Frequently asked questions

Your fee depends on the programme, the learning model and how many subjects your child takes. The Fees page shows where each model starts and the ways you can pay, and we’ll give you the exact fee for your child when you talk to us.

Yes. After a consultation, your child can have a 30-minute trial lesson with a qualified teacher, and a look inside the learning platform, at no charge. We’ll find a time that works in your time zone.

Yes. Your child can start at the beginning of a term or partway through one. IWS accepts students during the year as well as at the start of it. The 2026/27 academic year began on 14 September 2026. Our team will recommend the right start date based on your child’s needs.

We place your child by their age and by what the Learner Profile shows about their level, whatever school system they’ve come from. If your child is coming from another country’s grades, our admissions team will talk it through with you.

There are no textbooks to buy: all core learning materials are on our learning platform. Exam entry fees are paid to the exam centre where your child sits their exams, not to IWS. Any other fee is set out on the Fees page.

Yes. Your child can take the full package or study subjects on their own, and the Fees page shows the price of a single subject. At A Level, most universities ask for three A Levels, so it’s worth checking what your child’s next step will need.

There’s no pass-or-fail entrance exam. We use a short, friendly Learner Profile to understand your child and place them correctly.

Children join from different schools and curricula, so we start by finding out where your child is. The Learner Profile shows us their level and needs before they begin.

In Academy, a Cambridge assessment in the first month places them where they actually are, and if your child falls behind a goal we’ve agreed, we give extra academic support for as long as it’s needed.

Sibling discounts may be available for families enrolling more than one child. Ask our admissions team when you talk to us.

We teach students aged 5 to 19. Primary School (Key Stages 1 and 2) is for ages 5 to 11, Secondary School (Key Stage 3) for 11 to 14, Cambridge IGCSE (Key Stage 4) for 14 to 16 and A Level (Key Stage 5) for 16 to 18. The University Foundation Programme is for students aged 16 and over.

Yes. Book a consultation and tell us about your child. It’s complimentary and carries no obligation, and we walk you through how everything works.

Academy is the complete IWS school experience, with live lessons through the week and a Mentor. Bridge gives one live lesson in each subject every week, with the rest recorded, for students combining IWS with another school or a busy schedule. In Foundation every lesson is recorded, for students who need to choose their own time and pace.

All three share the same IWS academic philosophy, and our admissions team will help you find the one that fits.

In Academy, yes, as much as your child needs, at no extra cost. If they fall behind a goal we’ve agreed, we give extra academic support for as long as it’s needed. Every IWS student receives mentoring that fits their learning model.

Yes. That’s what Bridge is for: one live lesson in each subject every week, with the rest recorded, so it fits around another school. Whether your child can leave their local school altogether depends on the law where you live, so please check what applies in your country.

It depends on your child, and on how much structure they need around them.

Academy is the complete IWS school experience, with live lessons through the week and a Mentor. Bridge and Foundation ask a student to manage more of their own time. A short Learner Profile helps us understand your child’s level and needs, and in a consultation our admissions team will give you honest advice about whether IWS fits.

It depends on where you live, because schooling law differs from country to country. In some countries a child has to attend a registered local school, and families there study with IWS alongside it: that’s the Bridge learning model. Where home education is lawful, families choose the learning model that fits their week.

We can’t give legal advice, so please check what applies where you live, and tell us your country when you enquire.

Yes. Every IWS student receives mentoring that fits their learning model. A Mentor keeps the wider view of your child: their goals, their progress, their habits, what’s getting in the way and what should happen next.

In Academy, your child’s Mentor is one of their own subject teachers, and they meet one-to-one for twenty minutes, every week of term. In Bridge, Progress Mentoring asks whether your child is progressing and what should happen next. In Foundation, Study Mentoring asks whether they’re studying effectively and what’s getting in the way.

In Academy, if your child falls behind a goal we’ve agreed, IWS takes responsibility for getting them back on track. We give extra academic support for as long as it’s needed, with no fixed limit, until the difficulty is dealt with and your child can move on.

In Bridge, Progress Mentoring picks it up and asks what should happen next. In Foundation, Study Mentoring asks what’s getting in the way.

Live lessons follow a timetable on UK time, and some run as late as 5pm UK time, so which hours suit your child depends on where you live. Each lesson lasts 40 minutes, and the calendar on the learning platform shows every lesson in school time (London). Every live lesson is also recorded, so one that falls outside your child’s day can be watched later.

Tell us where you live and we’ll show you how your child’s week would look.

In Academy, teachers mark your child’s work and give feedback. In Bridge and Foundation, quizzes and assignments are marked automatically, and progress shows on the learning platform.

Marks and feedback are uploaded by the Tuesday of the last week of each term. Each term also has parent meeting weeks, and you book a slot directly with your child’s teacher through a link they share in advance.

Classes have at most 15 students, and Primary classes are often smaller, so every child is known by name.

Everything is online. All core learning materials and resources are on our learning platform, so there are no textbooks to buy.

Every live lesson is recorded and appears on the learning platform the same day, so your child can catch up on a lesson they missed or go back over one.

Yes. Our Learning Platform page shows real screens of what a student sees when they log in, and a trial lesson includes a look inside the platform.

Yes. Every lesson is taught by a qualified teacher, and every Mentor is a qualified teacher too.

A laptop or desktop from roughly the last seven years, a current web browser, a broadband connection of 5 Mbps download, a headset with a microphone and a quiet space to learn. Live lessons run in a normal web browser, so there’s nothing to download or install, and we’ll guide you through getting set up.

Yes. Both the programme and the learning model are flexible, and they can be adjusted as your child’s needs change during the year.

Your child sits the same Cambridge exams as students in schools around the world, in the country where you live. IWS does not run examinations. Students sit their exams at an approved exam centre, and we guide your family through registering. A Level sciences are Pearson Edexcel.

In Primary and Secondary, every student takes five subjects: English, Maths, Science, Computing and Global Perspectives. At Cambridge IGCSE and A Level, your child chooses their subjects. At A Level they are Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, English Language, English Literature, History, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology and Sociology.

In Primary and Secondary, every student takes the same five subjects, so languages, art and music aren’t taught as classes. At Cambridge IGCSE and A Level, the Subjects page lists every subject we teach.

It’s a Cambridge subject that every Primary and Secondary student takes alongside English, Maths, Science and Computing. It’s built around real global issues, and it teaches students to research, think critically, weigh up different points of view and write about what they find.

Cambridge qualifications are recognised by more than 2,670 universities in 99 countries, and your child sits the same exams as students in schools everywhere. Each school and university sets its own entry requirements, so check with the one you have in mind.

The Cambridge IGCSE is the international version of the GCSE, designed for students worldwide, and universities and employers accept it. At IWS it’s taught to students aged 14 to 16 (Key Stage 4).

Yes. Each university sets its own entry requirements, so it’s worth checking those for the course your child has in mind. At A Level, we guide students through UCAS, personal statements, references and university choices.

Yes. In Academy, the Future area of the Well-Rounded Programme covers career and university awareness and real-world experience, and the Mentor helps your child decide their next step. At A Level, we guide students through UCAS, personal statements, references and university choices.

Cambridge IGCSE and A Level exams are sat during the standard UK examination series. IWS does not run examinations. Students sit their exams at an approved exam centre, and we guide your family through registering.

Yes. IWS is a British online school, and a registered online Cambridge International School. The curriculum is British, and lessons are taught live by qualified teachers.

IWS holds four recognitions and affiliations, and each is a different kind of relationship. 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. The University Foundation Programme is accredited by OCN London at Level 3.

Yes. Every student is placed in one of four Houses, clubs run online and are led by students themselves, and live lessons bring classmates from around the world together. That’s where friendships start.

Every IWS student receives mentoring that fits their learning model. A Mentor keeps the wider view of how your child is doing. Pastoral care protects students, and our pastoral team responds when you or your child raise a concern. Michelle van Roon is our Pastoral Care Lead.

Tell us as soon as you’re worried. Our staff don’t diagnose, and they report any concern about a child’s mental health to our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Elsie Eayrs, who decides what action is needed. Your child’s Mentor keeps the wider view of how they’re doing.

Yes. Our staff are trained in safeguarding. Elsie Eayrs is our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), and our safeguarding policy sets out how we keep students safe online.