Presented during the European Virtual Schools Colloquium that took place on 22nd-24th May 2012 in Sheffield, UK.

1. The Virtual School Landscape: Europe
VISCED
http://www.virtualschoolsandcolleges.info/
http://www.virtualschoolsandcolleges.info/project
barry.phillips@sero.co.uk

4. Currently 45 listed
16+ countries
Previously approx 70+
See ‘Country Reports’
for those ‘purged’
More to add post-
Sheffield (e.g. Rus,
Esp, Dan)

7. Represented in Sheffield
European Virtual Schools
• Audentes > Estonia
• Bednet > Belgium
• Briteschool > England
• European Virtual Schools > Europe
• Interhigh > Wales
• iScoil > Ireland
• Notschool > England/UK>
• Otavanopisto > Finland
• Rīgas Tālmācības vidusskola > Latvia
• Satellite Virtual Schools > England
• Sofia Distans > Sweden
• Varmdo Distans > Sweden
• Wereldschool > Netherlands
*some of the above may not be confined to a single country
Virtual School researching organisations
• Instituto de Educação > Portugal
• METID (Politecnico Di Milano) > Italy
VISCED (Sheffield) Pilot Sites
• Notre Dame High School
•The Sheffield College

8. Virtual Schools in Europe: Profiles - headlines
• Student numbers/enrolments from 10s to 1,000+ and (potentially) 1,000s
• Public and Private
• Mainstream – full or wide curriculum coverage
• Mainstream – niche subjects
• Inclusion – variety of target groups
• Revision/catch-up
• Expatriates/cultural/language needs
• Continuing education (beyond school leaving)
• Geographical isolation *usually combined with another factor – not typically the primary motivation
• Pedagogy: broad spectrum – 100% online > significant face-to-face

9. Belgium (3), Croatia (1), Denmark (1), England/UK (8), Estonia (1), Europe (1), Finland
(6), France (3), Italy (1), Ireland (2), Latvia (1), NESA/Greece (1), Netherlands (5), Norway
(1), Portugal (2), Russia (2), Sweden (4), Wales (2) * some of these are umbrella bodies and represent
multiple schools or even multiple schools districts
• average size of single-institution Virtual Schools = c310 (adjusted c260)
• between 1/3rd and 1/2 are explicitly/exclusively aimed at inclusion
• school-phobic, excluded, travellers, young parents, pregnancy, bullying, in care etc
• in Belgium and the Netherlands virtual schooling is very much concentrated on hospital
education and the sick, or those with mobility problems
• Finland’s schools include those focusing on Continuing Education (for young people)
• some support extremely broad spectrum (e.g. Otava )
• at least 6 Virtual Schools are fully, or in part, for expatriates (and we know of more)

10. Providers
Public, private and not-for profit providers
Public (16)
Private (15)
Not For Profit (7)
Public/Private (2)
Non-Commercial (1)

11. Reflections
Virtual Schools reflect local context – they may be consistent with local cultures and
traditions or they may develop because local cultures and traditions have weak-
points.
It may be local cultures and traditions which have prevented the development of local
schools;
• traditionally, schools are to keep children safe and off the streets (especially in
Southern European countries)
• a dislike/distrust of home-schooling
• ‘loyalty to the investment’ in ICT in the classroom – reluctance to see this become
obsolete
So...
The Virtual Schools landscape is, therefore, different from country to country – but it
varies by school board and by state/province in the US and Canada – yet there are
underpinning similarities/common interests.

12. And will face many of the same challenges as in North America and Australia
• Do existing Legislative Frameworks disadvantage virtual schooling?
• Are there tensions between sovereign states and EU (State v Federal?)?
• Quality assurance? Common standards? Autonomy and innovation? Are these exclusive?
• Accreditation? Cross-border recognition? Who ‘owns’ the qualifications?
• Funding? Cross-border funding?
• Attitudes to Open Educational Resources? Govt? EC? Content providers?
• Public Opinion? Is this how Virtual Schooling is viewed in some countries...

13. ?

16. What next ?
• Build the evidence base (looking also to NA and Aus).
• Colleges?
• Eastern and Central Europe?
• Southern and Mediterranean Europe?
• Strategic level initiatives?
• Mainstream – is there significant virtual schooling hidden within?
• Build a network?
• Link the network beyond Europe - and beyond Virtual Schooling.
• Develop the policy guidance...
...at EC level - where priorities remain stable and at national level - which is unstable so...
...customise the ‘case for virtual schools’ and the policy guidance to (changing) local
contexts.
• Articulate rather than advocate – objective rather than evangelical.

17. The Virtual School Landscape: Europe
VISCED
http://www.virtualschoolsandcolleges.info/
http://www.virtualschoolsandcolleges.info/project
barry.phillips@sero.co.uk