle of this at A&J school. Our innovative internship programme will give the students the unique opportunity to undertake an internship during their summer holidays. These are not just critical for admissions, but they also help students gain a better sense of the subjects they wish to study at university. This is a fantastic optional module that students can take on, as an optional extra, or as part of our most extensive schooling package.

University programme

Of course, it could not be A&J school without integrating our flagship university programme. Throughout a student’s time at A&J School, each shall be assigned a mentor who will provide them with world-class support in their university application. This will range from sourcing CV activities to personal statement/essay reviews and deep research into university courses and options. There will be two levels of this Programme: The Standard Level and the Advanced Level. The Standard Level Programme will be compulsory for all students. For those who want to push themselves further, we will be offering an optional Advanced University Programme.

What is this new programme called?

This programme is called A&J School. We have rebuilt our entire schooling system to incorporate these changes.

Bringing together amazing teaching with our best-in-class admissions package will give students a comprehensive profile, and strong grades. Coupling this with our Core Curriculum, students will be ready for whatever challenges, achievements and courses they will face during the most critical years of their lives.

Have a great Wednesday!

Deadline countdown (Sep '23 intake):

• Oxbridge or UK Medicine (Sep '25) - 15 October 2024 - 244 days left.
• USA Early Decision (Sep '25) - 01 November 2024 - 261 days left.
• MBA and Postgraduate (Sep' 25) - 01 December 2024 - 291 days left.
• USA Regular Decision (Sep' 25) - 01 January 2025 - 322 days left.
• UK Undergraduate (Sep' 25) - 29 January 2023 - 350 days left.