Since March 2024, Suzanne Lindley, previously deputy head (pastoral) – the first person in the school to hold this position. Started out as a biology teacher at Sir Joseph Williamson’s Maths School, a boys’ selective state school in Kent, where she became head of year, head of lower school and then deputy head of inclusion. Thence to Bangkok Patana School, a British international school, where she was assistant principal (academic). The diversity of the international community – as well as her experience of leading online learning during Covid – sparked her interest in online education models. ‘My own daughter did online learning for GCSE and as a parent I was fascinated with how we could retain the best bits of the learning model and scaffolding,’ she adds. ‘Even in bricks and mortar schools, they now do things so differently as a result – and with online schooling, we can take the positives to even greater lengths.’
Heavily involved in day-to-day school life – no mean feat in an online school, especially with such fast growing numbers (which have doubled in the past two years alone). She does this through assemblies (where ‘I’m all too aware that parents are often listening in too!’) and sends weekly comms to students and parents, as well as popping into some lessons. Very popular – easy to see why, with her easygoing warmth.
Has already made her mark, expanding the leadership team from three to six – now with viceprincipals in academic, safeguarding, pastoral, learning and teaching and student progress; diversifying the extracurricular offer; and introducing a mental health team.
Lives in Dorset with her husband and daughter, and enjoys nature, gardening, beaches and dog walks.
ENTRANCE
Entry mainly at the start of each term of any year group from year 7, with some joining mid-year. Six-week trials available, as are catch-up interventions for students who have gaps in their learning – common among those who join following poor experiences of traditional school (and sometimes time out of school altogether). Some year 11 joiners and occasionally students join in year 13 (eg if there has been some major disruption), but they won’t take new joiners into those year groups after autumn half-term. Overseas students may be tested to ensure good grasp of English. For sixth form entry, a GCSE grade 6 is preferred in subjects to be studied at A level, with some exceptions, eg if it’s clear potential was not reached in GCSEs. Sixth formers have the option to resit core GCSEs.
EXIT
Not generally seen as a stopgap (some online schools are), with most joining and staying until post GCSEs, when 80 per cent leave, usually to head to physical schools or to college to do vocational courses (though growing numbers are staying on for sixth form). Some go sooner, eg if they’ve suffered severe anxiety and MVA has helped them reach a point where they decide to reintegrate into a bricks-and-mortar school. The first cohort of year 13s graduated in 2024 – a very small cohort who went off in interesting directions, most to universities worldwide(including one medic) and one to run her own business that she’d set up while doing her A levels.
LATEST RESULTS
In 2024, 18 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 82 per cent 9-4 in both English and maths. At A level, 30 per cent A*/A (35 per cent A*-B).
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Aim is for students to prepare for their whole future, not just exam day. So, alongside the focus on reaching potential in GCSEs and A levels (and many families report a hike in grades beyond our wildest expectations’), the school also encourages the kind of critical thought, independent learning, global perspective and a general allroundedness that employers value.
A flipped learning model means that for every live class there’s a self-study lesson first –including home-grown videos (‘nothing off YouTube!’) plus activities, quizzes, summaries etc.
The former lasts between 10 and 90 minutes, depending on the year group, while live lessons are 45-55 minutes – with wellbeing breaks in between. Students say it means learning is ‘more stimulating’ and ‘there’s no time wasting’ Lessons are ‘fast paced’, we heard, but ‘pitched well –possible because class sizes max at 20’. Extension material available in all subjects.
We dropped in on a classics class that kicked off with a quiz on self-study, while year 12 English literature students contemplated ideological standpoints they’d been introduced to.
With most cameras and mics on, there’s room for lively debate – but even those with exemptions (for anxiety etc) can get stuck in via class chats, private messages to the teachers, individual whiteboards and polls etc. If you miss a lesson (many of the students have out-of-school commitments or healthcare requirements), you just watch the recorded version (also useful for those joining mid-year). Students also rate the breakout rooms used in class (same as working in small groups in a real classroom), although older students feel the study groups (unique to sixth form) should be supervised – ‘Most students don’t engage,’ said one.
Slow starts accommodated – one parent told us her child, who’d suffered from panic attacks, spent the first three months accessing the recorded lessons, then became confident enough to dip into live ones with no mic or camera before ‘eventually doing live work every day – and he’s loving it, we are absolutely thrilled’
These students are given targets to increase engagement –same for those who use the chats (public and private) and whiteboard less than others. ‘The beauty of online learning is that we can capture all this data, then use it to support the student at a pace that suits them,’ says principal. Lots of catchup opportunities, eg Aurora, a programme to boost math, English and science skills in KS4 – but school reports that’s needed less now with English language and maths provision increased from one to two live lessons a week from years 9-11
It’s an all-or-nothing timetable – so no dipping in and out of subjects as at some online schools – while at GCSE students choose from the core subjects of maths, English language and the three sciences (dual or triple), plus up to four from a wide mix including computer science, English literature, French, German, Spanish, psychology, art and design and global citizenship Fifteen A levels on offer (RS the most recent addition) from which most pick three, occasionally two or four – we spoke to one who was doing eight! Uniquely for a UK online school, they’ve also launched a BTEC in esports EPQ now offered, plus access to bespokecareers counsellor.
Teachers (all subject specialists, many of them past senior leaders) are ‘brilliant’, we heard. ‘My daughter had lost faith and confidence in all teachers, which was disheartening, but here she thinks the world of them.’ Many come to MVA after reaching burnout from trad schools, while for others it’s the potential of tech in teaching that floats their boat. Most are based in UK, a few overseas – all work from home Over 300 applications for eight recent teaching jobs
One parent felt it was a shame her daughter had to ‘drop GCSE drama and PE – just not possible in an online school’, but ‘on the other hand, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by science practicals where they get you to use household items like baking powder – it’s been a revelation to me’.
In 2024, Pearson allowed students to sit some GCSE exams online for the first time, with half of Minerva students choosing to take them at home – ‘brilliant if you live rurally, have anxiety about exam centres or have SEN,’ says school (If you’re wondering how they stop cheating, there’s a second camera watching from the side and one invigilator for every two students). The rest sat exams in exam centres of their choosing, with support from Minerva.
LEARNING SUPPORT AND SEN
The best we’ve seen for an online school. A good job too as over half (54 per cent) of students are on the SEND register, covering four main areas of need: communication and interaction; cognition and learning; SEMH; and sensory and/or physical need. Unusually, MVA has students with EHCPs (53 currently) and works with local authorities and physical schools for alternative provision (they also have experience with looked-after children).
Seven-strong team consists of SENCo (in four days a week) and five assistant SENCos (one trained in access arrangements) and one SEN support lead (specialising in working memory) who meet with families to provide practical suggestions and works closely with the student’s mentor (they all get one) to ensure their support and guidance is tailored, and that the mentor can be their ‘advocate and champion’. One-to-ones available, eg six weeks working with memory intervention (costs extra), and there’s a daily neurodiversity support group
Parents feel online learning is just the ticket for meeting neurodivergent students’ needs, eg sensory processing needs. Others have autism, ADHD, dyslexia, OCD, APD, demand avoidance, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and SEMH They add that the department is ‘immensely proactive’ and ‘excellent at helping out with allowances for exams and finding the best ways to teach my son’. Thumbs up too for the daily learning development themed clubs – everything from crochet to Lego – and the additional mentoring sessions available for students who need extra settling in. EAL support available via Minerva Tutors, and Lexia is offered by the school.
THE ARTS & EXTRACURRICULAR
Trips are the standout point here – ‘absolutely brilliant’, say parents. At least twice each term, students are invited to the likes of Bletchley Park, Go Ape, theatre trips, ice skating etc – and they’re now organised for individual year groups, key stages or to complement certain subjects (eg theatre trips to reflect Eng lit text) rather than an invitation to the whole school (which was initially the case) These are run across the UK – Birmingham, York, Sheffield, London etc, with plans for meetups in Paris and Amsterdam for the European students. Some students canonly manage a couple of hours, others embrace the whole day. Parents say they’re ‘wellstaffed’, and ‘the head usually makes the effort to come’
Just six clubs in place when we first reviewed the school – now there are over 20 running at lunchtimes and after school, with themes decided by each cohort to reflect their interests, currently AI, cooking, creative writing, LGBTQ+, art, photography, film, young entrepreneurs, debating and chess, among others. ‘They’re run by subject specialists and are a bit like lessons but more fun,’ felt one student. One group of students runs the MVA store, with merch designed by students (water bottles, hoodies etc). Also popular is the World Changers club – a recent brief was to design Minervopolis, the city of the future, where students came up with ideas about sustainability, transport systems etc; another project saw them redesigning prisons and considering how we could improve our criminal justice system.
For sixth formers, there’s a lot of support with next steps (including helping develop critical thinking skills, eg via a moral philosophy course which saw students considering difficult ethical decision-making scenarios), then life skills more generally (eg managing finances, preparing for moving away from home).
Music is run as a GCSE and there are also concert trips (eg Royal Festival Hall) for all. No music club, but they have managed a school concert – not live, but everyone submitted a recording which the school collated. Drama on the sparse side, as you’d expect, although the film production club includes a bit of acting and there’s a debating club. Art GCSE more popular than you might think, although be warned there are restrictions on where you can do your final assessed piece. Some students just opt for creating a portfolio –and there’s art club too.
Interests outside the school are valued, say parents – ‘My daughter loves horse riding and they’re always happy for her to watch one of the recorded lessons if the live one clashes with a riding commitment ’
No physical facilities or opportunity to kick a ball about with others. But there’s a fitness group that sets weekly challenges (running certain distances, swimming, horse riding, rowing, etc) –they meet weekly to hold each other to account School has also employed specialist athlete mentors for the high-performing athletes that study here (quite a lot) and they are able to advise all students on daily activities like stretches to prepare for extended desk time.
ETHOS AND HERITAGE
Founded in 2020 on the back of Minerva Tutors, whose reputation for home schooling was (and still is) going strong. Realising that (a) one-to-one tutoring for an entire curriculum is prohibitively expensive for most people and (b) it offers no chance for students to socialise, the company decided to launch an online school with an emphasis on affordable fees and a sense of community. And because so many youngsters choose online schooling because they can’t cope with traditional schooling, the company also put pastoral care at its heart. Parents say they’ve achieved all three aims, reporting a ‘warm energy from everyone’ and a ‘progressive’, ‘forward-looking’ vibe.
Helping with the sense of belonging are the two assemblies a week – for the whole school onMondays (with announcements and discussions, sometimes student-led) and for individual year groups on Wednesdays (we dipped into a year 9 one on ‘What is a community?’ and loved seeing the ideas pouring in). Then there’s the enrichment programme, clubs and social rooms (like online common rooms). The live lessons (including breakout rooms) also provide opportunity for interaction. ‘There’s definitely a social side – I have made friends from Luxembourg, Scotland and England,’ said a student. And although she told us she hadn’t met any of them in person, many others had, mostly on the trips
Growth has been rapid, from just seven to nearly 1,000 students in just four years If anything has got parents feeling twitchy, it’s this But all agree ‘the school still knows every student’ and appreciate their commitment to 20 students max per class. And it’s not as if an online school has the worry of having to squeeze people out of assembly or dining halls or running out of classrooms – so frankly, the sky’s the limit
HQ is shared with Minerva Tutors in an uber-cool office in Brixton, although all the teachers work from home (mainly UK but some overseas). Lessons are from 9am GMT, with lessons finishing at 3pm and clubs at 4pm. MVA has received its first (glowing) Ofsted report – ‘We were visited by three inspectors in person,’ says principal. School also has Cambridge International accreditation.
PASTORAL CARE, INCLUSIVITY, AND DISCIPLINE
Every student gets assigned a personal mentor (trained by the mental health and SEND teams), with whom they meet weekly (more if needed) for half an hour (usually face-to-face online, but via Google Chat for the most anxious students) to discuss academic progress, workload and wellbeing Every fortnight, parents receive a report from them (along with half-termly progress and engagement reports) Nearly every parent and student we spoke to pulled this mentor system out as one of the best things about MVA, saying it reflects how ‘wellbeing is at the centre of everything they do’ ‘My son’s mentor is absolutely brilliant and goes through everything from academic to mental health – I don’t know where we’d be without her.’ There’s also a weekly 45-minute wellbeing session on eg emotional intelligence, stress management and communication Where referrals are needed, eg to a counsellor, parents said MVA is ‘responsive’ and ‘has good links’
‘Relatively little’ disruption in the classroom, although there’s always the magic mute button – surely the envy of all teachers in physical classrooms For those who post something inappropriate in a public chat, MVA has a ‘conversation to encourage reflection’. On the rare occasion that sanctions are required, it’s usually a case of temporarily excluding them from attending live lessons. Only one student has been excluded permanently. No chance of skipping class without permission or of logging on then sneaking off to game –they take registers and have software that monitors engagement.
PUPILS AND PARENTS
Just under 20 per cent of students are top athletes and come to MVA for the flexibility. Around a quarter come from overseas (48 countries) and want to follow the English national curriculum –some of these are travelling families. Most of the remainder are keen to avoid the pressures of traditional schooling due to eg SEN, emotionally based school avoidance or anxiety and mental health problems Others are gifted students, actors and musicians and those who just prefer home schooling as a lifestyle choice. They told us MVA helps them feel ‘more in control of the learning experience’, as well as feeling ‘well supported both pastorally and academically’
Parent community is built through the Classlist app where parents can connect with other families in their local area or year group or special interest (SEND and sports) – it’s good for connecting prior to school trips too Parents say school keeps them ‘feeling involved’ and that they ‘listen to everything – you’d never get them saying, “This is the way we do things because we always have” ’ We asked parents and students who MVA wouldn’t suit: ‘Particularly with younger children, you need someone at home to supervise,’ pointed out one. ‘You need an element of self-motivation,’ added another, while one student reckoned, ‘It’s definitely not for those who thrive off the lunchtime and break social scene.’
MONEY MATTERS
With no buildings to manage, it’s happy days for MVA when it comes to overheads. Still, there are all those top-drawer teachers and staff to pay for, not to mention the everchanging whizzy tech. The result is fees of £7,995 per school year (or £3,060 per term). Four scholarships are available in year 12 with 10 per cent fee remittance. Ten free places are made available for Ukrainian nationals, and a reduced fee of £5,500 once the free places are full
THE LAST WORD
Undoubtedly at the forefront of online schooling, MVA is helping to reshape the educational landscape by providing a more inclusive, flexible and appealing learning experience for those who – for a multitude of reasons – grapple with the constraints of more traditional schooling Genuinely suited to all abilities, the school also excels at pastoral care, as well as providing that holy grail of online schooling – a genuine sense of community and belonging.
JOIN US
The best method is to book a Discovery Call – a 30-minute chat with a member of the MVA Admissions team. Regular Open Events are held throughout the year and can be viewed here. Alternatively, the school can be reached on: +44 (0) 203 637 6477 or admissions@minervavirtual.com
