What does it mean to be an ‘accredited’ online school? A parent’s guide to quality and safeguarding in online AP
You may have come across online alternative provision providers like Academy21 as an option to support your child’s education outside a traditional classroom, particularly where school attendance has become difficult. You may be asking an important question: How do I evaluate the quality of this education provision and make sure it is suitable for my child?
One of the most reliable ways to answer that question is through accreditation. Now, online education has just that, and it is important that families know about it. The Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS) provides a clear, impartial framework, operated by the Department for Education and OFSTED, for judging the quality of online education providers.
This guide explains what OEAS accreditation means in practice, how it helps parents evaluate online alternative provision with confidence, and how it fits in with the government’s new Non-School Alternative Provision Voluntary National Standards. It also explains why OEAS accreditation currently represents a more detailed and rigorous assurance process for online providers.
Academy21 was the first online alternative provision to be DfE-accredited under OEAS. We work directly with schools, trusts and local authorities, and are keen to ensure that parents feel reassured, informed, and confident about the provision supporting their child’s education.
What is OEAS? Understanding the basics
The Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS) is a national quality assurance framework developed by the Department for Education (DfE). Its purpose is to provide reassurance that online education providers meet high expectations for safeguarding, education quality, leadership and pupil welfare.
The scheme was introduced to address a long-standing gap. While schools and colleges are regulated and inspected, online education and alternative provision have historically operated without a formal national accreditation system. OEAS was designed to bring transparency and consistency to this space.
Providers who apply for OEAS accreditation voluntarily submit detailed evidence and undergo a visit carried out by Ofsted, acting on behalf of the DfE who assess the provider against a whole range of exacting standards. Following this inspection, the Department for Education makes the final decision on whether a provider can be accredited. Accredited providers are then listed on the government’s Get Information About Schools (GIAS) register, alongside schools and colleges.
For parents, OEAS accreditation is essential because it provides independent scrutiny and formal recognition that a provider meets nationally defined standards across:
1. Safeguarding
Online education can be a highly effective solution for children who struggle with attendance, anxiety, health issues or other barriers to learning in traditional settings. It can often give professionals greater insight and better monitoring of children not able to attend a physical school. However, learning online also brings unique safeguarding considerations. Children learning online are not always physically present in a school building, so strong systems, clear oversight and proactive welfare support are essential.
As part of OEAS accreditation, providers must demonstrate that safeguarding is fully embedded across their organisation. This includes clear child protection policies, staff training aligned with Keeping Children Safe in Education, and well-defined processes for reporting and responding to concerns. Inspectors closely examine how safeguarding is led, monitored, and understood at every level.
Accredited providers have shown that pupil welfare is tracked day-to-day, including how concerns are escalated promptly to the commissioner of the placement and how pupils know where to turn for support.
2. Quality of education and teaching standards
OEAS accreditation also provides assurance about the quality of education your child receives. To be eligible for accreditation, online providers must offer full-time education aligned with the national curriculum, not simply tutoring or supplementary learning. Inspectors assess how the curriculum is structured, how lessons are delivered, and how learning builds over time.
Teaching quality is a key focus. Providers are evaluated on how well teachers know their pupils, adapt lessons to individual needs and track progress. Ofsted also assesses how learning platforms and digital systems are used to support engagement, consistency, and accessibility.
In practical terms, OEAS accreditation confirms that an online provider delivers education with the same seriousness, planning, and oversight expected of regulated education settings, even though learning takes place virtually.
3. Supervision and welfare
Effective supervision looks different in an online setting, but it is no less important. During the accreditation process, inspectors examine how pupils’ attendance and engagement are monitored, how concerns are identified early, and how communication flows between staff, pupils and families. Providers must demonstrate that pupils are not simply logging in but are actively supported and supervised throughout their learning.
Welfare systems are also scrutinised. This includes pastoral support arrangements, staff suitability and training, and the processes in place to ensure pupils feel safe, listened to and supported. Staff working with children must be appropriately vetted, just as they would be in face-to-face provision.
The new Non-School Alternative Provision Standards
In August 2025, the Department for Education published the Non-School Alternative Provision: Voluntary National Standards to create greater consistency across the alternative provision sector, including settings outside traditional schools.
They focus on four core areas: safeguarding and welfare, health and safety, admissions and support, and the quality of education. Their purpose is to help commissioners and local authorities ensure children in alternative provision are safe and receiving appropriate education.
The non-school alternative provision standards are currently voluntary and are expected to become statutory. They provide a broad framework applicable to a wide range of providers covering 23 standards. OEAS, by contrast, is already an established accreditation scheme for online providers with an inspection process, formal decision-making by the DfE, and published outcomes based on its 93 standards.
Crucially, OEAS is specifically designed for online education providers. Its standards and inspection criteria rightly reflect the realities of digital learning, online safeguarding and remote supervision in greater depth.
What accreditation means for your child
When a provider is OEAS accredited, it gives parents reassurance across several key areas:
- Safeguarding and welfare arrangements have been independently reviewed and verified, as well as the recruitment and monitoring of qualified, high quality staff.
- The quality of teaching and learning has been assessed against exacting expectations around the curriculum, delivery and assessment.
- The leadership and governance are assessed to ensure the provider has the capacity to deliver high quality, safe online education
- There is transparency – inspection findings are published, allowing parents and commissioners to see evidence of practice.
- There is recognition – The Department for Education formally acknowledges an OEAS-accredited provider and appears on the government’s official register, reinforcing its credibility and accountability.
The Academy21’s OEAS accreditation: highlights from our report
Academy21 was the first online alternative provision provider to be accredited under OEAS. This accreditation followed a rigorous inspection process, with inspectors assessing Academy21 against 92 individual standards across eight categories, examining evidence through lesson observations, interviews with staff and leaders, scrutiny of safeguarding and attendance records, focus groups, and detailed reviews of policies and practice. Here are just some of the highlights of our Ofsted report:
1. Live teaching model
Inspectors noted that all lessons are delivered live by qualified teachers, and staff can form strong relationships with pupils. Feedback from the inspection indicated that parents and school mentors valued the personal qualities teachers bring to lessons, particularly their ability to encourage pupils to engage (and often re-engage) with learning after periods of difficulty.
2. Safeguarding and supervision
The report recognised that pupils are closely supervised at all times and that staff are fully informed about each pupil’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. Inspectors found that teachers are highly attuned to pupils’ wellbeing and routinely flag concerns to leaders, supported by detailed, well-maintained records.
3. Attendance and engagement
Inspectors found clear evidence that pupils’ attendance improves at Academy21, with many making progress toward successful reintegration into school or other education settings. Our teachers were praised for establishing positive, welcoming spaces, greeting pupils by name, encouraging participation, and building confidence, which improved pupils’ readiness to learn and their confidence in lessons.
4. Commitment to quality
The report recognised a clear, organisation-wide focus on providing the best possible online provision, extending across teaching, safeguarding, leadership and partnership working with schools and local authorities.
Our promise to parents
Choosing an alternative education pathway is a significant decision for any family. Alongside flexibility and accessibility, parents understandably want confidence that their child is safe, supported and receiving a meaningful education. That’s why we offer comprehensive resources on online AP and our own programme, to help parents feel confident and support their child in the best way possible.
