We Listen To The Needs of Our Students
- And we constantly improve our delivery to ensure their happiness
- We Ensure They Can Continue Education In A Safe Place & Calm Pace
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Most Popular FAQs
For Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 we have four class sets:
Penguin – Year group content at a lower year group level. These lessons are suitable for children who have missed a lot of learning time and historically struggle on the subject.
Tortoise – Year group content at correct level but delivered at a slower pace. Recommended if student feels comfortable but would like some time to catch up with missed learning.
Hare – Year group content at correct level but with a faster pace. For students who feel comfortable with a faster pace of learning.
Dragon – Year group content at a higher year group level. Recommended for students that are very confident and passionate about the subject and want to be challenged.
We place students based on their ability and constantly observe how they are performing, so they will attend the year group classes they are supposed to in. If they aren’t doing well at their current level, we’ll be happy to move them onto a different set.
Yes!
There is a half termly report that is updated daily, where your child’s information, attendance, interaction and comments from the teacher are all included. You can access these on the Report section on your dashboard.
You will also receive a termly report with more insight on how your child is doing currently and what are the next steps in their learning journey.
All you have to do is go into the Orders tab on your parent dashboard and all available invoices will be there. Also, all invoices are automatically sent to your email address 7 days before their due date which includes a link to make the payment.
Absolutely not! We welcome all students at TheOnlineSchool.UK
Our lessons are designed based on the UK’s national curriculum and cater to all students. We also have different class sets to provide students with options to better tailor their learning experience, based on their academic level.
We do specialise in creating a warm, kind and safe learning environment, where any student can thrive.
Although we have an SEN lead that can help support students with additional needs, we have many families that have chosen to enrol with us simply because their child learns best in an online caring environment or that have had a bad experience in the past, in mainstream school, and we provide a safe space to learn while healing.
You don’t need to worry about what class to put your child in as this is an ongoing exercise that we will work with your family on.
The class that you put your child in today may not be the class that they are in, in the future. It all depends on their performance and how they feel about it.
We will allocate a child to a class that we believe they should go into to begin with. We will then see how they react and perform.
We will also get your feedback as well as the teacher’s to see if this student should then remain in the same class or be adjusted otherwise.
We can always re-evaluate the decision based on other assessment grades, marks and homework that we give them throughout the year.
Yes. Your child is able to communicate on a classroom specific message board where they can speak with students and teachers outside of lessons.
You also have access to a one-to-one message board where you are able to message our team directly and privately with any questions that you may have. If you wish to pass the message to your child’s teacher, the team will be happy to do it for you.
Your child is also able to message the teacher inside of lessons.
You can go into your dashboard ahead of time and look at the topic labels in your dashboard to know what lessons are going to be covered.
Normally these are accurate however, if the teacher hasn’t completed the learning for the previous lesson, or feels like the class can move on, the lesson titles can change.
At the beginning of the academic year, we will also be sharing Topic Lists with the students enrolled with us.
Booking exams is a conversation that you would need to have with our exams officer.
The first thing to do is, to send an email to
jade@theonlineschool.uk mentioning your interest about sitting exams.
We need to know this as soon as possible, because the closer you leave this to the exam dates, the higher the fees that the exam centres will charge.
The cost of the exams is not included in our price, but we can help you find the most convenient test centre for your family and help you make the booking.
We assess students regularly and provide parents with comprehensive reports and feedback from teachers
Curriculum, Exams & Subjects FAQ
We follow the UK National Curriculum in which we prepare students to sit the Edexcel IGCSE examinations.
Please note that we have a politically neutral stance when it comes to teaching according to the National Curriculum. So for example old texts such as Of Mice and Men, we do not teach this due to some of the language that it contains.
We also keep students away from inflammatory topics around religion, race, gender, orientation, wars etc (so if there isn’t an absolute need to teach this to get great grades in their exams, we won’t cover these topics in our core subject lessons).
However if students have questions about sensitive topics then we can provide an appropriate environment where these views can be heard, supported and understood.
All of our students who are enrolled with us for at least a full term, will receive a certificate with their subjects, grades and progress marks.
Yes! It is not uncommon for home educated pupils to start taking their GCSEs, one per year, from age 13 and we are able to support that, if it is right for the student and agreed by you.
Yes we definitely do! We’ve had students who graduated last year who solely relied on us to help them pass their A-Levels in a year. It’s definitely challenging but if you are determined to put the work in, then we are happy to help you succeed!
We cover all core subjects and more to provide a holistic education. However your child only needs to enrol on the subjects they wish to do. We do not have a minimum subject requirement
You can find out more information about the subjects we cover for each key stage by clicking here
Teachers are regularly providing students with exam practice questions to help gauge student understanding and to help minimise exam anxiety. We will also then share these details with you as a parent so you can decide if you would like us to provide more homework, arrange additional private lessons or delay exam dates
Yes we do! We teach IGCSEs (Edexcel) and help students to do really well in these exams. Please follow this link for more information on our curriculum and subjects we cover
We can also help provide support on test centres and when would be the best time to sit the exams.
Some students wish to do exams early and some wish to do them over an extended period of time. We support both.
We follow the UK Curriculum for all subjects: English, Maths, Science, Spanish, Geography, History, and Psychology. Students will be prepared for their IGCSE exams under the Edexcel Exam Board’s guidelines.
We also teach French, Food Tech (KS3), Coding (KS3) and Life Skills which aren’t IGCSEs but will broaden student horizons and understanding.
You can find out more information about the subjects we cover for each key stage by clicking here
Our 2-year programme in KS4 follows the iGCSEs Edexcel Exam Board guidelines.
Lessons cover the content needed and include opportunities for students to practice answer exam-style questions, ensuring that your child not only has the knowledge but is also fully prepared to achieve the best grades possible.
Our Key Stage 4 Courses are designed to cover the content and exam preparation over a 2 year period.
However if your child would like to be ready for their exams in 1 year we will cover the majority of the content within the year but we will require your child to complete additional homework and exam practice (that we will provide and support with resources). Your child may also require some additional 1:1 tuition to help fill in any gaps in their understanding of the subject they wish to sit.
The additional 1:1 lessons for IGCSEs are £30 per hour
Yes!
Our teachers design homework to be encouraging, not overwhelming and should take up to 15 minutes to do per lesson.
The homework is also designed to get them ready for the next lesson.
This will be uploaded directly to your child’s homework platform account.
We will also be sharing a homework timetable very soon.
If your child would like more homework then they are welcome to ask and we will do our best to give them what they need.
We regularly assess students in lesson and through end-of-term assessments. We also hold revision lessons where students can get comfortable dealing with exam-style questions and ultimately support them in reducing their anxiety around exams.
We will also do mock exams, twice a year, to establish where students are in their learning journey and to be able to provide recommendations as to whether we feel they are ready to sit their exams at that moment.
If they are, then we will support you to find the most appropriate exam centre and help you through the booking process.
Yes!
All of the lessons we deliver for our IGCSE subjects are sufficient for your child to attend, participate in and be ready to do well in their exams.
We normally encourage 2 years for a child to complete their IGCSEs with us. This allows students to take the learning at a healthier pace, allows for ample exam practice without overwhelming the student.
But it should be noted that we do require student participation and enthusiasm in order for them to achieve the best grades. We can provide additional homework and exercises for students who are wanting to complete their IGCSEs early.
That is totally fine. We’re ready and happy to accept students all year round.
We can provide support to students to ensure that they are able to catch up (if they are behind) by providing them with lesson recordings, additional homework or even put them into a lower class (provisionally) so that they can catch up if needed.
Enrolling FAQ
On average we are between 10-30% cheaper than other popular online schools based on the standard pricing that you can see on our fees pages.
We also offer further discounts to frontline NHS workers, single parent families, parents on benefits and more. See here for more information about Financial Support
It is quick and simple to enrol:
1) Make a free student account (takes less than 2 minutes)
We would advise parents to enrol yourself for a FREE trial lesson from within your dashboard
2) When your ready to enrol either go to My Orders in your dashboard and choose the learning plan for you
OR
Your lessons will automatically be added into your dashboard.
You will be contacted by a member of our team within 24 hours to confirm that we have received payment and are working on enrolling your child onto your chosen lesson plan or package. Please ensure your phone number and email address is up to date.
You can also start a webchat with us once paid in case email/phone isn’t your preferred method of contact.
However we would encourage a phone call initially so we can get the best understanding of your child their specific needs. We will use this information to personalise their experience with us and ensure their teachers are equipped with this information
Yes of course. We understand that your child’s future and education is nothing to be taken lightly so we want to ensure you are confident in our ability to support your child through their learning journey.
Please make a student account and you will be able to book a FREE trial lesson from within your dashboard. Click here to create your student account
You can also book for a paid trial week (which can be done from within your dashboard)
However our recommendation is to buy a Rolling Half Term contract to allow your child to really gain a real online schooling experience without committing for anything more than the half term you pay for.
Yes! It is our aim to make quality education affordable for every household.
So beyond our discounts that we offer for eligible families we also allow parents on the Annual Packages to spread the remaining outstanding fees over an agreed monthly schedule
We also offer payments to be accepted through Klarna and Paypal which allow you to spread the cost
Your lessons will automatically be added into your dashboard once you have made payment. This can take a couple of days.
You will also be sent email reminders 30 mins & 10 mins before the lesson starts as well when it has started and ended.
You can adjust these settings from within the settings panel in your student dashboard which can be found by clicking on your profile picture in the top right.
Never!
We value every single student that walks through our virtual doors. They are an individual that deserves a welcoming and kind learning environment. We will always work hard to make sure they are always having fun whilst learning.
We take student satisfaction so seriously that after each lesson, the students have the option to score the lesson out of 5 on various points. We regular review this data and look into addressing any areas of improvement or concern as a priority. This could also involve speaking to yourself and your child to ask how we can better support them 🙂
No 🙂
To help make education more financially viable for families we have removed the need for any deposits or enrolment fees to be paid.
Yes! It is a very simple process to deregister your child from their school.
All it takes is an official letter sent by you to the school and you will be legally allowed to home educate your child.
You can find out more information and a template for how to do this in our Student Handbook
All our teachers are SEN trained and have experience in making lessons engaging while teaching students with different needs.
We have a lot of students who may have anxiety, depression, demand avoidance, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and autism.
Our teaching style is focused around creating a calm environment for students, helping them understand the concepts at the core of the matter and providing regular mind breaks to avoid students feeling overwhelmed.
Our timetable is also spaced out to allow adequate breaks for maximum engagement.
Our SEN lead can also provide tailored support by working with families applying for an EHCP, making a STEPs programme, completing a One-Page profile and further determine how to best help your child access their learning.
Yes! You can request for a comprehensive assessment of your child’s progress whilst at The Online School. This report will be good enough for any school to read and be able to understand your child’s strengths, weaknesses and what they need to work on next according to the UK curriculum.
We have no minimum number of subjects that you must enrol for. We would rather that students enrol for the subjects they are motivated to learn.
We would also advise parents to ease their child into our school by potentially enrolling them for 1-3 subjects to begin with. This will help reduce their anxiety and help them get comfortable before you add in more subjects if you so wish.
However the more subjects you choose, the more savings you make.
You request a cancellation with 1 or 2 full half term’s notice if you are on the Annual Package i.e. If you were currently in the 1st half of Spring Term (and the term had started), then you would be able to cancel at the end of the 2nd half of Spring Term if you have given 2 or more month’s upfront as your first payment. But your notice must be given to us in writing before the start of 2nd half of Spring Term.
If you are on a Half Termly Contract then you cancel within the same Half Term without any notice. But you will not receive any refund for the current Half Term you are attending.
That is absolutely fine! Your plan is completely customisable and you can add lessons at any point. The system will automatically generate a new invoice reflecting the increase in lessons enrolled in.
In accordance with our terms and conditions, we do not offer any refunds once you have made payment with us and have access to your dashboard for the current half term. Beyond that you are eligible for a refund if you are on an Annual Contract and give us 1 or 2 full half term’s notice before you wish your payments to stop (depending on the amount you pay upfront). In this case you will receive a refund.
Term Dates & Certificates FAQ
Our summer trials are running from the 11th to the 28th August 2025.
Our next academic year will start on Monday 8th September 2025. The full schedule of our term dates can be found here
For all of our students who are enrolled with us for at least a full term will receive a certificate with their subjects, grades and progress marks.
For students who might have additional needs, our SEN lead can help tailor a plan to better support their learning. This can be in the form of a STEPs plan, One-Page profile amongst other.
Upon enrolling, please reach out to us, so we can open communication and make a plan on how to best support your child.
Yes! You can request for a comprehensive assessment of your child’s progress whilst at The Online School. This report will be good enough for any school to read and be able to understand your child’s strengths, weaknesses and what they need to work on next according to the UK curriculum.
Teachers, Classrooms & Learning Style FAQ
Our teachers have real classroom experience but beyond that they have expert online classroom experience (which is a totally different skill to master).
They are all fully DBS checked and we follow safe recruitment processes to ensure we are finding the best talent to support your children.
All of our staff are SEN trained, the teachers love to smile and come with amazing energy every single day in order to get the best out of their students.
Find out more about our teachers by clicking here
Only if they are comfortable doing so. Students have a range of ways to interact with us in lessons, such as:
Public Chat
Private Chat
Polls
Whiteboard
Camera / mic
Students will be encouraged to use any of these, however, all teachers understand that everyone is different and will never make a student feel pressured or anxious about doing anything they don’t feel comfortable doing.
Click here to find out more about how we teach in lessons.
The Online School doesn’t believe that students should sit in front of a screen for a whole day because this would just be a disengaging experience (just like a whole day of school would also be too much for them). We believe in delivering no more than 4 hours of learning per day, this allows students to be excited about learning, retain more information and be able to enjoy the rest of their day. We also make sure that there are enough breaks between lessons to give students an opportunity to decompress and/or make notes, and support their learning journey.
To learn more about our timetables, follow this link.
We are currently working towards our Ofsted accreditation.
Also, we are accredited by the REC to ensure our teacher recruitment practices are strong. All of our teachers have education qualifications that are acknowledged and accepted in the UK.
We offer every child a FREE trial lesson which allows them to gain confidence with our platform, learning environment and people. You can also get a paid trial week to ensure that the way we support your child fits their schedule and rhythm.
We provide multiple ways for your child to interact with their teacher both inside of lessons and outside. Inside the lesson they can make use of the public and private chats as well as answer polls to let the teacher know their thoughts. They can also reach out to their Happiness Manager, who is an additional member of staff and is there to support with any questions and to resolve any issues.
Students can also revisit lesson content by watching the lesson recordings and request to move to more or less challenging classes based on how their current experience is going.
Teachers also provide comments about the work students have been sharing in lessons.
There is also a classroom messaging board for each subject so students can talk about the questions that they are stuck on.
We also provide revision sessions on a weekly basis to help cover questions that students may have been struggling with.
Our teachers constantly assess student’s learning in live lessons by monitoring and giving feedback on answers to polls, private messages sent or thoughts / ideas / questions shared in the public chat. The more a student is able to interact with the teacher within the lesson, the easier it is for the teacher to provide frequent feedback on how that student is doing in that particular subject.
Of course, not all students are comfortable interacting in lessons. So feedback will also be provided based on homework that has been completed and submitted as well as end-of-term assessments that students complete at the end of each half term.
Termly reports give an overall picture of the student’s learning journey with feedback for each subject and will include proposed next steps.
Yes, here are some links to some recordings of past lessons to give you a flavour. Please do remember though, that recordings are just not the same as a live, vibrant classroom environment.
We look forward to seeing you in one of our live classes.
Yes of course. We understand that your child’s future and education is nothing to be taken lightly so we want to ensure you are confident in our ability to support your child through their learning journey.
Please make a student account and you will be able to book a FREE trial lesson from within your dashboard. Click here to create your student account
You can also book for a paid trial week (which can be done from within your dashboard)
However our recommendation is to buy a Rolling Half Term contract to allow your child to really gain a real online schooling experience without committing for anything more than the half term you pay for.
We regularly provide training to our teachers with the latest tips on how to get the best out of their students.
We use games / quizzes / a variety of activities to keep students interested. We also use a range of ways to interact with lessons such as polls and whiteboard access. But most importantly, teachers keep lessons engaging by sharing their passion for the subject and promoting discussion as well as creating a safe and kind learning environment where students can feel comfortable to ask any questions they might have.
We also seek student feedback on what works for them, to keep them engaged and we pass along that information back to our curriculum developers and teachers. This creates a positive feedback loop, where we are constantly improving our lessons and engagement.
Our classes generally range between 25 – 30 students. But this depends on the subject and/or class set.
Sometimes students do much better in bigger classroom settings because they thrive off the energy of the other students. Also being in a bigger class allows shy students to benefit from the questions other students may ask.
The size of the classes depends on the student numbers and the class set (for core subjects). We will always aim to have around 30 students max in one lesson.
Also, the most important thing is to tailor the lessons to the adequate learning pace for the student. This might mean moving to either a smaller or larger class, however, with the support of the teacher and Happiness Manager team, there will always be support available for every student, regardless of class size.
Please follow this link to learn more about our Class Sets.
For students who might have additional needs, our SEN lead can help tailor a plan to better support their learning. This can be in the form of a STEPs plan, One-Page profile amongst other.
Upon enrolling, please reach out to us, so we can open communication and make a plan on how to best support your child.
Yes! We have successfully helped students pass their iGCSEs.
Our comprehensive learning plans and packages allow you to choose the subjects you wish for your child to learn. We will then ensure our amazing teaching staff help provide all of the knowledge and exam prep they will need to do really well.
Naturally, this does require enthusiasm from the student. But TheOnlineSchool.uk will be providing adequate resources and support to get your child to be happy, excited about learning and to achieve good grades.
Although being a virtual school implies that the physical and social aspect of learning is different to a main stream school, we do provide social opportunities for students such as weekly after school clubs, a buddy system, half-termly meet up events, and many more.
Please click here to find out more about how socialisation works in our school.
The teacher checks all homework completed by your child as well as provide feedback about the work they do in class. Also, all lessons are moderated by a Happiness Manager team member, to ensure they run smoothly and that the teacher is consistently meeting our high standards.
Our students receive regular assessments to make sure they are on target to reach their individual goals and we issue Certificates of Achievement to help keep them motivated (in KS2). We do end-of-term assessments for each subject in KS3 and KS4.
Parents receive updates on their child’s progress after every lesson which includes details on their attendance, interaction and if they earned any stars. We will also reach out to parents if there are any reasons for concern.
You will also receive a termly student report which will showcase what your child was able to do at the beginning of the period and what they can now achieve as a result of the work they have done with us. This report will be sufficient proof to your local home education authority.
We also host year group parent evenings where you have the ability to speak to our staff and hear personalised feedback on your child
All our teachers are SEN trained and have experience in making lessons engaging while teaching students with different needs.
We have a lot of students who may have anxiety, depression, demand avoidance, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and autism.
Our teaching style is focused around creating a calm environment for students, helping them understand the concepts at the core of the matter and providing regular mind breaks to avoid students feeling overwhelmed.
Our timetable is also spaced out to allow adequate breaks for maximum engagement.
Our SEN lead can also provide tailored support by working with families applying for an EHCP, making a STEPs programme, completing a One-Page profile and further determine how to best help your child access their learning.
Students are placed into a Tortoise or Hare class set for each core subject upon enrolment. Then, depending on how they are doing in lessons, we can move them to a different set.
Teachers are constantly assessing student work in lessons, based on the answers they provide during live lessons. We will also take into consideration homework submitted and end-of-term assessments before making a recommendation to move a student to a different class set.
We will always reach out to parents if there is a concern about a student’s learning level and open communication to see how to best support them.
