IWS is an international school, delivered online, with live lessons from qualified teachers. Families use it when they move between countries or live far from a British school, and alongside their child’s local school.
IWS Online School is a registered online Cambridge International School. Students sit Cambridge IGCSE and A Level examinations, qualifications recognised by more than 2,670 universities in 99 countries, including every UK university.
IWS is associated with the Council of British International Schools, a membership body for British international schools.
Who it’s for
Families come to us for four reasons.
Most parents we speak to recognise themselves in one of these. If none of them is quite you, say so and we’ll tell you straight whether we’re the right fit.
Your family moves
A posting, a contract, a move you didn’t choose the timing of. Your child keeps their teachers and classmates, so moving country doesn’t mean starting again.
There’s no British school nearby
Plenty of places have good local schools and no British curriculum within reach. Families can add Cambridge IGCSE and A Level subjects with IWS and keep the local school.
Your child is ready for more
Small live classes mean a teacher can see where your child is, and set work that stretches them.
They train, perform or compete
A timetable that has to work around training blocks, tours and competitions. Bridge has one live lesson in each subject every week, with recordings and course materials beside it. Georgiy G. studies for his IGCSEs while he competes on the Tennis Europe junior circuit.
Moving country
What stays the same when you move.
A new country changes a great deal for a child. Their IWS teachers, classmates and House can stay the same, because the lessons are online.
Where you live
Home countryYou moveNew country
Your child with IWS
Teachers
The same qualified teachers.
Classmates
The same class.
House
Their House goes with them.
Recordings
Recordings and materials sit beside the live lessons, so after a week of travel your child can catch up.
You can join in the month of your move. IWS accepts students during the year as well as at the start of it.
Schooling law
Schooling law differs across Europe.
It’s worth being straight about this before you decide anything.
In Germany and the Netherlands, a child has to attend a registered local school, and in France education outside school needs an authorisation. Where a child attends a local school, families use IWS alongside it. That’s Bridge.
Bridge is for students who combine IWS with another school or a more complex schedule. It has one live lesson in each subject every week, so up to five a week, with recordings, course materials and mentoring beside them.
Other countries have their own rules, and rules change. We can’t give legal advice, so please check what applies where you live. Tell our admissions team where you are, and they’ll be plain with you about which learning model fits before you commit to anything.
IWS is equally committed to what students achieve academically and who they become as people.
Our teachers
Teachers who know your child
Lessons are live, at a set time, with a qualified teacher and a small class, so every student is seen, heard and called on.
Every student is placed in one of four Houses after taking the House Quiz, and each House takes on one challenge a term. Clubs run online and are led by students themselves, with a Mentor supporting each one, and any IWS student can join.
Mentoring in every learning modelEvery IWS student receives mentoring that fits their learning model. Mentors keep a wider view of the student: goals, progress, habits, motivation and next steps.
A named lead for pastoral care and safeguardingMichelle van Roon is our Pastoral Care Lead and DSL, the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
A wellbeing theme every fortnightThere’s a wellbeing theme for every fortnight of the school year. The dates are on the term dates page.
A way to raise things earlyTeachers and parents have a clear route for raising a concern while it’s still small.
IWS does not run examinations. Students sit their exams at an approved exam centre, and we guide your family through registering.
1
Study with IWS
Your child studies Cambridge IGCSE or A Level, with live lessons from qualified teachers.
2
Register with a centre
You register your child with an approved exam centre near you, and we guide you through it.
3
Sit the official exams
Your child sits the exams at the centre, the same Cambridge exams that students take in schools around the world.
Where students go
Where our students went next
Students who studied for Cambridge qualifications with IWS, and where they went next.
Alexandru R.
Alumnus · Law
IWS
Went to
UCL
Offers from Durham, King’s College London, UCL, LSE and ETH Zurich.
Aydın T.
Alumnus · Computer Science
IWS
Went to
City St George’s, University of London
A Levels in physics, maths and computer science with IWS.
Adrian E.
Football
IWS
Went to
Florida Atlantic University
Took his A Levels with IWS while training at a football academy in São Paulo.
We name a university only where one of our own students holds an offer or has taken up a place.
On Trustpilot
In a parent’s own words.
★★★★★5 out of 5 stars
I’ve been really pleased with the support my son has received. Whenever we’ve had a question, the teachers have replied quickly and explained everything clearly. It’s reassuring to know that he can always ask for help if he needs it.
From Primary School at five to A Level at eighteen, each stage builds on the one before. The University Foundation Programme is for students aged 16 and over.
2,670+universities in 99 countries recognise Cambridge qualifications
Which organisations is IWS registered with, listed on or associated with?
IWS is a registered online Cambridge International School, listed on the UK Register of Learning Providers and associated with the Council of British International Schools. Selected qualifications, including the University Foundation Programme, are awarded through OCN London, an awarding organisation regulated by Ofqual.
Cambridge IGCSE and A Level are the same exams that students sit in schools around the world, and more than 2,670 universities recognise Cambridge qualifications.
How does this work with schooling law where we live?
Schooling law differs across Europe. In Germany and the Netherlands, a child has to attend a registered local school, and in France education outside school needs an authorisation. Where a child attends a local school, families study with IWS alongside it, for the British curriculum and for Cambridge qualifications. That’s the Bridge learning model.
We can’t give legal advice, so please check what applies where you live. Tell our admissions team where you are, and they’ll be plain with you about which learning model fits before you commit to anything.
Can my child start part-way through the year?
Yes. You don’t have to wait for September. IWS accepts students during the year as well as at the start of it, and there’s no waiting list to join. A new student meets their teachers in their first week and is placed in a House after the House Quiz. In Academy, their Mentor is assigned that week too.
What happens to my child’s lessons if we move country?
Their teachers, their classmates and their House stay the same. Recordings and materials sit beside the live lessons, so after a week of travel or a change of time zone your child can catch up. Your child’s lessons with IWS don’t depend on your address.
Will my child make friends, or is this a screen on their own?
Lessons are live, with a qualified teacher and a small class, so a teacher can see, hear and call on every student. Every student is placed in one of four Houses, and each House takes on a challenge each term. Student-led clubs run alongside them, each with a Mentor supporting it, and assemblies bring the year groups together.
What does it cost?
Fees depend on the programme and the learning model. The Fees page shows where each model starts, and our admissions team will send the figures for your child’s stage.
Our admissions teamIWS Online School
What would you need to know to feel sure?
Ask about programmes, fees, or how a week works. You’re not deciding anything today. Our admissions team replies within one working day. If you’d rather read first, the prospectus is here.
IWS Online School is a registered online Cambridge International School.
