We are not an accredited school nor are we registered with Ofsted. There are currently no regulations in the UK that require online schools to be accredited or registered with Ofsted (though this may change in the future). We believe the current education system is outdated and the regulations enforced by Ofsted are restrictive. For this reason, we do not intend to become an Ofsted registered school.

We may in the future consider becoming an accredited school if we feel the accreditation aligns with the values and philosophy at UKVS.

UK Virtual School has taken the best bits of traditional schooling and merged it with what families look for when they home educate. We’ve, therefore, created a very unique and different approach from traditional schools.

• Our unique 3 weeks of teaching each month, greatly differs from traditional schools where they have 6-8 weeks of teaching each time
• We don’t assess or grade, focusing more on growth mindset approaches
• We offer monthly touch points for parents rather than an annual parents meeting
• Our classes are small in size at maximum 10 students rather than groups of 30+ kids
• We have specialist teachers for all our subjects and are able to cater for SEN needs
• We match kids to ability groups rather than age groups
• Plus lots more!

You can listen to our founder, Syd, discussing how UKVS is revolutionary by listening to our Podcast episode 2 from season 1: An Education Revolution – times are changing…. 

The investment for a UKVS quality education depends on the types of classes chosen starting from as little as £20 per month for one-way videos and £45 per month for interactive classes.

Our registration fee is £199 and is applicable if you sign up for interactive classes or one-way videos. There is no registration fee for short courses, tutoring or video bundle options.

Students are welcome to enrol at any time; however, it’s important to note that the longer you delay, the greater the amount of content you will need to catch up for continuous courses.

For Worldviews and Art, you can enrol from the start of any month as these are monthly standalone courses focusing on a new country each month.

For Short courses, you can register to start at the beginning of any term: Sept, April or June

We recommend that families schedule a meeting with our Founder, Syd, initially. During this meeting, she can provide insights into the enrolment process, share details about our approach, and offer guidance on how to embark on your home education journey with UKVS.

We offer flexible payment options, although we recommend all new families to go with a monthly option initially until they are sure it works for them.

Enrolled families may choose from the following plans:

• Monthly – 10 equal payments distributed across the 10 teaching months (paid one teaching month in advance)
• Termly (10% discount provided on termly payments):
  • Sept – Nov (3 months)
  • Jan – Mar (3 months)
  • Apr – Jul (4 months)
• Yearly (20% discount on annual payments in advance)

We strongly advise committing to an option that suits your family well. Please check our Timetables & Fee page for further details

We are currently unable to offer any financial support or scholarships to new students. However, we are happy to work with you to find a solution that could work for your family. We have so many different options available, matched with the flexibility to pick from as little as one subject and being able to mix and match types of classes.

UK Virtual School is diverse and inclusive. Our students can be anywhere in the world. We follow the English National Curriculum for English, Maths and Science. Our mirrored morning and afternoon schedules can offer choices for families in different timezones or those who will travel. Monthly payments allow families to swap from interactive to oneway content during months they are travelling to vastly different time zones to the UK.

We do teach non-native kids if the language barrier is not an issue. We can also offer 1:1 English for Second Language (ESOL) classes for those who require them.

We follow the British curriculum for English and Maths for primary, and loosely for Science (we like to challenge kids and push a little higher by introducing secondary topics into primary). For Year 7, we follow the national curriculum for key stage 3 (aged 11-14), however, we skip years 8 and & 9 and jump straight from year 7 to 3-year GCSE/iGCSE courses. Unless otherwise stated, most of our GCSE/iGCSE courses follow the Edexcel Pearson Specifications.

We have a range of subjects for which we have devised our own unique curriculum, including Worldviews, Art and our range of Short Courses

We offer both synchronous and asynchronous courses. See the breakdown below:

Interactive learning (synchronous):

This includes our:

• Interactive classes
• Short courses
• 1:1 tutoring

Students participate through interactive Zoom classes (NOT webinars), with cameras on, and are able to engage with the teacher via audio, video and messaging

Video learning (asynchronous):

This includes our:

• Video Bundles
• One-way videos

Students work through high-quality video content at their own pace, enabling them to pause videos and make notes. Depending on the package chosen, you may have access to teachers via email.

We have a maximum of 10 children in our interactive classes. This is large enough to feel like an actual classroom and it allows students to interact with peers, take part in group activities, join discussions, and form friendships. A maximum group of 10 is also small enough for teachers to offer individual support to each student.

All our classes run during the daytime on weekdays between 9:30am to 4:30pm UK time. We are designed to provide high-quality teaching for home educated students. We do not run any classes in the evenings or weekends. Please check our Timetables and our Term Dates for 2023-2024

UKVS caters to students from Year 1 (age 5) all the way to Year 11 (age 16)

Most traditional schools cover GCSE content over 2 years. At UK Virtual School, we deliver a 3-year GCSE course.

Our Year 9 group is a combination of Year 8 and 9. The students begin the first year of a three-year GCSE course.

Our Year 10 & 11 students continue to their respective 2nd and 3rd years of a three-year GCSE course.

We also offer a number of extra non-GCSE courses for those families looking for a well-rounded learning experience.

We do this through formative assessment (through questioning) which allows us to gauge whether the students have understood concepts.

They regularly have quizzes at the end of classes. Homework is set once a week. We focus on building relationships with students, which enables teachers to know where each student is in terms of their progress.

All our teachers undergo a rigorous recruitment process in which they evidence their ability to teach effectively online. We also ensure they have appropriate qualifications and this forms part of our initial shortlisting. The final interviews are conducted by our students who have the power to hire or reject candidates.

New teachers go through an induction process and training internally to ensure alignment of values and teaching across the school. Teachers are regularly observed and ongoing monthly training and support are provided for all staff to ensure the quality of teaching remains high.

Upon enrolment, our SEN and Transition lead will meet with new families to facilitate a seamless transition with UKVS. Any SEN needs can be discussed and we can ensure all teachers are aware of the support your child requires in class. Additionally, for subject-specific support, we provide 1:1 Tutoring options, which can be arranged concurrently with your child’s participation in group classes or oneway content.

Our online classes are conducted using Zoom. Our portal where you will find access to video recordings, zoom links and other resources, is found on our website. Please ensure you are using Chrome for accessing videos from our portal.

Absolutely! Our teachers record content without students present, hence offering playback so your child can still catch up to missed sessions. UK Virtual School is the perfect learning environment for children whose families have moving lifestyles. For families who cannot commit to Interactive live classes, we recommend enrolling on our One-Way Stream which gives access to recordings only.
Our Primary and some of our Secondary classes also have morning and afternoon classes for core subjects allowing you to have consistent classes even if you move to a completely different timezone. Check out the Timetable page to explore options further.

Homework and video recordings are uploaded within 48 business hours after each lesson. To provide our families with high-quality playbacks, recordings go through our video editing team to check and correct any possible errors relevant to the course material. They are packaged nicely and added to your portal section.

At UK Virtual School, we are centered on a growth mindset culture. We don’t mark any homework as we don’t believe it’s useful or productive. A child’s work covered in red pen, is not the most confidence-boosting approach and can leave students with low-self esteem. The students also tend to focus more on the mark than where they’ve gone wrong.
Instead, we start classes with a discussion on the homework, running through solutions so children can cross-check. In Interactive classes, the students take turns explaining their answers in a group discussion.

As students enter the GCSE years, we do assess their work more often to enable them to receive feedback for improving their understanding for the exams. Learn more about our values and school culture by clicking here.

You have to be very specific in your wording when emailing the school. You do not “request” removal but “inform” them of your intention to home educate. You will be able to google and find a template for a letter to assist you. As soon as you have evidence the school has received your letter, you are legally home educating and outside of their remit. You do not need to attend any meetings or fill in any forms.

Please utilise our Parent-Teacher communication portal on the website to reach out to teachers about concerns with the subjects and lessons.
If there is a safeguarding concern, or an issue you would prefer to speak with the admin team about, please reach out to the office directly by emailing info@ukvirtualschool.com

Please send an email to info@ukvirtualschool.com with details of your concern. We will endeavour to resolve your concerns as soon as possible.

Of course! We are offering easy-access Video Bundles for you to get in touch with a whole year of video content. The Video Bundles will also give you access to relevant homework of the respective subjects.

Certainly! We provide a daily open social playroom during lunchtime, offering students across various age groups the chance to connect with each other.

Furthermore, there are designated times for students and parents to interact, such as during the Assembly and Parents Meeting on our Community Day. This event takes place every Monday on the 4th week of each month. We actively encourage both students and parents to share feedback, provide support, and contribute suggestions to enhance the overall experience at UKVS for families.

We understand that your children may want to reach out to their classmates. To connect with other families, You can install the Geneva app on your phone and join UKVS Parent Hub. Please contact our team for the link.

Our residential trips also provide families the opportunity to meet and participate in exciting adventures together!