WHAT? WHERE?

As the name might give away, Minerva’s Virtual Academy is an entirely online independent school, currently teaching Years 9 to 12 – although they’re rapidly expanding, and will be accommodating Year 7 to 13 come September. Rapid expansion certainly seems to be a theme: the Academy is relatively new to the scene, having been founded in 2020 by Director Hugh Viney following the success of his private tutoring company Minerva Tutors (who have been around since 2014). After an explosive three years, Minerva’s Virtual Academy now serves some 400 pupils from all over the UK and more than 46 countries worldwide – impressive stuff.

MVA’s guiding hands are founder Hugh Viney and Headmaster Lawrence Tubb (formerly Director of Music at top indie Wycombe Abbey), who have combined their considerable experience to create an affordable (more on that later), accessible online school with a real sense of community. As 2020 showed, online schooling done right can be a godsend for children who need the support, flexibility and alternative approach that brick and mortar schools can sometimes lack, and MVA has taken this approach and run with it. What’s more, it’s clearly working: the school has recently announced that Mark Edwards will be leaving his position as Deputy Head of the venerated Dragon School in Oxford to head up Years 7 and 8 for MVA – a move that speaks volumes.

An entirely online school might seem unconventional, but the qualifications pupils receive here are as readily received as a classic GCSE. MVA follows the iGCSE exam board, set by Cambridge Assessment and Pearson Edexcel, which is handy for non-UK citizens and those living abroad, and their pass grade is above the national average (see below for more on that). MVA is about more than simply passing exams, however – the focus is very much on encouraging critical thought and a well-rounded attitude.

Of course, an initial sticking point for many parents is the lack of physical facilities – there’s no such thing as online swimming lessons or an online rugby team. However, MVA knows the importance of movement (they’re planning to introduce weekly PE e-sessions later this year), and IRL excursions take place two or three times a term. Sometimes they’re educational, and sometimes purely social, so that students can meet their friends face-to-face, and locations can be anywhere from Bletchley Park’s Code Breaking Museum to the Royal Courts of Justice or to see a concert at Royal Festival Hall. Trips aren’t just London-based, either; with a huge spread of pupils across the country and many based in the North, trips to Birmingham, Manchester and York are also on the cards, and there are plans for Paris and Amsterdam to include the European students.

HOW IT WORKS

So if your kids aren’t sat in physical classrooms with books, how are they learning? MVA’s Virtual Learning Platform is front and centre when it comes to the syllabus: both lessons and homework are uploaded here, including video, audio and quizzes, and parents have their own accounts so they can easily keep track of what work is being set (although it’s viewing only for the grown-ups, so no completing homework on their behalf).

MVA operates a ‘flipped learning’ approach, where pupils prepare their work ahead of lessons and then theory is developed in the live lessons. Discounting assemblies and clubs (more on those in a minute), pupils studying for their GCSE’s have a one-hour lesson in each subject per week. Each of those lessons has 45 to 60 minutes of preparatory work (although the prep work to live lesson ratio is greater for A-level students). One of the advantages of this system is its flexibility – many of MVA’s students are operating around external timetables such as professional sports commitments or even healthcare requirements, and it enables the large number of pupils joining mid-way through the school year to easily catch up on lessons they’ve missed. If needs be, pupils have access to Aurora, a programme designed to help them solidify their Maths and English skills in case they have been out of traditional learning for some time for whatever reason.

Big group events take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: Monday is a whole-school assembly with announcements and discussions, sometimes lead by students; Wednesdays is a year group assembly; Fridays are for the school’s enrichment programme World Changers, which spans Years 7 to 11 and sets projects over a number of weeks to encourage creative thought, critical thinking and problem solving (a recent example was a brief to design Minervopolis, the City of the Future, taking into account sustainability, transport systems and more). Instead of World Changers, Sixth Formers have a Symposia on a Friday, which is designed to help prep them for life beyond the classroom.

On Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoons, social rooms are held across year groups with more informal games and discussions. On Monday and Fridays, clubs are held after lessons – this could be anything from debating and young entrepreneurs to art club and film production.

ACADEMICS

The list of core GCSE subjects for Years 9 to 11 pupils at MVA is small but mighty: Maths, English Language, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Pupils can also take up to four additional GCSEs, choosing from Business Studies, Computer Science, English Literature, French, German, Geography, History, Psychology, Spanish, Art & Design, Global Citizenship, Religious Studies, and Music. The Academy has also just launched a BTEC in Esports – the only Online School in the UK to do so.

Last year saw the Academy’s first set of iGCSE results. 80% gained a pass at grades 9-4 (the national average is 73%); 34% got Grade 9-7 ie. A* or A (the national average is 26%) – impressive considering that the school is completely non-selective.

THE HEAD

Lawrence Tubb has been with the Academy since its inception, and a more hands-on Head you’d be hard-pushed to find. Having previously worked as Director of Music for nine years at prestigious Bucks school Wycombe Abbey, leading a team of 45 full-time teachers, Tubb has turned his hand to shaping day-to-day life for MVA pupils. As well as working closely with teaching and mentoring staff and hosting the Academy’s weekly assemblies, Tubb is the Deputy Safeguarding Lead for the school, and plans all activities for the co-curricular World Changers programme.

Even through the screen, Tubb’s enthusiasm is absolutely infectious – he and co-founder Hugh Viney bounce from one school-related subject to another, each as passionate as the other. It’s clear why MVA is going from strength to strength with such a driving force behind the wheel, and Tubb has such clear empathy for the wellbeing of his pupils that it’s no wonder that the school excels when it comes to pastoral care. Speaking of which…

PASTORAL CARE

As many pupils come to MVA after finding a lack of support in the traditional schooling system, it’s no surprise that pastoral care is a keystone of the Academy’s ethos – not to mention a USP of the school. Each and every pupil is assigned a personal mentor who they meet with to discuss their academic progress, workload and wellbeing. All students meet with their mentor for 30 mins weekly, and at the end of every fortnight parents receive a report from their child’s mentor (ideal if you’re not particularly tech-savvy or don’t have time to keep close tabs on what’s on the virtual learning platform).

Every half term pupils are given projected grades for whatever qualification they’re working towards, as well as grades for effort so parents can keep an eye on areas that might need a little more work. This system is designed to catch any issues early on, rather than letting children struggle alone without supervision. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a lot more supportive than many systems offered by mainstream schools, and should assuage many prospective parents’ fears that their little ones are being left to their own devices.

ISI REPORT

The school is not yet registered with the ISI, all online schools are currently waiting for a brand new inspection regime to begin – it will be conducted by Ofsted and should be in place in 2023.

MVA however has just received a glowing report in their Cambridge Schools inspection and passed with flying colours.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Is positive. Of course the school only has a few years of feedback to its name, but we’ve seen glowing testimonials from parents delighted that their children have finally found a system that supports them. As well as parent feedback, the fact that the school has attracted such high-level teachers is high praise in itself.

FEES

One of the benefits of running an entirely online Academy? No heating bills to pay! MVA is significantly more affordable than many of the traditional redbrick independents in the UK, costing £7,645 per school year or £2,915 per term.

THE MUDDY VERDICT 

Good for: Children for whom the traditional school approach has been less than effective, whether this is due to special education needs, school phobia or related anxieties or bullying. Families working around professional sporting requirements (around 18% of the pupils at MVA are top athletes) or military relocations are also sure to benefit from the school’s flexible nature.

Not for: Families with younger children where a parent or guardian can’t be home to supervise; parents wanting sporting facilities, art rooms and science labs; children who will be likely to struggle with the lack of day-to-day in-person interaction.

Dare to disagree? Be my guest! You can book a Family Discovery Call at your leisure to find out more about how MVA operates.