Online education in the UK is still unregulated, despite the rise in online schooling in recent years. The Department for Education has therefore introduced an online education accreditation scheme.
During a period which has experienced unprecedented growth in the rise of online education providers and numbers of families seeking homeschooling options, we believe regulation and inspections for online schools are more important than ever.
We are frequently asked by families living internationally whether our school is accredited, and we are very proud of our transparent approach with parents in this regard.
We are delighted to share that at the end of June, we were invited by the U.K. Department for Education, as one of only 4 online schools, to take part in a pilot accreditation inspection alongside the quality advisory board for the programme OFSTED.
Led by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate and attended by a Senior Policy official from the Department for Education, this 2 day inspection was as thorough and rigorous as you would expect from a physical school inspection.
> Learn more about the DfE accreditation scheme
Set to formally launch at the end of this year, the UK Department for Education Accreditation Scheme for Online Education Providers will provide necessary quality assurance for parents. The Department for Education (DfE) is introducing an accreditation scheme to reassure children, parents and local authorities of the quality of education and safeguarding arrangements offered by these providers.
> Read more: “For a Better Future of Education: Online Education Provider Accreditation Scheme”
Sophia High School looks forward to being one of the first U.K. online schools to achieve accreditation with the DfE, as well as fully support the regulation of the industry. The aim of the scheme is to incentivise online education providers to meet high standards of education and care for their students and, through public reporting, to share best practice across the sector.