Questions and answers

Yes. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the law asks for a suitable full-time education "at school or otherwise", and a child at an online school counts as home educated. In Scotland you need the council's consent to withdraw a child from a council school.

In England, yes: online schools aren't registered schools, so your child is home educated in law and you remain responsible for their education, even at a DfE-accredited school.

17 providers, 9 of which families can apply to directly. Our accreditation page lists them all with their Ofsted reports.

For a full live timetable, Queen's Online School at £6,399 a year for GCSE or A level paid upfront. CambriLearn is cheaper on paper but mostly self-study, with one live lesson per subject a week.

Almost never. Expect to pay an exam centre £200 to £325 per GCSE and £340 to £400 per A level as a private candidate.

Sometimes, if your child can't attend school for medical reasons or has an EHC plan that names one. Families who choose an online school themselves normally pay.