Online English School for Kids: What to Expect, and What to Ask Before You Sign Up

We will say it up front: we are an online English school ourselves, so we have an interest in this topic. That is why we wrote the checklist and the warning signs so they apply to us as much as to anyone else, and why we say clearly when a classroom school is better for your child than we are.

What parents mean by "an English school", and what has changed

When a parent says "I want an English school for my child", they usually mean four things together: a curriculum organised in levels, a qualified teacher rather than just someone who speaks English, clear follow-up on their child's progress, and someone to hold accountable if progress does not happen. That is an excellent definition, and it is exactly what you should look for, whether the school is a building or a platform.

Learning English online has changed three things. A child can now learn 1-on-1 with a tutor instead of in a group, which used to be a luxury few families could afford. The right teacher can be found in any country, not only in your neighbourhood. And you can often try before you pay, and stop month by month, instead of signing up for a whole term. In exchange, a child loses something real: the classroom, the friends, getting out of the house. So there is no single answer that suits every family, and we will be straight with you in the comparison.

Classroom school or 1-on-1 online lessons? An honest comparison

What a classroom school gives, and what it takes

• Friends, a class and a school atmosphere. A child who needs company finds something here a screen cannot give.
• A routine outside the home. Getting dressed, the journey and the school bag tell a child this matters.
• Group activities, movement and songs with other children. Very well suited to under-sevens.
• A break from screens, and a place you can walk into when you have a question.

What it takes: groups of 8 to 15 children, so each child speaks for a few minutes an hour and spends the rest listening and waiting. Fixed times and evening traffic. One level for different children, so the fast ones get bored and the slow ones get lost. A missed lesson is usually lost with no make-up. And contracts for a term or a year, paid up front, before you know whether your child will like the place.

What 1-on-1 online lessons give, and what they take

• Your child speaks for most of the lesson, because nobody else is in it. That alone is many times the speaking time of a group.
• The tutor moves at your child's pace: repeating what was not understood, skipping what is already mastered.
• A time that suits your home, no journey, and parents who see everything and receive reports.
• A trial before you pay, and a monthly subscription you can stop, at least on the good platforms.

What they take: no classroom, no friends, no going out. A young child needs a quiet corner and a parent nearby at the start. It is extra screen time, even if it is interaction rather than watching. It needs discipline at home so the lesson is not cancelled every time something else comes up. And the quality of platforms varies enormously, from excellent to poor; a shiny name guarantees nothing.

Now, honestly: if your child needs friends, a class and time out of the house, and their real problem is loneliness or missing company, a good classroom school may give them what a screen cannot, and we will not pretend otherwise. If your child learns slowly in a group, is shy about speaking in front of others, or your schedule is packed, a 1-on-1 online lesson gives them many times the speaking time. Many families combine the two: a school or group activity for company, a 1-on-1 lesson for speaking. If your child is young, read our guide: do online lessons work for young kids?

What a good online English school offers

This is the list we think any good online English school should meet, and we hold ourselves to it too:

• A curriculum with clear levels, and a placement at the start rather than a seat in whichever group has space.
• Certified teachers trained to teach children specifically, not adults.
• A lesson length that fits the age: 25 minutes for little ones, 45 for children who can focus longer.
• Lessons where the child talks more than the teacher.
• A note after each lesson, a monthly report, and an easy way to reach whoever teaches your child.
• A trial lesson before you pay, and stopping without a penalty.
• A clear price on the website, not after a sales call.

Ten questions to ask before you pay

Take this list to any school, classroom or online, including us. A good school answers all of them in a few minutes, and a school that dodges one of them is telling you something too.

1. Who is the teacher? What qualification do they have? Are they trained to teach children specifically, not adults?
2. How do you make sure my child's pronunciation is right? Is it corrected during the lesson?
3. How many children are in a lesson? How many minutes will my child actually speak?
4. How long is a lesson, and does that suit my child's age? (25 minutes for a five-year-old is better than a full hour.)
5. What is the curriculum? What are the levels? How do you find my child's level at the start?
6. How will I know my child is making progress? Is there a note after each lesson and a monthly report?
7. Can I try a lesson before I pay? Is the trial free, with no card?
8. How long is the commitment? What happens if I want to stop after one month?
9. What happens if my child is absent or ill? Is the lesson lost?
10. Does my child keep the same teacher? What if they do not get on?

Warning signs worth walking away from

• A long contract before any trial. A term or a year paid up front for a child who has not sat through a single lesson.
• No trial lesson, or a trial that needs your card details first.
• No reports and no contact. If the answer to "how is my child doing?" is "fine", nobody is really following them.
• Groups of 15 children sold as "interactive lessons". Divide the minutes by the number of children and you will know how much your child will speak.
• You do not know who the teacher is. No name, no qualification, no way to watch a lesson.
• Pressure to pay today. "The offer ends tonight" is not how you choose a teacher for your child.
• Promises of fluency in three months. Nobody can honestly promise that, and whoever does knows you will not come back to hold them to it.

What the first month looks like at Lughaty Academy

The first week starts with a free trial lesson, no card needed, in which the tutor gets to know your child and assesses their level. We then suggest one of our three levels: Foundation for beginners, Explorer, and Mastery. You choose the lesson length, 25 or 45 minutes, how many lessons a week, and the times that suit your home. From the first lesson you get a short note after each lesson about what your child learned, and at the end of the month a progress report showing where they improved and what needs work.

The subscription is month to month with no commitment: you carry on if you like what you see and stop if you do not. The same subscription covers Arabic and Quran lessons too if you want them, and brothers and sisters share the same lessons. Our English tutors are trained to teach children, and we have compared ourselves openly with two well-known platforms in Cambly Kids vs Novakid vs Lughaty Academy. If you are still building the basics at home, our lists of the first 200 English words and 60 simple sentences are free. All the details are on our English for kids page, and it all starts with the free trial lesson. Bring the ten questions and ask us every one of them.

Common questions from parents