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 we have three class types:
Dragon – To help students who have just finished primary school and are trying to make the jump to secondary school, or may have already been in secondary school but may have some gaps in their learning. You can see this as the equivalent of Year 7.
Tortoise – Great for confident students who are comfortable with their primary school education that haven’t yet started their iGCSEs. You can see this as the equivalent of Year 8.
Hare – Perfect for students that are getting ready to start their iGCSEs. You can see this as the equivalent of Year 9.
For Key Stage 4 we have two class types:
Tortoise – Great for confident students who are comfortable with Key Stage 3 and are ready to start iGCSE level learning. You can see this as the equivalent of Year 10.
Hare – Perfect for students that are getting ready to sit their iGCSE exams. You can see this as the equivalent of Year 11.
We place students based on their ability as opposed to their age and constantly observe how they are performing. If they’re doing well at their current level, we’ll be happy to move them onto the next class up.
Booking exams is a conversation that you would need to have with our exams office.
The first thing to do is, to send an email to
info@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 as yet, but we can help you find the most convenient test centre for your family and help you make the booking.
Yes!
There is a half termly report that is updated daily, where your child’s information, attendance, interaction, grades and comments from the teacher are all included.
All you have to do is go into your dashboard and go to payments, and then once your payment date is up, the invoice will be made available.
You are now also able to pay invoice earlier than the actual payment date.
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.
We are also creating a one-to-one message board where you will be able to message our team and the teachers directly and privately with any questions that you may have.
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 feels that they may need to go off on a tangent to cover up any prior knowledge that students may not have, then they might do so.
We will be uploading the full curriculum for the next academic year on the website soon.
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.
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.
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 of the core subjects: English, Maths, the Sciences, Spanish, Geography, History, and Psychology. Students will prepare for their IGCSE exams under the Edexcel Exam Board
We also teach Coding, Life Skills which aren’t IGCSEs but will broaden student horizons and understanding
As exams approach, our lessons will be focussed on exam practice, how to answer exam-style questions and ensuring that your child has the knowledge and is 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 shared directly in your student dashboard and you will be able to see the marks and teacher comments from within the same place.
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 throughout the learning cycle with ourselves. This is to ensure they get comfortable dealing with exam style questions and will ultimately support to reduce their anxiety around exams.
We will also do mock exams to establish where students are and to be able to provide recommendations as to whether we feel they are ready to sit their exams yet.
If they are 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 where you could make up to a further 35% saving (if eligible). 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 with their own beautiful needs and we will always work hard to make sure they are always having fun whilst learning.
We take student satisfacction 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
Yes! We have successfully helped students pass their IGCSEs, A-Levels and even secured them places in univerisities.
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 provided adequate resources and support to get your child to be happy, excited about learning and to achieve good grades.
All our teachers are SEND trained and have experience in engaging and teaching students with all needs.
We have a lot of students who may have anxiety, depression, demand avoidance, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and autism.
Our teaching style is focussed 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 over whelmed.
Our timetable is also spaced out to allow adequate breaks for maximum engagement.
Our classes are also based on ability rather than age group so we can tailor your child’s lessons to their individual needs.
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.
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
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.
Our last day of the Summer term is Thursday 20th July 2023.
Our summer school will then commence from 31st July for 4 weeks.
Our next academic year will then start on Monday 4th September 2023. The full schedule of our term dates can be found here
Every pupil receives a tailor made plan when they join The Online School. The plan includes goal setting and an initial assessment followed by regular assessments to ensure your child is on target to meet their goals.
Yes! We have successfully helped students pass their IGCSEs, A-Levels and even secured them places in univerisities.
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 provided adequate resources and support to get your child to be happy, excited about learning and to achieve good grades.
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 safer recruitment processes to ensure we are finding the best talent to support your children.
All of our staff are SEND 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
Not if they’re not comfortable. Students have a range of ways to interact with us in the classroom, such as:
Cameras
Microphones
Chatbox
Voting
So students will be encouraged to use all of these where possible 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.
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
There is no official accreditation for online schooling in the UK just yet. But be sure that as soon as it is that we will be the first ones there to ensure we lead by example. But you can rest assured that 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 by 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 lesson and outside. This includes having an additional member of staff who they can reach out to, using private messages and interacting using polls.
Students can also revisit lesson content using recordings and request to move to more or less challenging classes based on how their current experience is going.
We also provide marks for homework and half termly targets to help motivate them.
There is also a public 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.
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.
Click here to see a snippet of one of our latest tips sheet for delivering awesome lessons online
Our classes generally range between 12-17 students. But generally this has a lot to do with the students, their ability to gel with their teacher and peers.
Sometimes students do much better in bigger classroom settings because they thrive of the energy of the other students. Also being in a bigger class allows shy students to benefit from the questions other students may ask.
In other cases we may also reduce the class sizes to below 12 if we feel that student performance could be better with a small cohort of students. In which case we make the classes smaller.
There is no 1-size-fits-all, we do what works best for our students and we will always work with this approach.
Every pupil receives a tailor made plan when they join The Online School. The plan includes goal setting and an initial assessment followed by regular assessments to ensure your child is on target to meet their goals.
Yes! We have successfully helped students pass their IGCSEs, A-Levels and even secured them places in univerisities.
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 provided adequate resources and support to get your child to be happy, excited about learning and to achieve good grades.
The teacher checks all homework completed by your child. Also, all lessons are moderated by a member of the in-house The Online School team 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.
Parents receive updates on their child’s progress after every lesson which includes details their attendance, participation and if they earned any rewards or 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 do termly open evenings where you have the ability to speak to our staff and hear personalised feedback on your child
All our teachers are SEND trained and have experience in engaging and teaching students with all needs.
We have a lot of students who may have anxiety, depression, demand avoidance, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and autism.
Our teaching style is focussed 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 over whelmed.
Our timetable is also spaced out to allow adequate breaks for maximum engagement.
Our classes are also based on ability rather than age group so we can tailor your child’s lessons to their individual needs.
