Just as we invest our wealth, we need to invest in our young learners. It cannot wait until they step into college or the workforce. Find answers to all your questions about Beyond 8 and the transformative pathways we offer.
If you don’t find the answer you are looking for, write to us at contact@beyond8.in or Whatsapp us at +919962601715.
Beyond 8 is for self-determined parents & learners who seek a high quality full time high school education program that is learner-determined, experiential, powered by industry mentors and anchored in a liberal education.
We take evidence-based approach both for exam preparation and for college and career readiness.
Beyond 8 is a full time high school program. So the grade equivalent is Grades 9 to 12. Students become eligible to enrol in Beyond 8 if they have completed Grade 8 in a school or if they are above 14 years of age.
Because the current education system is broken. And it’s been like that for a long, long time. Our current school education system took shape at the time of the industrial revolution, over 200 years ago. It was designed to produce workers who would follow instructions, stay agreeable to their managers, and meet the tall demands of a newly industrialized world.
We need a high school education system that addresses children’s passions. An education system where the children are at the center. Where they're listened to. Beyond 8 enables young people to learn many things and in many different ways.
We’re not a school; we are an alternative to schooling.
To put it in simple words, Beyond 8 is high school ++. Beyond 8 learners pursue Grades 9 - 12 in Cambridge IGCSE, AS/ A2 Levels, NIOS or Common Core.
Our Transformative Pathways Program is not a supplementary or complimentary program. Learners who pursue their high school education in Beyond 8, do not go to another school. Our Transformative Pathways Program is a full time high school education.
Progressive colleges seek learners with a passion, a variety of experiences and knowledge, and deeply committed to social change. Hence, Beyond 8 learners are able to enjoy greater college opportunities than their peers from conventional schooling.
Conventional schools are able to focus only on exam prepration and academics.
Beyond 8 provides transformative pathways for high school learners to pursue the best collegiate liberal education in India & abroad.
However, Beyond 8 is not for everyone. It is only for parents & learners who seek a high quality learner-determined full time high school education that is anchored in a liberal education.
No, our Transformative Pathways Program is a full time high school education. Learners will be required to participate in it full day, on every week day, throughout the learning cycle.
Beyond 8 is a result of over 28 years of research and experimentation at HLC International School, Chennai. HLC is rated as one of India's most innovative schools and as one of India’s first Ashoka Changemaker schools. Beyond 8 is an initiative from the founders of HLC, Chennai.
Beyond 8 learning centres are open between 9.00 am to 4.00 pm Monday - Friday. Students who wish to pursue their passions, train for a sport or art during working hours, will have complete flexibility to plan their time at the centre, based on their availability.
They will have the opportunity to catch up on missed lessons and also avail the facility to attend sessions via video calls.
Also, Beyond 8's Transformative Pathways Program is hybrid, with students coming in to our Centres on only 3 days a week; the remaining 2 days, they attend academic sessions conducted online.
Beyond 8 is India’s First fully-Heutagogical Learning System. In other words, a learning system that does what the school system is unable to do for its learners.
At a high level, Beyond 8 enables your child to :
Heutagogy is nothing but self-determined learning. Based on the philosophy knowledge sharing, in a Heutagogical learning system there is a strong emphasis on the following:
Conventional learning systems are based on Pedagogy:
Conventional schools are able to focus only on academic success.
While children are young, conventional schools allow them to be curious about the world, have many interests, learn at their own pace, and have fun learning.
But the minute they reach high school, they tell the children the opposite; focus on one thing, learn it fast, and learn it only to get a job.
If a student wishes to pursue a passion such as writing, research, sport, or art, it forces them to choose either academics or their passion. Students with unconventional pursuits, such as sports, arts, music and other passions often give up their passion to meet the school's academic expectations.
Highly motivated students who wish to pursue their passions need an alternative that allows them to:
Beyond 8 offers learners flexibility, more time, and more space to pursue their passions/interests.
Our learning facilitators begin their engagement with every learner with a Dream Mapping exercise along with his/ her parents. We map insights from the dream mapping exercise to build an individualized learning plan for each learner to help them pursue their academics and passions in a balanced manner.
No. Beyond 8 does not offer classes in sports and music. However, it enables learners to follow their passions unhindered through a flexible academic program. We don’t stop with just the academics but we offer them a holistic learning program that includes modules such as learning to learn, entrepreneurship, public problem solving, industry expert interaction sessions, and internships that will enable students to identify their Ikigai - so that they can lead meaningful lives.
Yes. Dream Mapping is the first step at Beyond 8. Dream mapping is nothing but a step by step process where a learning facilitator interacts with your child and you, to make an action plan. During the process, learners are welcomed to reflect on and answer questions about their desires, dreams, fears, characteristics, past, current & future needs. The parent joins the student to come together and give their inputs on these steps.
The information gained through this process leads to a vision of what the students hope and wants to achieve. The responses are mapped on a large sheet of paper, illustrating their desires. After completing the MAP, a personalized academic plan is arrived at to help the learner balance between the academic pursuits and their passions.
Dream mapping activity will be conducted periodically for each child, along with the parents. Outcomes will be shared and discussed with you.
No. Dream Mapping is only available as a part of our Liberal High School program and the Bridge year (gap year) program
Yes. Most of the time, children can’t identify their passions or interests because of lack of exposure. Beyond 8 addresses this “gap in exposure” not through Dream Mapping but a series of expert-led discovery sessions. We offer a series of courses in a variety of subjects, domains, and walks of life are made available to the students, outside of their academics to enable them to identify their areas of interest/passion. These programs offer early and much-needed exposure to arts, music, sports, alternative careers, gig economies, etc all while pursuing their academics.
The child’s interests/passions may change with time, exposure, evolution, and growth. At Beyond 8, our program will accommodate and enable your children, irrespective of their changing passions/interests. By having gained knowledge in their earlier interests/passions, they will move on to others with a strong understanding of "why" their interests are elsewhere.
Besides, our periodic dream mapping activity will help us get early insights into your child’s growing or changing aspirations and interests.
Your child will need to learn to distinguish hobbies from passions. We can help with that.
There are no admissions in Beyond 8. We enrol learners. And there is a difference.
Beyond 8 offers enrolments throughout the year. There are no fixed windows to seek enrolment. However, we make the offer to enrol, so we are able to support the right families that truly seek new and better destinations for their children.
Beyond 8 is for Grade 9 to 12. Our Transformative Pathways Program is a full time high school education (Grade 9 to Grade 12).
Learners can join Beyond 8 at any of these 4 grade levels. (i.e Grade 9, 10, 11 or 12)
Yes. Beyond 8 offers all the flexibility and personalization that drives homeschoolers away from schooling. What's more, Beyond 8 ties all the experiential learning that homeschoolers seek, with a learner-determined high quality high school education in accredited curricula.
No. While there are no admission or entrance tests, we invite all applicants for a dialogue with our learning facilitators. This is to ensure that there is a sync between what families are looking for and what we offer through our Transformative Pathways Program.
We have multiple centres across Chennai. Our home centre is at Muttukadu on ECR, our science labs is based out of Karanai, OMR and our learning centres are spread across OMR & ECR, in Chennai.
Our Bangalore centre is in Koramangala. We have similar partnerships with schools in Bangalore for lab sessions and for larger peer interactions.
Well, that is subjective. It has no definitive answer. It is a matter of opinion; your opinion. Evaluate it by asking yourself if you can lose by committing your child to a Beyond 8 year?
Understand the founding principles and the people behind Beyond 8. Know that if at anytime you don't like our learning map for your child, you are not bound by any clause to continue with us and that your child can return to what he/she was doing earlier. We stand by what we offer and endeavor to deliver exceptional learning opportunities that are currently unavailable anywhere. If you don't feel this is true upon experiencing what we do, you may withdraw with the full fee for that year, refunded back to you. The full refund is given to learners who choose to withdraw within the first 2 months.
We enrol learners that are fundamentally interested in learning. We do not have an upper limit at this time (2022, our 3rd year). We have around 10-15 learners in each grade group.
At the core of our academic program is an individualized and personalized learning plan. Beyond 8 classrooms are based on vertical grouping and cohorts. In simple words, they are mixed-age classrooms that nurture thinking, problem-solving skills and improve social competencies. Our classrooms offer opportunities for learners to work with a wider circle of peers. It also enables the facilitator to understand each learner’s needs and strengths better.
We plan our learning facilitators based on interests and subjects our learners wish to learn, in each of our centers. On average, we have 4 - 5 facilitators and 30 learners in each of our centres.
Our learning facilitators are our biggest assets. Unlike conventional schools, our facilitators don’t act like knowledge-holders but are coaches who nurture learners and guide them to a path of self-determined learning. A list of our learning facilitators is available in our home centre. Please do visit us.
No. We do not offer canteen facilities or serve food at our learning centres. Learners are expected to carry their own food. We encourage students to carry wholesome and nutritious food.
We partner with vendors in Bangalore and Chennai to provide transportation. Fee for transportation is not included in our Transformative Pathways Program fee. Learners may avail of our partner's services and are not expected to use them compulsorily.
Yes. Beyond 8 offers a series of industry expert-led modular courses to help learners get a glimpse into the many directions in which their lives can go and have the opportunity to be excited by the diversity of choices they have. We enable them with freedom and fun, explore multiple interests, and in ways that prepare them for fulfilling lives, not only careers.
It is personalised, goal-oriented and timely. Combined with an ample amount of peer learning opportunities, Beyond 8 leads to successful college and career readiness. Do visit our Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/beyond8 - to hear directly from our Parents & Learners.
We offer high school programs in IGCSE, NIOS & Advanced Placement.
Each of these curricula has its benefits. You can choose the right curriculum by seeking the guidance of our learning facilitators.
Let’s make this very clear. There’s no such thing as an ‘average day’ at Beyond 8. Daily schedules are personalized based on each learner’s availability. Based on their chosen or identified passions, dream mapping activity, expert-led sessions, and flexibility desired, your child’s journey may comprise:
You can get detailed reports via an online student portfolio. Each child will have a portfolio that will consist of regularly updated inputs from various modules, such as academic preparation, MOOCs, entrepreneurship education, public problem solving, dream mapping, internships, etc. His/ her passion-related milestones and achievements will also be updated on the portfolio.
Think of this portfolio as an enhanced and detailed version of LinkedIn and Behance rolled into one!
Apart from access to the online portfolio, you can always schedule a meeting with your child’s learning facilitator anytime with a prior appointment.
We are inclusive. Please reach out to our learning facilitators to check what we can and cannot do for your child. You can reach us at contact@beyond8.in or call us at +91 9962601715
Yes. Beyond 8 is designed to prepare students to lead a meaningful life and to prepare them for higher education beyond grade 12. Students who have completed grade 12 in Beyond 8 will have no problems getting admissions for higher education in Indian universities.
As the Cambridge curriculum and the Common Core curriculum are designed for an international learner, joining under-graduate schools abroad will be very easy.
Yes. Beyond 8 offers CAIE(IGCSE, A2), NIOS & Common Core program which are firmly established and recognized worldwide. Currently, in India, there are over 500 schools offering IGCSE and A2 exam preparations. These curricula are well recognized in India as equivalent to Grade X and Grade XII.
Beyond 8's efforts in instilling interests/passions move in tandem with your children achieving their academic milestones mandated to fulfill the criteria of educational boards, such as CAIE, AP and NIOS. Therefore, an exit from Beyond 8 can lead to any educational institute or school that offers CAIE or NIOS syllabus/learning.
Beyond 8 provides transformative pathways for high school learners to pursue the best collegiate liberal education in India & abroad.
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