Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that teaching provided by distance and online remote learning education providers meet the required teaching standards.
On 20 March 2023, the Department launched the Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS). This scheme provides for the voluntary accreditation of full-time, online-only education providers. The OEAS is non-statutory, but the Department’s aim is that commissioners of full-time online education for school-age pupils in England should use accredited providers for new places wherever possible.
As a condition of accreditation under the OEAS, applicants must consistently meet the Online Education Standards. These standards are modelled on the Independent School Standards, which ensure the safety and suitability of education provided in registered independent schools.