RBAir applies for OEAS accreditation
Red Balloon is excited to announce that we have submitted our application to the Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS).
What is OEAS?
The Department for Educationestablished the Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS) to incentivise online education providers to meet high standards of education and safeguarding arrangements for their students and, through public reporting, to share best practices across the sector.
The Online Education Accreditation Scheme is a voluntary accreditation for online education providers that shows:
- the establishment of non-statutory standards for online education provision
- inspection of providers against those standards by Ofsted, acting as the quality assurance body appointed by the department
We’ve worked closely with the DfE and fought long and hard for accreditation to be available so online providers such as us can be recognised for providing high-quality education. We are delighted that the scheme is now accepting applications.
You can find out more in our website article on OEAS.
Background on OEAS
“In September 2019, the Department consulted on a proposal [which Red Balloon Educational Trust had been involved in] to establish a non-statutory accreditation scheme for providers of full-time online education. The consultation recognised the growing market of online education services for children in England, many of whom offer a full curriculum and may represent a child’s main or only source of formal education. As this type of provision is currently unregulated, the Department sought views on an accreditation scheme which would enable providers to demonstrate commitment to high standards in the quality of education and safeguarding arrangements in such services, which would increase public confidence and help to inform commissioning decisions.” (Department for Education)
As a parent it can be difficult to choose an online provider and to find the best option for your child who needs an alternative to mainstream schools. This new accreditation scheme will help by giving parents, students and commissioners confidence when choosing who to entrust with their child’s education.
BAir’s Application
RBAir applied for OEAS as soon as the scheme opened to applications in March of 2023 and is now awaiting an inspection from the quality assurance body, Ofsted.
We’re excited to be in the application process for this long-awaited accreditation and look forward to sharing future updates on the scheme.
