Accredited Online School
Sophia High now joins an exclusive group, as the second Online School globally to undergo a quality advisory inspection with the Council of International Schools.
Some of the strengths identified in our membership evaluation report include:
Our school’s commitment to digital safety, child safeguarding, and overall student well-being;
Our competent and well-trained teaching staff, specially skilled in online learning;
The highly effective provision of technology resources to support the school’s special vision of online learning.
CIS International Accreditation is:
Recognized by ministries, departments of education, and universities around the world for its quality and rigour,
A demonstration of our school’s commitment to high quality international education,
A mark of quality assurance.
The Council of International Schools has shared that:
"SHS makes a very positive impression, with a great deal to be proud of. The school has a strong and clear commitment to global citizenship." "Parents were very positive about the school’s performance and suitability for their family’s needs, and they appreciated the school’s upgrading of their own adult tech skills to best support their children. Staff and students were equally positive." "The school clearly has the commitment and capacity to achieve CIS accreditation after it is granted membership, and the school will be an excellent addition to the CIS family of schools."
Sophia High School has been chosen as 1 of 4 online primary schools and online secondary schools in the UK to work with the Department of Education and Ofsted on the Pilot Online Education Provider Accreditation Scheme (OEAS) for UK online education providers.
Currently no British Online school is accredited by the U.K. Department for Education or British Government. However, in June 2020, the Government published their consultation response to the ‘Online Education Accredited Scheme’.
Following the pilot inspection programme for accredited online schools (led by Quality Education Board, Ofsted), it is expected that the Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS) will be available to UK based British Online Schools offering the full UK National Curriculum, as of January 2022. The launch of this programme recognises the growing market of online education services for children in England, in particular following periods of COVID19 lockdowns and school closures. many of whom offer a full curriculum and may represent a child’s main, or only, source of formal education
Home Online Schooling is a fast-growing option for parents in the UK, as well as for international families who wish to have unrestricted high-quality access to the British education system for their children. This is the era of the rise of ‘anywhere schools.’ This is Education Reimagined.
Accredited Online schools scheme
The UK Department for Education accreditation scheme will reassure children, parents and local authorities of the quality of education and safeguarding arrangements in using such services. Using an inspection and standards framework similar to the ISI Framework for the inspection of Independent Schools (ISI), UK British Online Schools and UK based International Online Schools, will have the opportunity to take part in a compliance based non-statutory inspection led by Ofsted, acting as the quality assurance body appointed by the DfE.
Inspection of Online Primary School and Online Secondary School UK providers will be judged based on the new standards for online education provision and will be open to providers that:
- teach online only on a permanent basis
- provide a full curriculum, or represent a child’s main or only source of education
- have at least one full-time pupil of compulsory school age on roll based in England (irrespective of the number of learners based overseas)
- have a physical presence in England
Accredited Online School Inspection
Whilst this visit was part of the pilot inspection programme, the unofficial feedback was encouraging. HMI recognised that our students, families and parents are very happy at the school, students make excellent progress and that our leaders share a strong, clear commitment to the vision for the school.
Part of being one of the first online schools to take part in the accreditation process provides our team with the opportunity to pioneer best practice in safeguarding proceeds within an online learning environment, and in particular for students living outside of the UK.
One of the key areas we have identified for further development is the focus and importance we place on the Mental Health, Happiness and Mindfulness of our students at Sophia High School. This commitment sees us integrate PSHE & Citizenship into the heart of the curriculum for the upcoming 2021 – 2022 school year, alongside the personal goals and sustainable development goals delivered through the IPC and IMYC Curriculum.
We are, therefore, delighted to be welcoming Dominic Watts, subject lead for PSHE and Mindfulness Expert and Coach to our teaching team next year. We will also continue to develop opportunities for our students to socialise and develop their passions and interests outside of the classroom through our Beyond the Curriculum and SophiaX programmes
Since our launch, Sophia High School has been dedicated to bringing regulation to the online education sector. Online School Accreditation is an incredibly important step in the right direction, which will provide parents with the tools to make more informed decisions about their children’s education.
Sophia High School is delighted to announce that we have had our application approved by the globally recognised, Council of International Schools, and we are currently undertaking our membership evaluation process.
Schools around the world join CIS for guidance, support and access to like-minded peers, as they develop challenging international programmes for their students.
As a global organization, CIS helps schools access new international educational practices, gain recognition for accomplishments, attract qualified staff, facilitate student connections with leading universities around the world, and provide a quality international education experience to students and parents.
We are delighted to be leading from the front as a UK online school committed to excellence for our students. CIS International Accreditation is recognised by many governments in the world and demonstrates our ambitions to be the leading UK online school provider, as we prepare our students for the role they will play as the leaders of tomorrow.
Alongside our Membership with CIS, Sophia High will have the opportunity to concurrently work alongside the International Curriculum Association (ICA) and be recognised as an IPC & IMYC Accredited Online School as we champion quality, improve learning and unlock the potential of our students at Sophia High School.
This is Education Reimagined.
