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Briteschool Downloads

Top downloads from Briteschool (free)

Year 6-8 Maths Test

Year 9/10 Maths Test

Computing Word-processing exercises

Resources

Sample lesson slides (Maths and Science) here.

External Links

PLEASE NOTE: No endorsement is implied by any links to any external websites, nor is Briteschool responsible for their content !

http://www.home-education.org.uk/ - site packed with listings and useful information

Primary Home Education UK - professionally-developed course material and support for Primary students (KS1 and KS2). Material designed and sent to students, from which parents teach their children; marking and further support available if required. Established 5 1/2 years. Good for people in different time zones, or for those who move about, between time zones. Several of our students have used their materials in the past.

More links for Home Educators are here (click). This site's whiteboard is here.

The other seven UK-based online schools / notschools:

(Please contact us or email us if you know of others ! Prices may be out of date)

www.briteschool.co.uk - that's us ! Established March 2006; full opening Sept 2006. Third batch of students through IGCSEs this year. Approx. 35 students; 8 teachers plus a couple of part-timers.

www.northstaruk.org - not "live" as such (uses a web-based lesson format centred on the "Moodle" virtual learning environment, similar to the simpler "Interact" used by Briteschool for Admin, Homeworks and Notices). "Christian perspective", but "used by families from a wide-range of beliefs". Wide range of subjects offered on a per-subject pricing basis for students aged 13-16. In addition, individualised A level programmes are also offered. Established Sept 1999. Has had student numbers in the low hundreds. Total cost for six IGCSEs, £3816 (for the two years: "£318 per student per [IGCSE] subject per year"). 17 full- and part-time teachers. Well-established with a good reputation. Good, friendly communications and responsiveness to queries.

www.interhigh.co.uk - "live" including microphone usage in a secure classroom. £2100.00 p.a. for (effectively) 6 subjects (Maths, Double Science, English, French, Geog / Hist). Opened Sept 2005: the first in the UK. Approx 200 students. 13 qualified teachers. Had their fourth batch of students through IGCSEs this year.

www.accipio-learning.com - "live" and recorded sessions, using the same Elluminate! software as does Briteschool. Limited range of "core-only" subjects: English, Maths, IT, Science, and Preparation For Work. No prices visible on site, and appear to be geared to the L(E)As. Provide ADSL, laptop and set-up if required. LATEST NEWS: Went into Administration, Summer 2011. LAs quickly looked for alternative provision.

www.nisaieducation.com - "live". A virtual academy which seems to have onboard various L(E)As, but at a price: £40 per KS3 subject per week plus £40 for administrative support (only 5 subjects offered: Maths, English, ICT, double science = £240 / week; £240 x 36 = £8,640 per year). Becoming established, but appears to look to service L(E)As rather than individuals. Flashy, but standardised responsiveness to queries.

www.notschool.net - not "live", and LEA / centrally-funded for school "refusers" and some of the disaffected. Students are "researchers", teachers are "mentors" - a very different ethos to schools. Opened 2001. Has had over 1700 researchers on their books. Run by a team of 18 mentors. Well-established.

www.academus.org.uk - a new online school, targetting LAs; no response when emailed, but apparently has several students paid for by Local Authorities on their books, and "isn't cheap" ! According to their website established in 2007, but not noticed by us or anybody else until Summer 2010.

www.firstcollege.co.uk - "live" texting, but limited microphone usage in moderately-secure classrooms. £1980 / 6 subjects per year. Opened mid Jan 2006. Approx 25 students. 4 teachers, two not fully-qualified. Alternative ethos.

Also:

www.laffah.com - LAFFAH - based in London; has physical classrooms in use teaching at weekends and in the evenings; have approached Briteschool for help in setting up a live, virtual school. Should be offering more and more online services over the coming months, with a full "opening" initially anticipated for Sept 2011, but has been delayed. Has had some help and advice from Briteschool ! :-)

Periplus are also making waves, and have a fancy website, but don't seem to have actually started lessons yet (Sept 2011).

London International Online School ("LIONS") was mooted by a group of parents, due to be set up from Sept 2007. It never got beyond the planning stage owing to a death on the forming committee.

Tuition:

There are many online tutors, quite a few offering live tuition.

This chap seems to have a nicely-detailed site, with lots of good advice and many links: www.schoolsuccess.co.uk

There's also Kumon, who offer face-to-face Maths and English Tuition for £45 each per month (550 centres in the UK), and a number of virtual tuition centres based in India, including www.heymath.net , www.tutorvista.com , who charge around £10 / hour or £50 / month, depending on which option the students chooses.

However, one of our students tried Tutor Vista and had this to say "Xxxx tried it for 1 lesson and the connection was bad and it was really hard to understand what they say. If you try to cancel they will do anything to try and make you stay and finally after battling with them for 3 days they canceled".

US-based:

www.compuhigh.com not "live", but individualised tuition. The "World's First Online School", established 1994; US$ 275 / course, up to $1485 / year; 19 teachers.

There are many others in the US, mainly asynchronous, some synchronous, and many set up by regional and local areas to help students in the immediate vicinity (Pennsylvania seems to be the best developed in this respect).

Others:

A larger list of many virtual high schools around the world appears here: www.shambles.net/pages/school/vschools/ - and seems to be updated regularly.

The BRIT School, Croydon, London is an independent but free Performing Arts and Technology School. It is NOT Briteschool !

NOTE: Parts of these descriptions of online UK secondary schools are OPINIONS, based on the experiences of two of Briteschool's teachers and five students. Two of our teachers have worked in three of the six live schools, and students at Briteschool have been to four of the six live online schools. One of our teachers also worked for the asynchronous Oxford Home Schooling.

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