MVA online school

[Pippisox]

Has anyone had a similar experience with MVA online school where the class sizes are way above the quoted of 20? We've had three subjects of over 25 pupils and now they say they reserve the right to expand class sizes as necessary. There are some good reviews but we've had the opposite. Class sizes are similar to state schools and with virtually none of the students having cameras on there is little interaction. Friends have attended different online schools with much better teaching and communication. MVA seems to have excellent marketing skills but not much else. Interested to hear more views on this.

I work for a rival so probably not the best person to comment. I agree with you though. V expensive too for what they offer.

We have signed up to kings interhigh as they offer DD16s A level choices (chronic illness means it has to be online after struggling through mainstream). Wanted to go with MVA as class sizes much smaller and looks like you get much more 1:1 support but they didn't do the A level she really wanted.
MVAClass sizes still much, much smaller than King's but I'd be annoyed they were bigger than 25 as the smaller sizes are their selling point and MVA is not cheap. Will be seeing how we get on with Kings and switching to private tutors if it's no good. Hoping she will thrive whatever the class size though.

I believe that somewhere in the MVA very small print it says that class sizes will now be going up to 30!

We are considering signing up for Sept 2026 - what has your experience of the social meets been? Do many people actually attend the social zooms/forums etc?

Yes they have changed their Admissions Policy with various get out clauses. However we signed the previous one with a cap on their classes of 20. Think they are being cheeky actually.

If as you are saying there are 5 (potentially up to 10) more students but also saying that most of them don't ever turn on their screens or interact, then surely it makes no difference to your learner? They will still have a mentor to make sure that they don't get overlooked/fall behind without anyone realising.

I appreciate that 30 loud children competing for attention in a lesson is a very different matter to 20, but it feels a bit like your two complaints cancel out?

I'm still interested to know how active the social hubs are, btw.

Yes they do run socials but they don't push them according to our grandchild. So far they have not taken part as they have sports training. I think most are in London apparently

We've been with MVA for a shortish time so far. My child has attended a trip (not London based) which they really enjoyed. Their year group has formed a couple of group chats on various platforms which seem to get used and they also use the chat function during lessons. They've formed some particular friendships and are planning summer meet ups. There are definitely more in-person options in London but I think that's growing. Parents also meet up in groups at times and I think organise things for their kids between themselves.

I think it's as social as your child would like to be honest, as I know some MVA kids struggle. Obviously they are not there in person every day but I think online school just isn't right for a child if they need that level of interaction.

The class size thing doesn't really bother me as I don't think it makes a big difference to my child's experience. I would say that I have struggled a bit to get teacher interaction with us but part of it has been getting our heads round the various platforms and ways to communicate. I'd be interested to hear about other online schools that people think are better at this as it's my only issue with MVA at this point.

I’ve been using cambrilearn.com for my teen and it’s been working well so far. The live lessons are optional but available if needed, and they’ve got a flexible setup that lets us plan our own pace. You can choose from a few curriculum options, and the support team has been quick to reply whenever I had questions. Might be worth a look if you're still weighing different platforms.