The Department for Education’s (DfE) Online Education Accreditation Scheme or OEAS is now open for applications. The Scheme aims to incentivise schools offering online education to meet high standards of education and safeguarding by awarding accreditation based on the new Online Education Standards.
Why was the Scheme introduced?
The OEAS has been established to reassure children, parents and local authorities of the quality of education and safeguarding arrangements offered by online providers.
Who can apply to the Scheme?
To apply, providers must meet the following criteria:
- teach online only on a permanent basis
- provide a full curriculum or represent a child’s main or only source of education
- have at least one full-time pupil of compulsory school age on roll based in England (irrespective of the number of learners based overseas)
- have a physical presence in England
- are registered with Companies House or the Charity Commission
How does the Scheme work?
The OEAS is voluntary and providers can apply by submitting relevant information online to the DfE. Once an application has been submitted it will be passed to Ofsted to carry out suitability checks and visits to assess if they meet the standards. Subsequent visits will be made to accredited providers to assess whether they continue to meet the standards.
How do I know if a provider is accredited?
Inspection reports will be published by Ofsted and accredited providers will appear on the Get information about schools (GIAS) register. Which Online School will also display the accreditation on their school page.
Further information about the scheme can be found by visiting https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-online-education-accreditation#who-the-accreditation-scheme-is-for
