How Wendover helped one soccer star find time to study 

The problem

Teenager Iwo lived for football – but he needed 5 GCSE passes to secure his place at the football academy of his dreams. Told by his local comprehensive that he wouldn’t succeed, Iwo felt his bright future as a footballer slipping away. 

Wendover’s solution 

Iwo’s parents approached Wendover Online School to find out whether Iwo could pursue his studies with specialist online teachers at the same time as training with the academy. Wendover tailored a timetable to suit Iwo’s schedule and he successfully gained the grades he needed to be accepted into the BTEC programme at his chosen academy. 

How we built Iwo’s education around his life 

Iwo is the first to admit that normal school wasn’t working for him. “I was taking time out to go for football trials, and was only interested in the game – I just wasn’t motivated at school and nobody seemed to believe in me,” he says ruefully. 

Having received a poor Report for Year 10 Iwo’s parents were very concerned. They knew he had it in him to get the grades he needed to attend the academy but were struggling to motivate him to put in the work. 

Fortunately, they heard about Wendover’s innovative approach to learning: putting children and their families at the centre of education and allowing students to work around other commitments. Before long, the family had worked with Wendover to build a bespoke education that would allow Iwo to thrive. 

Online learning in practice 

The solution for Iwo was to provide online learning that he could do at the academy. Able to train and play alongside his team without having to wait a year and be out of step, Iwo was motivated to work hard. 

Wendover timetabled one-to-one lessons for Iwo in all the subjects he needed. His teachers all understood the situation and were careful to keep Iwo focussed on the work, whilst encouraging him to become an independent learner with a real interest in his five subjects. 

Success for Iwo with Wendover

At the end of the year, Iwo was overjoyed to achieve his five passes at GCSE, including good grades in English and Maths. He has been able to study his BTEC at the academy, and benefited hugely during lockdown from already understanding online learning once this became the norm. 

Iwo’s parents are delighted with the outcome, pleased that a situation where their son could have dropped out of learning was turned into a successful achievement that will always stand him in good stead. 

And as for Iwo, so pleased was he with his online education that he pestered to be allowed to study Japanese with Wendover – he has continued to study the language and has found a real love for learning. 

“I am so happy that we found Wendover,” smiles Iwo. “I know I would never have been able to follow my dream without such close help from my online teachers, and it was great to be able to take part in my football life at the same time as studying. Thank you Wendover!”  

If you would like to discuss how Wendover can help your family build education around your lives, please give us a call on +44 1604 213 477 or email us on enquiries@wendoverschool.com.