British Online School, ages 7 to 19
A British school where your child is known by name
Cambridge IGCSE and A Level, taught by qualified teachers. Houses, clubs and a named success coach, wherever you live.
- Cambridge accredited
- 10,000+ students
- Recognised by 1,400+ universities
- Unlimited 1:1 support
What is true from day one
Four things you can hold us to
These are the practical answers to the questions families ask us first.
No waiting list
Places are not held in a queue for a year. Where there is room in the year group, your child can start.
Enrol any time of year
You do not have to wait for September. Students join through the year and are settled in with their teachers from the first week.
No move required
A change of address does not have to mean a change of teachers or classmates. Lessons are recorded, so a week of travel costs nothing.
A named success coach
One adult who knows your child, meets them each term, and is the person you contact when something needs raising.
Who this is for
Families come to us from four directions
Most of the parents we speak to recognise themselves in one of these. If none of them is quite you, say so and we will tell you straight whether we are the right fit.
Your family moves
A posting, a contract, a move you did not choose the timing of. The school stays the same through all of it, so a change of country is not also a change of teachers.
There is no British school nearby
Plenty of places have good local schools and no British curriculum within reach. This is the route to Cambridge IGCSE and A Level without moving house for it.
Your child is ready for more
Bright, and quietly bored. Smaller classes, a teacher who can see them, and the option to stretch a subject rather than wait for the room to catch up.
Training, performing or competing
A timetable that has to work around training blocks, tours and competitions, with lessons recorded so a week away does not cost the term.
Discover, Create, Lead
The qualification is the entry ticket. Who they become while they earn it is what you are choosing.
Every school in this market offers a British curriculum, teaching and a route to university. What separates them is what happens to a child in the years in between.
At IWS a student is known by name, belongs to a house, joins clubs run by students, and is coached by a named adult, while sitting the same Cambridge exams as everyone else. That is the part we are asking you to compare.
- Clarity
- Structure
- Growth
Why Families Choose IWS
The four questions every parent asks us
These come up in almost every conversation we have with a family. Here is how IWS answers them, with the specifics rather than reassurance.
- 01
Will my child just be a name on a screen?
Ten seats, and a teacher who knows every one.
Classes are capped at ten. A lesson runs 40 minutes with a qualified teacher who can see, hear and call on every student in the room. On the Academy pathway that is 15 lessons a week, a full timetable with a shape to it.
A class of ten
Ten seats. Your child is one of them.
- 10maximum in a class
- 40 mina lesson
- 15lessons a week on Academy
- 02
Will they be alone all day?
Four houses, and clubs the students run themselves.
Every student joins one of four houses, which takes on a challenge each term and collects house points through the year. Alongside the houses run the student clubs, which are led by the students themselves with a success coach on hand, and assemblies that bring the year groups together.
The house system
- NorthHouse of Integrity & Vision
- EastHouse of Innovation & Discovery
- SouthHouse of Empathy & Community
- WestHouse of Resilience & Action
Students take a House Quiz before they are placed, and their house stays with them through the year.
Clubs, led by students
- Debate Club, led by Serenity M.
- Science Club, led by Xenia A.
- 03
Who looks after them, not just teaches them?
A success coach, and sixteen fortnights already in the calendar.
Every student has a success coach: a one-to-one each term covering goals, organisation, motivation and how they are genuinely getting on, plus a route for a teacher or a parent to raise something early rather than late. Underneath it runs a wellbeing programme written into the calendar before the year starts.
The 2026/27 wellbeing year
Term 1 Autumn 2026
- Growth Mindset21 Sep to 2 Oct
- Belonging5 to 16 Oct
- Digital Wellbeing19 to 30 Oct
- Celebrating Difference2 to 13 Nov
- Goal Setting16 to 27 Nov
- Kindness & Connection30 Nov to 11 Dec
Term 2 Spring 2027
- Managing Stress4 to 15 Jan
- Mental Health Awareness18 to 29 Jan
- Leadership1 to 12 Feb
- Environmental Responsibility15 to 26 Feb
- Gratitude & Positivity1 to 12 Mar
- Healthy Habits15 to 26 Mar
Term 3 Summer 2027
- Resilience & Exam Wellbeing5 to 16 Apr
- Friendship Online & Offline19 to 30 Apr
- Preparing for the Future3 to 14 May
- Reflection & Growth17 to 28 May
Sixteen themed fortnights, led by the Success team and dated before the year begins.
- 04
Will this get them anywhere?
One school from age seven to a university offer.
A child can join at seven and leave at eighteen without ever changing school, each stage built on the one before. Our leavers hold offers from universities in the United Kingdom and Europe, and some are already studying.
Where the path leads
- Primary7 to 11
- Lower Secondary11 to 14
- IGCSE14 to 16
- A Level16 to 18
- Universityand beyond
Offers held
- Durham
- King’s College London
- UCL
- LSE
- ETH Zurich
Now studying
- City St George’s, University of London
We name a university only where one of our own students holds an offer or has taken up a place. See the destinations in full
Voices from families
What parents tell us afterwards
We wanted to keep our daughter at home but still give her a real international education, with teachers, subjects and routine, not just extra English. At first she was shy because other students spoke faster, but the teachers gave her time. Now she is serious about her homework and talks about university in the UK, not as a dream, but as something she can prepare for.
My son is clever but was bored in normal school, and we wanted a British curriculum for university later. Online school needs discipline, at first I checked on him a lot, but he became more responsible. His favourite is Business Studies. He also loves that classmates come from all over the world.
To be honest, at first I was scared, online school sounded risky. The team patiently answered my questions, and after a month my son was opening his lessons without me reminding him. The biggest change is his English: before he said he could not speak, now he speaks. He makes mistakes, but he speaks.
Ages 7 to 19
One school, one route, from Primary to A Level
A child can join at seven and leave at eighteen without ever changing school, each stage built on the one before.
Cambridge IGCSE and A Level are recognised by 1,400+ universities worldwide, including:
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Questions, Answered
Is IWS Online School accredited and recognised?
Yes. IWS is a Cambridge-accredited British online school, and is also accredited by COBIS, OCN London and UKRLP. Our IGCSE and A Level qualifications are the same globally recognised exams sat in schools worldwide, and Cambridge qualifications are recognised by 1,400+ universities.
How does this work with schooling law where we live?
Schooling law differs across Europe and it is worth being straight about it. In some countries a child may be educated full time outside a local school. In others, including Germany and the Netherlands, attendance at a registered local school is compulsory, and in France it requires an authorisation. Where local attendance is required, families study with IWS alongside their local school, for the British curriculum and for Cambridge qualifications. Tell our admissions team where you live and they will set out plainly what applies to you, before you commit to anything.
When can we enrol, do we have to wait for a term to start?
You do not have to wait for September. We take students through the year, and there is no waiting list to join. A new student is introduced to their teachers and their success coach in their first week, and is placed in a house.
What happens to my child's schooling if we move country?
The timetable, the teachers and the classmates stay the same. Lessons are recorded, so a week of travel or a change of time zone does not cost your child the content. Your child's school does not depend on your address.
Will my child make friends, or is this a screen on their own?
Classes are capped at ten, so a teacher can see, hear and call on every student. Every student joins one of four houses, which takes on a challenge each term. Alongside the houses run student-led clubs with a success coach on hand, and assemblies that bring the year groups together.
What does it cost?
Fees depend on the pathway and the year group. Academy carries a full timetable of 15 lessons a week, Bridge a lighter five, and Foundation is self-directed with teacher support. Our admissions team will send the figures for your child's stage, and the fees page sets out the structure.
Looking for more answers? Visit our full FAQ
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What would you need to know to feel sure?
Ask about programmes, fees, or how a week actually works. You are not deciding anything today. If you would rather read first, the prospectus is here.
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A Cambridge-accredited British online school, delivering live, expert-taught education to students aged 7 to 19 worldwide.
London, England, W1W 5PF
A warm, close-knit school community where every child is known by name and supported to thrive.
Admissions & Contact
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