To think that online school might be the answer

We are with Minerva too and like @LittlePickleHead said it’s literally been a lifesaver.

personally, I have taught both formats for years and notice the students learn more easily and perform better on evaluations from in person learning. I think 95% of my colleagues have found the same.

What you fail to realise is that entrants to OU degrees are generally mature and motivated to take a subject involving a specific area of interest and getting a degree in it, which they have a vested interest in maintaining decent grades in by force of spending upwards of £6k of their own money per year achieving. Totally different set of circumstances compared to teenagers forced to take a broad(ish) curriculum to pass a fairly basic level of understanding at a time when they have the maturity of a toddler again on the back of the bank of mum and dad.

@KeenPanda that looks really good, I'm so glad there are new schools opening focussing on wellbeing. Also happy to give our (relatively new) experience of Minerva if that is helpful

@IcyColdDay there is a marked difference between schools forced to go online in difficult circumstances, and schools that are designed to be that way drawing on some of the most recent education research (such as the effectiveness of flipped learning).

Online schools are now being recognised by the department of education as valid alternative schooling provision and my sons school has just received a glowing OFSTED inspection.

LOL better tell the Open University. They don’t seem to have realised. Nor have the employers or postgraduate institutions which seem to think an OU education is very good.

The kids in the states whose schooling went online during Covid lockdowns are generally testing far behind where they should be. Is it different in the UK?

I mean fair enough to say it's not right for most children (true) but to peddle bullshit like that is irresponsible and fails to take on board it's a literal lifesaver for many children

reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/100003/150780

No it hasn't.

YABU. Online education has been thoroughly demonstrated to be extremely ineffective.

We moved to online school this year (year 10). Game changer for us. My DD still does activities outside of school and is so much happier, more engaged and enjoying learning again

Socialisation and generally learning to live in the world is about more than just “seeing their friends”. In a society you don’t just coexist with people you like in an organised way. That’s not what any workplace is like, nor any busload of people or even group of neighbours! I’m not denigrating bullying or how difficult school can be (although your OP doesn’t actually mention a specific issue) I just don’t see in your plan how your kids learn to cope with the world in the broader sense. Part of the problem for those teenagers who missed a lot of school time due to covid was that they missed this wider skills stuff of just learning to rub along together and having the confidence to do things like take public transport. I can see the appeal for young children but not for this age. Unless there are specific issues, secondary school is for gaining independence, not spending more time cosseted in a family bubble.

How did they cope with schooling during lockdown @razzbo

Would it be better to move somewhere less middle of nowhere?

It'd be a hard no from me. My dd1 mentioned one of her friends was considering it and I said nfw. All that time on screen, not moving around, socially isolated and effectively hiding from the world, I can't see the appeal at all unless school is really traumatic. Home schooling is different if done well - you'd be out and about having human interaction and would have opportunities to make friends. Online school just so you apend more time in your immediate family bubble sounds age inappropriate to me. There must be another way to build in more fresh air and exercise in - how do they travel to school?

Saying that OP, as I said before, we have to work very hard to ensure DS gets socialisation and maintains friendships outside of school, so if you are already isolated I would proceed with caution

@Runoutofmilk yes, interactive lessons, flipped learnings, bi-termly class trips. It's not conventional but doesn't mean it doesn't have its place.

A pupil at my DS's online school got the highest GCSE maths grade IN THE WORLD last year, so for some kids it clearly works.

I'm not advocating it for all. But for some (eg my DS) it's allowing him to engage with learning where the environment of mainstream schools meant he could even make it through the door.

Even though I think your attitude is narrow minded, I get it because we have traditional schooling so drummed in. However in so many ways it's broken, DS's school is also the fastest growing school in the country and has been recognised by OFSTED, so likelihood is it will become more commonplace

I just wanted to answer this, online school can very much be 'real school' and they are taught lessons in the same way (sometimes more effective ways) as mainstream schools. My son is absolutely learning. However the social side is obviously more complex!

I would tread very carefully around this one. I remember a family once who had three kids who were home tutored and then put in school for a while and they took a long time to adjust socially.
They were three bright and nice kids but they found it hard to fit in as there was little commonality with the other kids and they had this real adult/baby sensibility: in some ways they would chat to you like someone your age but with kids their own age the slightest thing would make them cry and have a melt down ie.someone taking their ruler at age 12!!
Please really think this one through as I think you’d be exhanging one set of problems for another.

With kindness, your children need to be taught, online school isn't a substitute for that, you can't be working and teaching them plus they aren't things to entertain you "seeing them". If they aren't motivated to do homework they won't cope with remote learning.

It works for some children but typically a parent is supervising

So they get no real world life experience and live in a bubble?! This thread seems to be more about you than them....

It's not something I'd do unless absolutely necessary (Sen or medical needs). Not being in school can be very isolating.

Same as a PP I have one in mainstream who has thrived, and Y7 DS (in process of ASD assessment) who could not cope and for whom mainstream school was literal hell.

He's started online school and it's significantly better than his last term where his anxiety meant he wasn't making it in at all (and was absolutely hating himself for it) however in terms of juggling full time work and supporting him I'm finding it quite stressful. He's only 4 weeks in so maybe we get more self sufficient.

We're having to make a LOT of concerted effort for him to get out of the house and maintain relationships with his friends, and he misses them a lot.

So I would say it can be absolutely the right thing for some kids, but it's not a magic wand and think very carefully