Accreditation claims, "live lessons", and glossy websites can make every online school look the same. They're not. This guide covers the specific questions to ask, and the answers to look for, before you commit your child's education and your money.
Jump to the 10 questionsUse these on every provider call. The answers reveal more about a school than any brochure. If a provider can't answer clearly, that tells you something too.
Ask for the specific accreditation body and registration number, then verify it independently. For international curricula, look for recognised accreditation such as Cognia or Pearson Edexcel. For a national curriculum, check the country's quality-assurance body, in South Africa that means an Umalusi-accredited examining body (SACAI or IEB) for CAPS. "We're accredited" without specifics is a red flag.
There's a big difference between a school with scheduled live classes where students can ask questions, and a platform that sells you access to pre-recorded content. Ask how many live lessons per subject per week, whether they're interactive, and whether they're recorded for replay. Some providers market "live lessons" when they mean a weekly Q&A session alongside otherwise self-study materials.
Ask whether teachers hold recognised teaching degrees (BEd, PGCE, BA + teaching qualification), whether they're SACE registered (for South African curricula), and whether they teach only their specialist subject or cover multiple subjects. "Our teachers are qualified" means nothing without specifics. Ask for average years of experience too.
Auto-graded multiple choice quizzes are not the same as teacher-marked assignments with written feedback. For any curriculum leading to external examinations (CAPS, IEB, International British, Pearson Edexcel), students need practice writing extended answers and receiving feedback on their reasoning, not just a score. Ask who marks assessments, what feedback looks like, and how quickly it's returned.
Ask to see an actual term plan or weekly schedule. A credible online school provides this upfront: which subjects on which days, when assessments are due, when exams happen. If parents are expected to build the timetable themselves, that's a self-study course, not a school. For structured curricula like IEB and CAPS FET, a fixed schedule is a regulatory requirement.
For curricula with external examinations, clarify who handles registration: the school or the parent. Ask about exam centre locations, fees (included or separate), and deadlines. For the International British and Pearson Edexcel pathways, students may write at independently registered centres. For CAPS (SACAI/IEB), the school typically facilitates registration. Get this in writing before you enrol.
Some online schools are genuinely teacher-led, your child logs in, follows a schedule, and gets support without you needing to manage the process. Others require significant parent involvement: supervising lessons, printing worksheets, marking work, enforcing deadlines. Neither is wrong, but you need to know which you're signing up for. Ask: "If I work full-time, can my child follow this programme independently?"
Every student struggles at some point. Ask what support systems exist: is there additional tutoring, catch-up sessions, or academic intervention? How quickly does the school flag a problem, or is it left to parents to notice? Schools with parent dashboards and regular progress reports make it harder for problems to go undetected.
Tuition is only part of the cost. Ask about textbooks (included or separate), exam fees, exam centre fees, device requirements, internet requirements, and any add-on charges for tutoring or extra support. Ask whether payment plans are available and what happens if you need to pause or cancel mid-term. "From R299/month" in an advert often excludes the things that matter most.
A school that's confident in its product will let you see it before you pay. Ask for a demo of the learning platform, a sample lesson recording, or a trial period. At minimum, ask for a consultation call where someone walks you through what your child's experience will actually look like day to day. If the only option is "enrol and see", proceed with caution.
These questions apply to every online school regardless of curriculum, whether that is the International British pathway, Pearson Edexcel, American K-12, CAPS, or IEB. Print this list or keep it on your phone for consultation calls.
The single most important distinction between online schools. Most parents don't realise there's a difference until after they've enrolled.
Scheduled live lessons with a teacher. Students attend class, ask questions, and get real-time feedback. The school sets the timetable, tracks attendance, and manages pacing. Lessons are typically recorded for replay.
Pre-recorded lessons, digital worksheets, and online quizzes. Students work through material at their own speed with limited or no live teacher interaction. Some platforms offer optional tutor support for an extra fee.
The best option for most families is a blend: live lessons for core instruction and accountability, with recorded content available for revision and catch-up. Ask any provider how they combine both, and whether the recorded content is a genuine lesson library or just a collection of generic videos. Speak to a CambriLearn consultant to see how this works in practice.
None of these are automatic disqualifiers on their own, but if you spot several during a consultation call, pay attention. The pattern matters more than any single issue.
The best providers will address these points proactively. If you have to dig for answers, that tells you something about how the school communicates once you're enrolled.
Compare with CambriLearnLegitimate accreditation comes from specific, verifiable organisations. Internationally, that means bodies such as Cognia and Pearson Edexcel. In South Africa, it means SACAI, the IEB, or Umalusi. If the provider can't name the body and give you a registration number, the claim is meaningless.
If you can't see what your child's daily experience will look like before paying, that's a sign the product may not match the marketing. A free consultation or demo should be standard.
"Our teachers are experienced" without specifying degrees, registration status, or whether they're subject specialists. Ask directly: what qualification does the Maths teacher hold?
Some providers advertise live teaching but the core delivery is pre-recorded video. The live element is a bolt-on Q&A, not actual instruction. Ask how many hours of live teaching happen per subject per week.
Before signing anything, understand: what happens if you need to withdraw mid-term? Is there a notice period? Are fees refundable? Schools confident in their product make this transparent.
If the only way you'll know how your child is doing is by asking them, that's a problem. Look for platforms where attendance, marks, and upcoming deadlines are visible to parents in real time.
Different curricula have different accreditation bodies. Here's what to look for depending on which pathway your child follows.
Cognia is the world's largest school accreditation body, covering 36,000+ institutions across 85 countries. Cognia accreditation confirms a school meets international standards for quality, governance, and student outcomes, independent of the curriculum delivered. CambriLearn's accreditations
Schools deliver the curriculum, but students write externally set examinations. For Pearson Edexcel, check whether the school is an approved centre. For the Cambridge* pathway, students typically register at independent examination centres as private candidates. Learn about Pearson Edexcel
Online schools offering CAPS must be registered with an examining body accredited by Umalusi, either SACAI or the IEB. The school registers students for the National Senior Certificate. Umalusi is the only body that can quality-assure the NSC. Verify CambriLearn's registration
Once you have chosen a school, these guides walk through how the day, the teaching, and the examinations actually work.
See how live lessons, specialist teachers, and the weekly timetable fit together day to day.
Read the guideWhat happens at examination time for each curriculum, and exactly what CambriLearn handles for you.
Read the guideWhere students sit their examinations, by curriculum and location, worldwide and in South Africa.
Find a centreFive curricula. Live specialist teachers. 98% university acceptance rate. Trusted by families across 100+ countries for over 20 years. One free consultation to see if it's the right fit.
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This guide is intended as general information for parents evaluating online schools. Accreditation requirements and curriculum regulations vary by country and may change, so always verify accreditation claims directly with the relevant body. CambriLearn is accredited by Cognia, an approved Pearson Edexcel centre (Centre Number 94888), and registered with SACAI and the IEB. For personalised guidance on curriculum choice, speak to a consultant.
Cambridge* refers to the International British pathway. CambriLearn is not a registered Cambridge school and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge University or Cambridge University Press. The International British Curriculum refers to the curriculum framework delivered by CambriLearn, which prepares students to write examinations administered by Cambridge Assessment International Education at independently registered examination centres as private candidates.
