A house and a form group
Your child joins a house and a form group in their first week, and registers with the same faces every morning. For some that clicks straight away. Others take longer to find their people. Both are fine.
School life at IWS
Does an online school mean beingon your own?
Not here. A house, a form group, and clubs the students run, plus twenty minutes with your child’s mentor, every week of term.
Book a Consultation
Autumn term begins 14 September 2026. The consultation carries no fee, and there is nothing to decide on the day.
Accredited
The qualifications your child sits here are Cambridge qualifications, recognised by more than 1,400 universities.
There is more to school than lessons
Twenty minutes, every week of term
Academy students meet their mentor one to one. What is going well, what is not, and what happens next. You hear about it too.
Clubs the students run
Debate, science and chess. Students run them, which is why they keep going.
Groups on the platform
Students have their own groups on our platform, where they talk to each other and set up study groups for the subjects they share.
Unlimited 1:1 support, any time
Academy students can book one to one lesson support whenever they need it. There is no cap on it and no need to wait for the next lesson.
Serenity M.A Level, leads the debate club
Georgiy G.IGCSE, tennis
Maksim B.A Level, Head Boy
What an IWS school day actually looks like
- 09:00Registration with your form group
- 09:30Two subject blocks, taught by qualified teachers
- 13:30Independent work, with a teacher on hand
- 15:00Clubs, Tuesdays and Thursdays
- WedTwenty minutes, one to one with your mentor
Illustrative. Timetables vary by programme, year group and time zone.
Beyond the classroom
Athletes, Founders & Leaders
There isn’t a typical IWS student. Some train seriously for sport. Some perform. Some are already building something of their own. They live in different countries and meet in the same classrooms.
Georgiy G.IGCSE student, tennis athlete
Peter G.Show jumping, CSI level
Maksim B.A Level student, kendo athlete & IWS Head Boy
Milos L.Entrepreneur
Adrian R.Student athlete
Kei Y.IGCSE student, ballet athlete
Aydın T.Graduate, now in City University of London
Alexandru R.2025/26 Graduate, applied to top UK & Europe universities for Law
Emre K.Graduate, now studying Mathematics and Data Science
Serenity M.Debate Club leader
Thato R.A Level student, learning independently
Xenia A.A Level student, Science Club leaderBook a Consultation
Term begins 14 September 2026. The consultation carries no fee.
The record
- 1,400+
- Universities recognising Cambridge qualifications
- 4.2 / 5
- Trustpilot, reviewed by IWS families
- 95%
- Progression to 165+ pathways, University Foundation
- 1:1
- Unlimited one to one support on Academy
In their own words
Choosing a school online is difficult. These are from parents and students who already made the decision. Left independently on Trustpilot.
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.
Elena C.Parent · via Trustpilot
The team is incredibly flexible, understanding, and always willing to help whenever you have a question or need support. They genuinely care about their students and make the learning process much less stressful.
Milos L.Student · via Trustpilot
I spent considerable time looking for an online education for my daughter. Frankly, I had to choose IWS. My daughter just finished her AS level subjects and will continue with her A levels in a few months. Both of us are extremely happy.
ArdeshirParent · via Trustpilot
This was our first year at IWS, and it has been a wonderful experience. My daughter really enjoyed the teachers and the lessons, and I can see how much she has improved. The school has been very supportive.
Demi Y.Parent · via Trustpilot
I am currently studying a Foundation Year at IWS Online School and have had a great experience so far. The tutors are helpful, the course materials are clear, and the flexibility of online learning makes studying convenient.
Oum K.Student · via Trustpilot
With the end of my A-Levels this year, I wouldn’t have chosen any better institution than IWS. The immense support throughout my studies contributed to my academic performance and my wellbeing.
SalouaStudent · via Trustpilot
Our experience with IWS is very positive. It provided exactly what we needed and how we needed it: flexibility in study time with good study content, an independent programme and IGCSE.
Chinatsu Y.Parent · via Trustpilot
Caring, professional and friendly team. Thank you.
Giulia B.Parent · via Trustpilot
Four parents, on camera
We can explain how IWS works. Our families can tell you what it is actually like. Filmed at home, unscripted, published with their permission.
Not every student needs the same school day
IWS Academy
Full schoolThe full school week. A regular timetable, houses, clubs, unlimited 1:1 support, and a weekly one to one with a Mentor.
IWS Bridge
AlongsideFive taught lessons a week and more space around them. For a student training several hours a day or studying another programme at the same time, a full timetable isn’t always practical.
IWS Foundation
Own scheduleNo fixed live timetable. Students use recorded lessons and course materials and organise study around their own schedule. They are still following the course, just doing it differently.
You don’t have to decide from a website
A consultation, fifteen minutes
Tell us where your child is. We answer on programmes, structure and the fees for their stage.
A trial lesson, with our compliments
Thirty minutes with a qualified teacher, and a look inside the platform your child would use.
A house before the first Monday
Placement, timetable, mentor and house are settled before your child’s first lesson.
Autumn term 2026
Term begins 14 September
Houses and form groups are settled in the first week. A child who starts with everyone else meets a form group that is also finding its feet. Join later and the friendships have already formed, which is harder, though plenty of students do it and settle well.
We do take students mid-year. September is simply the easier week to arrive.
What would you like to know?
Tell us about your child. What is working at the moment, what isn’t, and what you are weighing up. Our admissions team reads these and replies within one working day.
- Our admissions team replies within one working day
- The consultation carries no fee
- Nothing to decide on the day
Your details go only to our admissions team.
The things parents ask first
Will my child actually make friends?
We know this is one of the first things parents worry about with online school. Friendships don’t happen because a school says it has a community. They happen when students are given enough chances to get to know each other. So your child joins a house and a form group in their first week, clubs run at fixed times, and on Academy there is a weekly one to one with their Mentor, which means someone notices if they have gone quiet.
Who looks after my child day to day?
Their subject teachers, all of them qualified, and on the Academy learning model a Mentor. The Mentor is one of your child’s own teachers, trained to deliver the Well-Rounded Programme, and they hold a twenty minute development conversation every week of term. You hear what came out of it.
Can we study from another time zone?
Yes. Families join us from across the world. Lessons are timetabled and recorded, and we will be straight with you at the consultation about which parts of the day work from where you are, and which do not.
Do we have to wait for term to start?
No. The autumn term begins on 14 September 2026, and that is the natural point to join, but we take students mid-year too. If a September start is what you want, a conversation this week keeps it open.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the programme, the year group and how much teaching your child needs, so a single figure would be misleading. We give you the exact fees for your child’s stage at the consultation, in writing, with nothing to decide on the day.