Online school Vs Home Schooling
As we start the new school year, we have a lot of requests from parents to understand the difference between Online school vs Home Schooling and support for helping children when learning at home. We always explain that online school is not the same as supporting Home Schooling, and so here are some points that may make this clear for families struggling with Home Schooling or wondering what makes Sophia different.
Online School Vs Home Schooling: TEACHERS
At Sophia High our teachers are all UK qualified and experienced. Their lessons are planned, resourced and delivered according to the highest standard of classroom practice. They deliver lessons each day that follow approved curriculum, access premium online subscriptions (which we also add the pupils for their Home Learning) and allow children to flourish as they would in a live classroom. Once a child is familiar with the digital tools that we use, no parental support is needed apart from ensuring the Home Learning is completed on time, as with all homework.
Online School Vs Home Schooling: Curriculum
We follow the internationally recognised National Curriculum (England) and also the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and Middle Years Curriculum (MYC). Both are recognised by the Council of International Schools, of which we are one of only three online schools with full accreditation. We are also the only online school which is approved to allow access for all pupils to the Junior Duke Awards, which is the younger version of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, popular in the UK and around the world as the first life-skills programme. We believe that our pupils should have access to the finest learning opportunities available both off and online. We offer wellness sessions to help our pupils access their feelings and learn how to deal with problems and conflict, but we do not offer any religious content, nor any content regarding sexuality. On our teaching staff we have a UN Global Schools Advocate for Education for Sustainable Development, and so we focus on navigating the world with conscience, a commitment to sustainability, and a clear vision of what we can do to help the planet.
Online School Vs Home Schooling: Class Size
At Sophia we know that individual attention, really getting to know the children and their skills and talents, is our greatest strength. We limit our pupil numbers in English and Mathematics to no more than 6 pupils in a class, and for IPC no more than 12 children. Optional subjects such as French and XX retain this small class size so that each lesson is personal to each child, teachers can monitor and support their progress, and goals are set that can be achieved successfully.
Parental Involvement when learning online
Parents are as involved, or not, at a level they choose. Our qualified, experienced teachers teach the lessons according to the timetable, and at the end of the day they set Home Learning, in the form of workbook pages, projects or challenges, which is the standard expectation for all schools. At Sophia we meet our parents in a 1-to-1 setting each week for a short, personal discussion regarding their child and how they are progressing. We invite parents into our Assemblies where we share achievements, and celebrate excellent work or efforts, and offer several workshops throughout the year including Online Safeguarding, Phonics and Reading, and Wellness. Our calendar includes special celebrations which we invite the whole family to become involved in, such as Book Week and the European Day of Languages.
Quality Assurance when choosing an Online Education provider
Regardless of your choice of education pathway for your children; traditional, online school or home schooling, a key factor for every decision should be what levels of quality assurance have been taken out on your chosen provider. Although, the online educator sector in many countries, sadly remains an unregulated industry by local governments, including the Department for Education in the UK. There are opportunities for leading providers to seek membership with globally recognised school accreditation and quality assurance bodies, such as the Council of International Schools.
At Sophia High School, we are a Member School with the Council of International School and join a select group of global online schools to be awarded with this prestigious benchmark for quality. You can read all the details about our CIS Evaluation Inspection which took place in November 2021 via our school website accreditation pages.
If you would like to know more about our Online School (not Home School Support), please contact us on Admissions@sophiahigh.school. We are excited to continue to welcome new families to our online community!
Join us at Sophia High School
Whether your family is is looking for support with online homeschooling you simply want your child to reap all the benefits of online schooling by joining a digital learning virtual school and is considering online schools in UK, we’d love to welcome you to our global learning community.
To learn more about our leading approach join us at our next virtual open house event or schedule a call today with our Admissions Team to start your child’s journey with Sophia High School.