Online school covers everything from an accredited school with timetabled lessons and qualified teachers to a website selling video courses. From the outside, the two can look almost identical. The questions below are how you tell them apart.
This guide is written for families in the UK, the UAE and anywhere else outside South Africa, including families who move between countries. If you are choosing in South Africa, read our South African guide instead, because the curricula, examination bodies and registration rules there are specific enough to need their own page.
The ten questions
Ask every school on your shortlist the same ten questions, in writing if you can. The answers are easy to compare when they sit side by side, and a school that cannot answer one of them clearly has told you something.
If you only have time for one, ask the first. Most poor choices start with a family picking a school and then discovering what qualification it leads to.
Start with the exit
Decide where your child is going after school before you decide where they go to school.
A child heading for a UK university needs qualifications UK universities know, which in practice means International GCSEs followed by A levels, or an equivalent the university lists. A child who may return to a national system needs a qualification that system will accept for entry, which is worth confirming with that system before you commit. A family that moves every two or three years needs a qualification that travels, and needs to know the child can sit the exams in whichever country they end up in.
Work backwards from that. The qualification tells you the curriculum. The curriculum tells you which schools are in the running. Only then do teaching style and timetable become the deciding factors.
For International GCSEs and A levels, ask two further questions. Which exam board's qualification does the school teach towards? And is the school an approved centre for that board, or will your child sit the exams as a private candidate at an external centre? Neither answer is wrong, but the second means you will be finding and booking a centre yourself, and you should know that before you start. Our guide to finding an exam centre covers how that works.
What "online school" can mean
Three quite different things share the name.
An online school with live lessons. Your child is enrolled, follows a timetable, attends lessons taught by teachers in real time and works towards examinations the school prepares them for. The school carries responsibility for the curriculum and the teaching.
A recorded course programme. Your child works through pre-recorded videos and online exercises, usually without a fixed timetable. Some include tutor support by message. This suits some older, self-motivated students and leaves most of the structure to the family.
A tutoring marketplace. You book individual teachers for individual subjects. Useful for filling a gap, and a lot of work to assemble into a full education.
All three have their place. The mistake is choosing one while believing it is another, and the question about live and recorded lessons is the one that tells you which you are looking at.
How to check accreditation
Accreditation is the area where websites are least reliable, so check it at the source.
- Ask the school which organisations accredit or register it.
- Go to each organisation's own website, not the school's.
- Find its public directory or member list and search for the school by name.
- Note what the accreditation covers. Some apply to the whole school, some to particular programmes, some to the right to enter students for specific examinations.
What counts as recognised also differs between countries. An accreditation that matters to a university in one country may mean little to an employer in another. If you know where your child is likely to study or work next, check what that place recognises. Our guide to Cognia accreditation explains one of the main international accreditors in detail.
Primary and secondary are different decisions
For primary-age children, the questions shift towards you. Young children need an adult nearby during the school day, so ask how long the live lessons are, how much of the day needs supervision, and what the school expects of parents. Short lessons, a predictable routine and a teacher who knows your child by name matter more at this age than the subject list.
For secondary-age children, the questions shift towards subjects and exams. Check that every subject your child needs is taught by a specialist, that the subject combinations work for their next step, and that exam registration is handled or clearly explained. A school that is excellent for ten-year-olds may not offer the subjects a sixteen-year-old needs.
What the fee covers
Online school fees are hard to compare because they include different things. Ask for an itemised list and check each of these.
The examination rows are where families are most often surprised. For students taking several International GCSEs or A levels, exam entry and centre fees can add a significant amount on top of the annual fee, and they fall due on fixed dates.
Red flags
- No named qualification. "Internationally recognised" without the name of a qualification or exam board.
- Accreditation you cannot find. A logo on the school's site with no matching entry on the accreditor's own register.
- Vague answers about exams. If the school cannot tell you where and how your child will sit them, assume you will be working it out alone.
- Pressure to enrol quickly. A deadline that appears during the first call.
- No way to speak to a current family. A school with happy families can put you in touch with one.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose the right online school for my child? Start with the qualification your child needs to finish with, then shortlist schools that lead to it. Ask each one the same questions about accreditation, live lessons, teachers, class sizes, exams, full cost, progress reporting and leaving terms, and compare the written answers side by side.
What should I look for in an online primary school? Short live lessons, a predictable daily routine, teachers who know your child by name, and a clear statement of how much adult supervision the school expects at home. For young children, the amount of the day that needs a parent nearby matters as much as the curriculum.
How do I know if an online school is accredited? Ask the school which organisations accredit or register it, then check each organisation's own website and search its public directory for the school by name. A logo on the school's website is not evidence on its own.
How do I choose an accredited online International GCSE provider? Ask which exam board's qualifications the school teaches towards, check its accreditation on the accreditor's own register, and ask whether the school is an approved centre for that board or whether your child will sit the exams as a private candidate at an external centre.
Are live lessons better than recorded lessons? For most children, live lessons work better as the core of their schooling, because they give a timetable, a teacher and questions answered in the moment. Recorded lessons are most useful alongside live ones, so a missed or confusing lesson can be watched again.
What does an online school fee usually include? Usually live teaching and course materials. Examination entry fees, exam centre charges, enrolment fees and the device and internet connection are often separate. Ask for an itemised list before comparing schools on price.
Is online school right for my child? It suits children who need to learn from home for a reason such as frequent moves, health, a sport or performance schedule, or a school environment that is not working. It needs a reliable internet connection, a quiet place to work and, for younger children, an adult nearby during the day.
What are the warning signs of a poor online school? No named qualification, accreditation that does not appear on the accreditor's own register, vague answers about examinations, pressure to enrol quickly, and no way to speak to a current family.
Can my child switch online schools mid-year? Usually, but check the exam timetable first. A move in the final year before examinations is the riskiest point, because exam registration deadlines are fixed and a new school may not be able to enter your child in time.
Choosing CambriLearn
CambriLearn is an online school for students aged 4 to 19, teaching live timetabled lessons with specialist teachers across six curriculum pathways: the International British Curriculum, Pearson Edexcel, US K-12, CAPS, KABV and the IEB. Every lesson is recorded so a missed one can be watched later. We are accredited by Cognia and by Pearson Edexcel, registered with SACAI and with the IEB, and NCAA approved. Families have rated us 4.8 stars across Google, Reviews.io, HelloPeter and Facebook.
Ask us the ten questions above. We would rather you compared us properly than enrolled on a guess. For British curriculum families, our parent's guide to British curriculum online schools goes into the curriculum detail.
