For most UK families choosing an online school for 2027, CambriLearn is the strongest all-round choice. It teaches children from age 4 to 19 in one school, runs live timetabled lessons with qualified subject teachers, and publishes every fee by subject before you speak to anyone. An International GCSE subject costs $1,185 a year on CambriLearn's Premium package in 2027, about £890, so eight subjects come to about £7,119, just under King's InterHigh's £7,250 GCSE year. The Standard package costs $600 a subject, about £451, or about half the Premium fee. Six other schools belong on a UK shortlist, and this guide sets out what each one costs, how it teaches and which family it suits.
CambriLearn publishes this guide, so weigh the verdict knowing who wrote it. Every fee below comes from each school's own published fee information, checked between September and November 2026, and where another school does something CambriLearn does not, the guide says so. King's InterHigh and Minerva's Virtual Academy hold DfE accreditation and CambriLearn does not, and King's InterHigh runs its own exam centre.
The short answer
The right online school depends on your child's age, how much live teaching they need and whether you want a full timetable or single subjects. Find the description closest to your family.
- You want live lessons, published per-subject fees and one school from age 4 to 19. Choose CambriLearn. An International GCSE subject costs $600 a year on Standard in 2027, and families who enrol by 30 November 2026 keep the 2026 fee of $565.
- DfE accreditation is your first filter, or your child wants the IB Diploma. Choose King's InterHigh, accredited by the DfE in January 2026, at £7,250 for a GCSE year and £10,990 for the IB.
- Your child needs one adult checking in every week. Minerva's Virtual Academy pairs live lessons with a weekly one-to-one mentor for ages 11 to 18, at £9,365 a year.
- You want a full live timetable in the middle of the market. Queen's Online School charges £6,399 for GCSE and A Level years and promises to match a lower fee from a comparable school.
- Your teenager is academically ambitious and works well alone between lessons. Highgrove Online School teaches GCSE and A Level through flipped learning in small, selective classes.
- Your child studies well alone and you would rather pay per course. Wolsey Hall Oxford runs no live timetabled lessons, and eight International GCSEs over two years cost £6,245 on its April 2026 fee list.
- You want the smallest live classes and will pay for them. Cambridge Home School Online caps classes at ten and charges £10,950 a year.
Seven UK online schools compared
This table compares seven UK online schools on age range, teaching model, qualifications, accreditation, published fees and exam arrangements, using each school's own figures. On a phone, each school appears as a card.
| School | Ages | How lessons run | Qualifications | Accreditation | Published fees | Exams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CambriLearnPublisher of this guide | 4 to 19 | Live timetabled lessons with qualified subject teachers. Standard or Premium support chosen per subject | Pearson Edexcel International GCSE and International A Level, the International British Curriculum and US K-12, six pathways in all | Cognia accredited. Approved Pearson Edexcel centre. US K-12 courses NCAA approved. Not part of the DfE scheme | $600 per International GCSE subject on Standard in 2027 (about £451), $1,185 on Premium (about £890). 2026 fees kept for 2027 if you enrol by 30 November 2026 | Private candidate at a registered centre near home. Exam Officers help with the centre, subject codes and deadlines |
| King's InterHigh | 7 to 19 | Live lessons across three time zones, with a 24/7 recording library | Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel International GCSE, A Level, IB Diploma | DfE accredited, 30 January 2026. Cambridge International School. Pearson Edexcel Approved Online Centre | 2026/27 annual contract: £4,395 primary, £5,995 Years 7 to 9, £7,250 GCSE, £7,585 A Level (three subjects), £10,990 IB. £100 registration, £500 UK deposit | Runs its own exam centre. Pearson Edexcel papers online or in person. Centre fees extra |
| Minerva's Virtual Academy | 11 to 18 | Live lessons plus a weekly one-to-one mentor session | Pearson Edexcel International GCSE, International A Level | DfE accredited, July 2024 to July 2027 | £9,365 a year, VAT included, covering a £930 deposit and £95 subscription. £3,550 a term for UK families paying termly | Exam entry fees extra. Ask for the centre process in writing |
| Queen's Online School | 7 to 18 | Daily live lessons with a wellbeing mentor | GCSE, International GCSE and A Level with Pearson Edexcel | Pearson Edexcel approved centre. Registered UCAS centre | £3,999 primary, £5,249 Key Stage 3, £6,399 GCSE and A Level. £99 registration, £500 advance payment | Ask for the centre process and fees in writing |
| Highgrove Online School | Years 7 to 13 | Flipped learning: independent study plus small live classes each week. Weekly coaching for full-time pupils | GCSE, A Level, EPQ | Check the DfE register | Varies by programme, full-time or part-time | Ask for the centre process and fees in writing |
| Wolsey Hall Oxford | Age 4 to A Level | Distance learning with tutor-marked assignments. No live timetabled lessons | Cambridge International and Pearson Edexcel International GCSE and A Level | Check the DfE register | Priced per course. Eight International GCSEs over two years: £6,245 (April 2026 list) | Families book their own centre, with guidance |
| Cambridge Home School Online | About 5 to 19 | Every lesson live, classes capped at ten. Selective admissions | International GCSE and A Level | Check the DfE register | £10,950 a year for Lower School, Upper School and Sixth Form. Primary quoted separately | Ask for the centre process and fees in writing |
Fees as each school publishes them for 2026/27, checked between September and November 2026. CambriLearn's figures are its 2027 fees, charged in US dollars and shown in pounds at the ECB reference rate of 29 October 2026, $1.3317 to the pound. Exam centre fees are extra at every school.
Why CambriLearn comes first
CambriLearn leads this guide on measures any parent can check in an afternoon: the age range it teaches, live teaching in every subject, fees published by subject with support chosen subject by subject, accreditation that applies wherever a family lives, and reviews on four independent sites.
One school from age 4 to 19
CambriLearn teaches from age 4 through to A Level, the widest range of the live-taught schools in this guide. King's InterHigh and Queen's Online School start at 7, and Minerva's Virtual Academy and Highgrove start at secondary. A family with a six-year-old and a fifteen-year-old deals with one admissions team, one fee list and one parent login. Read how CambriLearn's online school for UK families runs day to day.
Live lessons with a qualified subject teacher
Every CambriLearn subject runs live to a published timetable, taught by a qualified teacher who specialises in that subject. Teachers record lessons where the timetable says so, mark work and give feedback, and the school tracks progress and sends you alerts. Check lesson times against your family's day on the published timetables before you enrol.
Support chosen subject by subject
CambriLearn sells two levels of support for each International GCSE and A Level subject. Standard covers live lessons, teacher marking and feedback, and progress tracking. Premium adds direct chat with the teacher and live teacher Q&A sessions. You choose per subject, so a child can take Premium in maths and chemistry and Standard in the rest. Of the seven schools here, CambriLearn is the only one that sets the support level subject by subject.
Fees published by subject, in five currencies
CambriLearn publishes its 2027 fees for every subject on one page, in rand, dollars, pounds, dirhams and euros, with no enquiry form in the way. CambriLearn charges International British and Pearson Edexcel fees in US dollars, so the pound figure moves with the exchange rate. For 2027, an International GCSE subject costs $600 a year on Standard and $1,185 on Premium, and an AS or A Level subject costs $655 or $1,380. Registration is a one-off $95, and paying in ten monthly instalments adds 18% to the upfront price.
Families who enrol or re-enrol by 23:59 SAST on Monday 30 November 2026 keep 2026 fees for the 2027 school year: $565 for an International GCSE subject on Standard and $1,115 on Premium. The first instalment, or 10% of an upfront payment, secures that fee and is not refundable.
Accreditation that applies wherever you live
CambriLearn is accredited by Cognia, which reviews schools as institutions, and is an approved Pearson Edexcel examination centre. Its US K-12 courses are NCAA approved, which matters for student athletes aiming at American college sport. The DfE scheme covers pupils who live in England, so it does not apply to families in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or abroad, while Cognia accreditation applies in every country where CambriLearn teaches. See what CambriLearn's accreditation covers.
CambriOS and CambriCommunity
CambriOS is the software CambriLearn built for its own school, launched on 3 August 2026. It joins four connected school experiences under one login: CambriCampus for lessons and recordings, CambriPathways for curriculum routes, CambriCommunity for clubs and meetups, and CambriCommand, the parent view of attendance and progress. Parents can also connect their own AI assistant to their CambriLearn account. CambriOS comes with every enrolment at no extra charge.
CambriCommunity runs clubs, activities and real-world meetups. Online community access starts at age 12, and events welcome every age.
Reviews on four independent sites
Parents rate CambriLearn 4.8 out of 5 from more than 390 reviews across Google, HelloPeter, Reviews.io and Facebook, and none of the four sites rates the school below 4.7 (checked 29 October 2026). You can open each listing from the parent reviews page. CambriLearn has taught more than 80,000 students in over 100 countries since 2008.
What a GCSE year costs in 2027
A full GCSE year at a live online school costs from about £3,600 to £10,950 in tuition before exam fees. Registration, deposits and the exchange rate move the total, so this table shows the first-year cost at each school for a full GCSE load.
| School | What the fee covers | Tuition | Registration and deposit | First year before exam fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CambriLearn StandardPublisher of this guide | Eight International GCSE subjects, 2027 fees | $4,800 (about £3,604) | $95 registration (about £71) | About £3,676 |
| CambriLearn PremiumPublisher of this guide | Eight International GCSE subjects, 2027 fees | $9,480 (about £7,119) | $95 registration (about £71) | About £7,190 |
| Queen's Online School | GCSE year, 2026/27 | £6,399 | £99 registration, £500 advance payment | £6,498, plus the advance payment |
| King's InterHigh | GCSE annual contract, eight subjects, 2026/27 | £7,250 | £100 registration, £500 deposit for UK students | £7,350, plus the deposit |
| Minerva's Virtual Academy | Full year, 2026/27, VAT included | £9,365 | Included: £930 deposit and £95 subscription | £9,365 |
| Cambridge Home School Online | Upper School year, 2026/27 | £10,950 | Confirm with the school | £10,950, before other charges |
| Wolsey Hall Oxford | Eight International GCSEs over two years, no live lessons, April 2026 list | £6,245 for the course | One-off registration fee | About £3,123 a year |
Enrol by 23:59 SAST on 30 November 2026 and CambriLearn's 2027 tuition falls to $4,520 on Standard (about £3,394) or $8,920 on Premium (about £6,698). Paying CambriLearn in ten instalments adds 18%. King's InterHigh has also published 2027/28 fees, so check the year your child starts. Pounds use the ECB reference rate of 29 October 2026, $1.3317 to the pound.
Exam centre fees sit outside every figure in that table. King's InterHigh puts its centre fees at £150 to £200 a qualification, and a London centre that takes private candidates charges £200 to £230 for most Pearson Edexcel International GCSE subjects, so eight subjects add about £1,600 to £1,840. The specification changes that bill too. Pearson Edexcel examines International GCSE sciences through written papers, with no separate practical to book, and a UK GCSE science with practicals costs more than double at the same London centre. Our breakdown of what GCSEs cost to study remotely works through every charge.
What DfE accreditation means for an online school
DfE accreditation means an online school has passed the Department for Education's Online Education Accreditation Scheme, a voluntary scheme for providers of full-time online education to pupils of compulsory school age in England. Ofsted visits each applicant, checks it against the DfE's online education standards and publishes a report, and the DfE decides whether to accredit the school, normally for three years.
No online school holds an Ofsted grade. The visit ends in a pass or a fail against the standards, and nothing in the scheme ranks one accredited school above another. Accreditation also covers only pupils who live in England. A school can be missing from the register because it never applied, sits outside the scheme or has an application in progress, so ask which.
Of the schools in this guide, King's InterHigh gained accreditation on 30 January 2026 after an Ofsted visit in December 2025, and Minerva's Virtual Academy in July 2024. Academy21, King's InterHigh's sister school for alternative provision, became the first accredited provider in March 2024.
| Accreditation | Who awards it | What it checks | Held by schools in this guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| DfE Online Education Accreditation Scheme | Department for Education, with Ofsted visiting for quality assurance | Full-time online education for pupils of compulsory school age who live in England: teaching, safeguarding, welfare and leadership. Voluntary, and normally lasts three years | King's InterHigh (January 2026), Minerva's Virtual Academy (July 2024). Academy21 was first, in March 2024 |
| Cognia accreditation | Cognia | The school as an institution: governance, teaching, learning and how it improves, in any country | CambriLearn |
| Exam board centre approval | Pearson Edexcel or Cambridge International | That a school meets the board's requirements to offer its qualifications | Pearson Edexcel: CambriLearn, King's InterHigh, Queen's Online School. Cambridge: King's InterHigh |
| Ofsted graded inspection | Ofsted | Registered schools with premises, graded from Outstanding to Inadequate | No online school. A DfE accreditation visit ends in a pass or a fail |
The government lists every DfE-accredited online provider on Get Information about Schools.
Accreditation of the school and recognition of the qualification are separate questions, so ask both. A CambriLearn student who sits Pearson Edexcel International GCSEs receives the same certificate from Pearson as a student at any other Pearson Edexcel school.
International GCSE, GCSE and the sixth-form question
An International GCSE is the version of the GCSE that Pearson Edexcel and Cambridge International set for schools outside England's state sector, and UK universities and sixth forms accept it as equivalent to a GCSE. Most online schools enter students for International GCSEs because a private candidate can sit most subjects through written papers alone, without a centre supervising coursework or practicals. CambriLearn teaches online International GCSEs on both its Pearson Edexcel and International British pathways.
Sixth form is where UK-resident families need the small print. Pearson's information manual says International A Levels are not available to candidates studying in the UK, although its centre guide lists online schools among the places that can offer them. Until Pearson settles that for UK-resident students at online schools, any online sixth form should tell you in one sentence which A Level a UK-resident student sits, with which board, and where. CambriLearn's sixth form teaches Pearson Edexcel International A Levels, with exam sessions in October, January and June, which suit students living outside the UK. If you live in the UK, ask the admissions team to confirm the route for your child before you enrol. Our guide to comparing online A Level schools covers the wider choice, and you can see how online A Levels run at CambriLearn.
Who arranges the exams
Online school students sit their exams at a registered exam centre, and schools differ in how much of the booking they do for you. Some run their own centre, and others help you register as a private candidate at a centre near home.
King's InterHigh runs its own exam centre and offers Pearson Edexcel papers online or in person, with centre fees paid on top of tuition. CambriLearn is an approved Pearson Edexcel centre, and its students sit the papers as private candidates at a registered centre near home, with CambriLearn's Exam Officers helping to choose the centre, confirm subject codes and components, and track entry deadlines. Wolsey Hall Oxford families book their own centre, with guidance. For Minerva's Virtual Academy, Queen's Online School, Highgrove and Cambridge Home School Online, ask for the written process and the centre fee before you sign. Start about six months before the exams, because one London centre closes entries for June 2027 on 15 February 2027. Read how exam entries work at CambriLearn, pathway by pathway.
The other six schools
Each school below suits a particular family better than CambriLearn does, and each profile ends with that family.
King's InterHigh
King's InterHigh is one of the largest UK online schools, part of the Inspired Education group, teaching ages 7 to 19 with live lessons across three time zones and a 24/7 library of recordings. It offers Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel International GCSEs, A Levels and what it describes as the first fully online IB Diploma Programme. The DfE accredited it on 30 January 2026. Its 2026/27 annual contract costs £4,395 for primary, £5,995 for Years 7 to 9, £7,250 for GCSE and £7,585 for three A Levels, with a £100 registration fee, a £500 deposit for UK students and £835 for each extra GCSE subject. It has published 2027/28 fees too, so check the year your child starts. It suits families who want DfE accreditation or the IB. See CambriLearn and King's InterHigh side by side.
Minerva's Virtual Academy
Minerva's Virtual Academy teaches ages 11 to 18 and pairs live lessons with a weekly one-to-one session with a personal mentor. Most students sit Pearson Edexcel International GCSEs and then International A Levels in the sixth form, and the DfE accredited the school in July 2024, with accreditation running to July 2027. The 2026/27 fee is £9,365 a year including VAT, which covers a £930 deposit and a £95 annual subscription, and UK families paying termly pay £3,550 a term. Exam entry fees are extra and there is no primary school. It suits a child who does better with one named adult tracking their week.
Queen's Online School
Queen's Online School teaches ages 7 to 18 with daily live lessons and a wellbeing mentor, through GCSE, International GCSE and A Level with Pearson Edexcel. Its 2026/27 fees are £3,999 for primary, £5,249 for Key Stage 3 and £6,399 for GCSE and A Level years, with a £99 registration fee and a £500 advance payment, and it promises to match a lower fee from a comparable school. It is a Pearson Edexcel approved centre and a registered UCAS centre. Its first GCSE cohort sat exams in summer 2026, so its results record is short. It suits a family that wants a full live timetable at a mid-market price. See Queen's Online School compared with CambriLearn.
Highgrove Online School
Heather Rhodes, the former principal of Harrow School Online, founded Highgrove Online School, which teaches GCSE, A Level and the EPQ through flipped learning. Pupils work through course material on their own and join small live classes each week to apply it, full-time pupils get a weekly coaching session, and group classes select on academic ability. From September 2026 it teaches Years 7 to 9 as well. Fees vary by programme and by full-time or part-time study, so ask for the current list. It suits an academically ambitious teenager who works well between lessons.
Wolsey Hall Oxford
Wolsey Hall Oxford has taught by distance learning since 1894. Students work through structured course material with a tutor who marks assignments and answers questions, and there are no live timetabled lessons. It teaches from age 4 to A Level on Cambridge International and Pearson Edexcel courses and prices per course: on its April 2026 fee list, eight International GCSEs taken over two years cost £6,245, about £3,123 a year. Families book their own exam centre. It suits a self-directed teenager whose parent can hold the routine at home.
Cambridge Home School Online
Cambridge Home School Online has taught since 2002, with every lesson live and classes capped at ten. It charges £10,950 a year for Lower School, Upper School and Sixth Form, the highest fee in this guide, and quotes primary separately. Admissions are selective. It suits families who want the smallest live classes on the market and will pay for them.
Seven questions to ask before you enrol
Take these questions to every open evening and consultation, including ours, and ask for the answers in writing.
- Which qualification will my child sit in each subject, with which board, and where does a UK-resident student sit the papers?
- Do you run an exam centre, and if not, who books one and what does it charge per subject?
- Which lessons are live, and how does my child catch up on a missed one?
- How many students are in a typical live class for my child's year group?
- What does a full year cost once tuition, registration, deposit, technology charges, exam fees and books are added?
- Does the DfE scheme cover my family, and which other accreditation do you hold?
- What does the school run beyond lessons, and how many students take part?
A school that answers all seven in writing gives you a fair comparison with the rest. For a longer checklist, work through our ten questions for choosing an online school.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best online school in the UK for 2027?
For most UK families, CambriLearn is the strongest all-round choice for 2027. It teaches ages 4 to 19 in one school, runs live timetabled lessons with qualified subject teachers, and publishes its fees by subject: $600 a year for an International GCSE subject on Standard, about £451, and $1,185 on Premium, about £890. King's InterHigh suits families who want DfE accreditation or the IB Diploma, Minerva's Virtual Academy suits a child who needs a weekly mentor, and Wolsey Hall Oxford suits a self-directed student who does not want live lessons.
How much does online school cost in the UK?
A full-time GCSE year at a live online school costs about £3,600 to £10,950 in tuition. CambriLearn's eight-subject International GCSE year costs $4,800 on Standard in 2027, about £3,604, and $9,480 on Premium, about £7,119. Queen's Online School charges £6,399, King's InterHigh £7,250, Minerva's Virtual Academy £9,365 and Cambridge Home School Online £10,950 for 2026/27. Exam centre fees of £150 to £230 a subject come on top at every school.
Which online schools in the UK are DfE accredited?
King's InterHigh gained accreditation under the Department for Education's Online Education Accreditation Scheme on 30 January 2026, and Minerva's Virtual Academy in July 2024. Academy21 became the first accredited provider in March 2024. The government lists accredited providers on Get Information about Schools. The scheme is voluntary and covers pupils who live in England, so a school missing from the register may never have applied. CambriLearn is not part of the scheme, and Cognia accredits it.
Does Ofsted inspect online schools?
Ofsted does not grade online schools. Under the DfE's voluntary accreditation scheme, Ofsted inspectors visit an applicant, check it against the online education standards for teaching, safeguarding and welfare, and publish a report. The DfE then decides whether to accredit the school, normally for three years. The outcome is a pass or a fail against the standards, with no Outstanding-to-Inadequate judgement.
Will UK universities accept International GCSEs from an online school?
Yes. UK universities and sixth forms accept International GCSEs from Pearson Edexcel and Cambridge International as equivalent to GCSEs, and the certificate does not record where or how a student studied. Check the A Level route before sixth form if you live in the UK, because Pearson's information manual says International A Levels are not available to candidates studying in the UK.
Who books the exams for online school students?
That depends on the school. King's InterHigh runs its own exam centre and offers Pearson Edexcel papers online or in person. CambriLearn students sit as private candidates at a registered centre near home, and CambriLearn's Exam Officers help with the centre, subject codes and deadlines. Wolsey Hall Oxford families book their own centre. Start about six months before the exams, because centres close entries early in the year.
Can my child study only some subjects online?
Yes, at some schools. CambriLearn prices every International GCSE and A Level subject on its own, so you can enrol your child in one subject or eight and choose Standard or Premium support for each. Wolsey Hall Oxford sells single courses, King's InterHigh offers a three-subject package for home-educating families, and Highgrove Online School runs part-time GCSE and A Level options.
Is online school legal in the UK?
Yes. Parents across the UK may educate a child outside school, provided the education is full-time and suitable. In England and Wales you deregister in most cases by writing to the school, in Scotland you need your council's consent to withdraw a child from a state school, and Northern Ireland sets its own rules through the Education Authority. A child at an online school is home educated in law, so your council can ask about their education. Our guide to home education rules in the UK sets out each nation's rules.
How do children make friends at an online school?
Through their classes and through what the school runs outside them. CambriLearn students join live lessons with a class and a subject teacher, and CambriCommunity adds clubs, activities and real-world meetups, with online community access from age 12 and events for every age. Ask any school what its clubs involve, how many students take part and whether it runs meetups near you.
Bring the seven questions above when you book a consultation with a CambriLearn education consultant. Families who enrol by 23:59 SAST on 30 November 2026 keep 2026 fees for 2027.