When mainstream school isn't the right fit, Benbridge Academy is here to help.
As a fully online, independent school, and examination centre, for students aged 7–18, we combine exceptional teaching with genuine pastoral care, helping every child rediscover confidence, achieve academic success and thrive.
Whether your child is experiencing school anxiety, emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), bullying, neurodivergent challenges, demanding sporting commitments, or simply needs a more personalised approach to learning, Benbridge Academy provides a safe, supportive and flexible education built around their individual needs.
Why Families Choose Benbridge:
- Small class sizes guaranteed
- Innovative and engaging teaching methods
- Highly qualified and experienced subject specialists
- Individualised support that adapts to your child's needs
- Personalised learning pathways and flexible timetables
- Dedicated Form Tutor who knows your child as an individual
- Live, interactive lessons taught by experienced subject specialists
- A nurturing community where wellbeing is valued alongside academic achievement
- Flexible learning that fits around family life, medical needs, travel or sporting commitments
Is Benbridge Right for My Child?
Is your child is anxious or struggling at school?
We create a calm, supportive environment where anxious learners can thrive without the pressure of large classrooms.
Do they need SEND support or a tailored pathway?
Our small classes allow teachers to adapt to each child's unique needs, for example dyslexia, ADHD, and ASD.
Are you looking for a safe and positive alternative to traditional school?
We offer a non-judgmental, bullying free, nurturing space, where your child can learn without fear or social anxiety.
Do you need flexibility around family life?
An ideal choice for families who travel, have health needs, are relocating or who simply live an alternative lifestyle. Our flexible timetable options are designed around you.
Does your child need challenge, or to study at different levels in different subjects?
Our personalised and flexible timetables mean that we can support those who want to take IGCSEs early or study subjects outside of their traditional 'age group', ensuring they get the education they deserve.
Is Your Child...?
Meet the Teachers
Lydia Adelin
BA Art Psychology
Masters in Education
Sarah Routledge
BA French
Jilin Liu
BA Language & Literature
MA Education
BEcon & Finance
Keighley Stevens
BA (Hons) Film & English
Begoña Mumary Lorenzo
Degree of Fine Arts
MA Language teaching
Rosemary Burton
BA History
Sarah Mears
BSc Maths NPQSL
Richard Human
MBA Educational Leadership
Kathryn Moran
BA Geography
Heather Noel
BSc Chemistry, MSc Electronic
Innovation and Management
Mayank Gupta
M.Tech. , P.G. Diploma in Education
Florian Sabou
BSc Physics, MSc Physics
Why put your Trust in Us?
No Gimmicks - No Hidden Fees
Our affordable, transparent fee structure sets out your costs for the academic year. We are all about honesty and integrity; we will not ask you for anything extra, or charge any fees for withdrawing your child. No gimmicks, no hidden fees, just high quality education.
Consistency of Care
As parents ourselves, we appreciate the importance of knowing that your child is recognised as an individual. We are committed to maintaining unwavering attention to your child's needs and building relationships with families that will strengthen over time.
Highest Levels of Communciation
We pride ourselves in our proactive and positive communication. All members of our team - from teachers to the Principal - will be available for informal chats, formal meetings or to provide information, whenever required, in order to support students and families through the learning journey.
High Quality, Inspirational Subject Specialists
Our vision for education allows students and families the flexibilty to chart their own course and shape their own lives. This extends to our teachers, meaning that they have the freedom to bring creativity and imagaination to the classroom. Happy teachers, happy students and happy families.
Students who are Free to be Themselves
Our students are free to be themselves in a positive, learning environment; free from peer pressure, free from bullying, free from the constraints of the anti-learning culture that pervades many traditional classrooms.At Benbridge Academy, students are celebrated for who they are and for their own individual successes. They do not have to fit a mold or conform to expectations. Let your child be who they want to be; the rest will follow.
Access All Areas
As valued members of our school community, all students and their families will have 100% access to our learning platform, all resources, communication, assessment data and, more importantly, people. We operate a transparent, 'open door' policy that means we will be there for you, whenever you need us.
PLACES STILL AVAILABLE!
Mid-Year admissions accepted, depending on the year group
Primary
PRIMARY EDUCATION
Secondary
SECONDARY EDUCATION
Student Gallery
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Online School FAQs
Registering for an online school place at Benbridge Academy is extremely straightforward. Please check the admissions page for relevant dates and points of entry to Benbridge Academy. You are welcome to request a call back, if you would like a discussion or have any questions; alternatively please complete the enquiry form for further information. If you have made the decision that Benbridge Academy is the best choice for your child, please complete the online registration form to begin the process of admission.
Pupils at Benbridge Academy follow the National Curriculum, and IGCSE pathways in KS4. Our curriculum is also designed to ensure that both UK and international students can succeed in all subject areas. Highly qualified teachers, teach engaging and interactive lessons using our online platform and a range of apps and digital resources. In addition, teachers assign differentiated tasks for independent study which is submitted and returned electronically. Students engage in learning together in groups in the classroom, working as a team, and also spend time studying on their own to understand the topics better. Our approach offers opportunities for online collaboration and independent work.
All you need to get started is a laptop or smart device and a good internet connection! Stationery and paper are still needed despite the online nature of learning at Benbridge Academy. Other than that, we will make suggestions and advise families regarding equipment that can further enhance online learning such as viewers and graphics and pen tablets. Benbridge Academy is committed to providing as many resources as possible in order to reduce costs.
Yes. Benbridge Academy welcomes students from overseas. Our vision is one of flexibility for families to live their lives on their own terms while their children are receiving the best possible, bespoke education. This means that we are happy to accommodate international students within our UK based school and beyond. We have an excellent team of UK based teachers as well as colleagues based around the world.
There is no set requirement but at Benbridge Academy, we recommend at least three hours a day for younger students with this increasing for older students working towards GCSEs and other qualifications. Sessions are 40 or 50 minutes in length, depending on the year group, and interspersed with breaks for comfort, wellbeing and socialisation.
Good online schools are designed to enhance the quality of academic dprovision and the bespoke, personalised nature of pastoral care. With smaller class sizes, teachers at Benbridge Academy can cater for the needs of the individual student; this also means that there is time to support individuals in an environment free from distractions and peer pressure. The online platform also enables teachers to provide a wider range of differentiated learning materials to ensure that all students receive the relevant levels of support and challenge. From a pastoral perspective, Benbridge Academy’s teachers are always available to offer support and guidance in an environment free from the anxieties associated with mainstream schools.
Globally, different countries have their own policies on the registration and accreditation of independent or online schools. The Department for Education in England has developed a non-statutory scheme to accredit providers of full-time online education (‘’OEAS’). We are based in the Isle of Man and so do not fall under this jurisdiction. We have been through a quality assurance process with Pearson Edexcel and are proud to be a Pearson approved online examination centre.
At Benbridge Academy, we offer individualised support plans tailored to each student’s unique needs. Our dedicated team of teachers has a wealth of experience with students with Special Educational Needs and will work closely with students and parents to ensure all students have the resources and support they need to succeed.
Benbridge Academy teachers prepare our students for all forms of official assessment through high-quality, personalised teaching and learning. As a registered Pearson Online Examination Centre, we offer online assessments and remote invigilation, for a wide range of subjects; meaning that students who would prefer to take exams in the comfort of their own home, will not have to travel to an examination centre. Where it is required, we will support families in choosing the best examination centre to enable students to sit final, examinations, if they are not available online.
Online Schooling is legal in the UK. In accordance with the 1996 Education Act, parents are afforded the opportunity to provide suitable education for their children. In order to fulfil their section 436A duty, local authorities are entitled to make informal enquiries of parents to establish what education is being provided. Benbridge Academy can support those who wish to enroll in our online school and advise them accordingly.
For those parents seeking an excellent online school, Benbridge Academy offers the following checklist:
- A student centred ethos with wellbeing front and centre of all considerations
- Small class sizes to ensure that every student is the focus of consistent care and attention
- Innovative and engaging teaching methods from highly qualified and experienced subject specialists with a world of stimulating learning resources at their fingertips
- Bespoke, flexible timetables that provide the individual with the right pathway
- 100% live and interactive lessons characterised by an individualised approach to learning
Benbridge Academy students are invited to login to our learning platform and commence a day that includes a broad and balanced curriculum delivered in a wide range of stimulating learning styles that also enable relationships to develop with their peers. Lessons are fully interactive and combine collaborative and independent learning activities. Our students receive pastoral and academic support throughout the day and are encouraged to join their peers for social interludes throughout the day. All you need to get started is a laptop or smart device and a good internet connection!
From the outset, we aim to give families and students to opportunity to personalise their own learning journeys. The main curriculum timetable is what families would expect of a Primary, Secondary and post 16 school but there are significant differences that give you greater opportunities to choose. The flexibility afforded by online schools means that we are not constrained by the limits of a conventional, bricks and mortar school day. Essentially, Benbridge Academy will listen to your needs in order to shape your school day accordingly and act accordingly. Further to this, we offer partial package timetables for part-time students and to support Homeschooling parents. See our Homeschool page and review our fees calculator.
Every day we speak to parents and students who have found themselves adrift in terms of conventional school year placement. There are a whole host of reasons why a student may have missed a great deal of school. Alternately, there are also students who find themselves ahead of the game in terms of education; they feel displaced and demotivated by the pace of their school days with teachers who, due to workload and commitments, cannot append time adding increased challenge to their lesson planning. Therefore, at Benbridge Academy, we are committed to placing students in a year group that suits their individual trajectories.
At Benbridge Academy, day-to-day grades are shared with students and parents on our learning management platform. Our teachers fulfil the requirements of our assessment policy which emphasises the importance of ‘formative’ assessment. In other words, all assessments during term-time focus on areas of strength while identifying and advising for realistic improvements. Half-termly assessment grades are collated centrally to enable progress tracking over time. Parents are encouraged to discuss progress at consultation sessions and during formal or informal meetings with teachers and the school leadership. Termly and end of year reports are issues for all students.
