Online schools

Online schooling forms part of the wider home-schooling model but takes some of the pressure off parents by providing their child with a structured learning programme delivered by trained teachers. There are two main types, although some online schools provide a combination of both:

• Online schools that provide a structured school day with live lessons (usually recorded so students can catch up later if required). These may be entirely online schools or part of a hybrid model, whereby the student spends some time in a physical school and some time learning online.

• Online schools that provide an asynchronous model of self-learning with teaching materials and regular online input from trained teachers 

Some families decide to top up the learning with tutors, either online or in person. A growing number of tutor agencies that we review provide this service either throughout the online schooling journey or at critical points, eg coming up to exam time. 

As with bricks-and-mortar schools, some schools cover all ages, while others specialise in, say, primary or secondary. There are different curricula too, with some schools covering both UK and US pathways, for instance. And while some online schools are academically selective, most are not.

Many people had bad experiences of online learning during Covid, when schools attempted (at very short notice) to replicate classroom learning to (up to 30) children online. Dedicated online schools with live classes are not the same – they have smaller classes, teachers trained in online learning and a far more sophisticated technology platform with eg quizzes, videos, break-out rooms and interactive chat, among other things.

Another misconception is that there is no sense of community within online schools. While that’s true for some of them, others have everything from assemblies to forms with form tutors, houses with in-house competitions, leadership roles, online clubs and real-life trips. We’ve heard of countless friendships being made between classmates – and some even get to meet up in person. Even parents can feel involved with the school (eg with parents evenings) and other parents (eg Facebook page and WhatsApp groups).

Pastoral care and SEND departments may not be something you’d normally associate with an online school, but again some schools have these – and we’ve found they can be run very well.

Teachers can’t really get to know a student online, you might assume. But many online schoolteachers tell us quite the opposite is true due to the smaller classes and greater opportunities for one-to-ones.

Start by thinking about the curriculum you want your child to follow and whether they will be best suited to online classes (group or one-to-one) or to learn asynchronously.

Then consider whether you might want to call on key staff like a SENCo (who can read your child’s reports and make any necessary adjustments), exams officer (as parents may have to organise their child’s exams) or university applications co-ordinator (to help make sure you choose the right courses for their end goal). If so, you’ll need to make sure the online school in question has these.

Think about other extras too. Do you want your child to be able to join clubs, assemblies, form time, house competitions etc? Or do you feel learning online will give them more than enough screentime and they can make friends and do activities entirely out of school.

Read our online school reviews. As with physical schools, we only review the very best online schools – but as more and more become better established and up their game, the more we review. These aren’t just based in the UK, but globally too.

Still not sure? We have experts on online learning within our consultancy team who regularly advise on all the options available and can provide detailed guidance about the subtle, and not so subtle, differences to help match the right one to your child. One of these consultants also has expertise in SEN and online learning.

• If the school provides live lessons, does the structure of the school day suit your time zone? And are the lessons recorded if you miss them? Are students expected to have mics and cameras on at all times?

• Do you have to sign up to a full-time learning package (as you would in a physical school) or can you pick and choose the subjects you want? 

• Are the classes aimed at age or stage? And is there flexibility around this (eg enabling your child to sit in a maths class advanced for their age, while getting extra help in an English class?)

• What kind of training and experience do the teachers have – not just in their subjects, but in online learning, which requires a different type of teaching? 

• Does the teacher set assignments/homework – and how often are these marked?

• Can you contact the teachers at any time? How quickly do they promise to respond?

• How does the school track your child’s progress? And how will they keep you informed, eg through reports/parents evenings?

• How does the online school manage things like science experiments and art? 

• Does the school offer any extracurriculars? You might be surprised to learn that some online schools offer music and even drama. 

• Online schools are not conducive to offering sport, so how do they help ensure the student gets enough fresh air and exercise? 

• Does the school encourage a sense of community, eg through clubs, trips, tutor groups, form time, assemblies, etc? 

• What kind of pastoral care, if any, does the school offer? 

• Does the school have a SENCo? And how does it support children with SEN? 

• What about discipline? What is the school’s approach, for example, to non-attendance? 

• Does your child have the right personality for an online school? They will need to be self-motivated, an independent learner, and happy in their own company. 

• Does the school organise relevant exams, eg GCSEs and A levels – or are parents expected to take care of that side of things? 

• Who will be your contact at the school and can you contact them anytime? 

• Can your child join the school at anytime (many online schools offer this) or do they need to wait until the beginning of the academic year?

When we review a physical school, we spend a day in that school. Clearly, that’s not possible with an online school but the review process is more similar than you might think. We spend an equivalent amount of time scrutinising the way the school teaches, along with its teaching materials. This includes observing any live lessons and offerings such as online assemblies, clubs etc.

Just as we would in a bricks-and-mortar school, we meet with the principal/head, and we talk to other key personnel (SENCo, head of pastoral, university admissions adviser, heads of departments etc). Perhaps most importantly, we speak to a wide range of parents and students, and – in the case of online schools that offer asynchronous learning – we send out an online survey to all the student families that have used the school in the last 12 months, along with a separate survey to all the tutors that have worked at the school during the same period. We then make follow-up calls to those who give us permission to do so.

We then pull together all the information, using our expertise, experience and comparative data, to create just the kind of candid, detailed reviews we are known for.