Outschool classes are an incredible resource to help supplement and enhance your child’s education experience. Whether you’re looking for a social club, private tutor, or skills-based lessons, Outschool has a class to suit every need and learning style. But what types of classes does Outschool actually offer and which Outschool class format is right for your child?
Choosing the right class format can be a challenge for any parent. You have to take into account your child’s learning style, what suits your family's schedules, and the length of time you’d like them to take a class. Let alone selecting a class that fits in with what your child wants or needs e.g. a weekly drawing club, Creative Writing tutor, or a KS3 semester Science class.
But try not to worry, because that’s why we’re here!
We want to make your experience of Outschool’s platform as easy as 1-2-3 so that you can focus on supporting your child, while we support you.
Whether you are new to Outschool or a seasoned user, we want to clarify each of the different class formats available on Outschool. This will help you make an informed decision as to what formats match your requirements the best whilst helping to reduce your time searching for classes considerably.
So put the kettle on and grab a cup of tea whilst we go through the A-Zs of Outschool’s Class Formats.
What Are The Different Types Of Outschool Classes?
As Outschool offers several ways for learners to access content on the platform, we are going to group the class types into Live or Non-Live class formats. We will conclude with some questions so that you can determine Which Outschool Class Format Is Right For Me?
Live Classes
Live classes are sessions that meet online at a set time with the teacher and fellow students. Lessons are taught via Zoom with the class link accessible to you once you have booked and paid for your child’s class.
Outschool offers 4 core types of live class formats:
One-Time ClassesOne-time classes only meet once and have the shortest time commitment out of all the classes offered through Outschool. When choosing a class, you can select from the available time and date options provided and book a single class. Your child will meet in the classroom with the teacher and fellow students at the time of the class, with no further commitment once the class has finished.
One-time classes are extremely popular due to being:
- More affordable. You only have to book and pay for a single class at any given time
- Flexible. For families with changing schedules or last-minute changes, one-time classes are excellent for “filling in the gaps”.
- Ideal for trialling a new teacher without a long-term commitment if their teaching style or personality does not suit your child.
- Perfect for trying a new skill. Particularly for after-school clubs or home-educating learners, children often change their hobbies and interests as they grow. One-time classes offer a “trial run” for a new hobby your child might be interested in without the upfront financial risk.
Why do we personally love one-time classes?
One-time classes have been extremely beneficial to us as home educators to fill out quieter weeks when we aren’t as busy with in-person events within our community. Our kids are still able to socialise online, whilst also developing their skills within their chosen hobbies.
It also helps us try a variety of teachers that suit my daughter’s learning style as she is often non-verbal when learning online. So we like to try one-time classes first to find teachers who accommodate her needs and can make her feel welcome and comfortable without pressure to communicate verbally.
Take a look at Outschool’s one-time classes here.
Ongoing Classes
Ongoing classes are those that meet at the same time every week. Think of them as a weekly subscription. Once you book your chosen class, you remain tied to the subscription until if/when you choose to cancel the subscription or, if the teacher closes the class. The teacher sets the repeating schedule and your payment automatically comes out of your account every Sunday for the following week.
As ongoing class content does not build on itself, each lesson can be covered as a stand-alone session. This is great for students who want:
- A regular class schedule that meets each week
- Lower upfront payments. With ongoing classes, you only pay for one week ahead instead of a full term or course
- Classes that do not build from week to week e.g. skills-based, hobbies, or social clubs.
Why do we personally love ongoing classes?
For us, ongoings have worked extremely well for being able to build a relationship with a teacher whilst not having to make a big upfront payment. We personally choose ongoings that relate to a skill our kids want to develop or offer a form of social/sharing element.
An example of an ongoing class we took was this watercolour drawing and painting lesson. Each week, the teacher would show step by step how to draw a different picture e.g. a lighthouse, fire engine, or sea turtle. They would then paint with watercolours together and each student would be able to share their pictures at the end of the class.
View Outschool’s Ongoing Classes here.
Multi-day classes are those which meet one or more times each week for more than one week. At Outschool, there are different types of multi-day classes; camps, short courses, and semester classes.
So what’s the difference between each type of multi-day class:
Camps - These are excellent for learners looking for courses that meet more than once per week. They help students enjoy their favourite topic or interests several times a week. Camps are processed similarly to ongoing classes in that they are set up as a weekly payment instead of a larger upfront payment.
Short Courses - Short courses meet one or more times a week for between 1-7weeks. They are ideal for taking a deep dive into a subject area e.g. algebra, an introduction to a new skill e.g. coding, or for project-based learning e.g. creating graphics in Procreate. As this course tends to progress and build upon previous classes, full payment is required in advance.
Semester Courses - Similar to short courses, semester courses meet one or more times a week. However, they last a minimum of 8 weeks. Semesters are perfect for families who want to commit to a regular, long-term schedule and for classes that build upon each week. Semester courses are excellent for studying core academic subjects e.g. Geography, or focusing on growing your knowledge in a specific skill e.g. learning French or sketching.
Families love multi-day classes as they:
- Build from week to week. Unlike one-time and ongoing classes, multi-day formats enable students to build upon their prior knowledge and progress each week.
- Often offer additional learning opportunities. As content progresses between each class, many teachers provide additional homework or outside-of-class resources to expand students learning.
- Learn alongside the same students. Particularly for the semester and short courses, students cannot join at a later date than the first week. This enables your child to meet with the same group of students every week and have the opportunity to develop friendships.
Why do we personally love multi-week classes?
Though a regular long-term commitment doesn’t work for our family e.g. a semester class, we do like short-term courses and seasonal camps. These enable our home-educated kids a chance to meet the same group of kids over several classes and build their confidence as the course progresses. We especially love seasonal camps due to the shorter commitment and for our children to participate in activities we might not have as much variety for locally e.g. Halloween parties and crafts.
View all of Outschool’s Multi-day classes here.
Consider one-on-one classes as private lessons. Similar to how you would book an in-person guitar teacher or an 11+ tutor, these classes work in the same way, just online.
They are often listed as a one-time or ongoing format to enable them to be flexible and affordable for families.
One-time sessions are brilliant for when you are searching for a new tutor and would like to try a couple of teachers before committing long-term. Then the ongoing class format enables you to have that saved, regular class time each week, but with a weekly subscription payment plan instead of a large sum in advance.
There are lots of tutors and class topics to select from with teachers who are extremely experienced in their chosen field and/or highly qualified.
Unlike regular ongoing classes, one-on-one classes do tend to build from week to week. However, they progress at a pace suited to your child, rather than a collective group.
One-on-one classes are great for:
- Students who would like to learn a new skill e.g. musicial instrument lessons, how to play the flute,
- To improve their understanding of a given topic e.g coding
- Need support to prepare for an exam e.g. IELTS, GCSE biology
- Students who learn best in a one-to-one format with no other learners.
- Parents looking for a specific time and day of the week when a group class isn’t available.
Why do we personally love one-to-one classes?
We have previously taken one-to-one classes and really enjoy this class format Outschool offers. We live in the countryside, so finding a local tutor that offers the subjects we are looking for and is within a sensible travelling distance is quite challenging.
So Outschool’s one-to-one classes helped us save money and time whilst still enabling our kids to gain support in areas they were finding challenging with teachers who are experts in their field.
View our One-on-one courses here.
Non-Live Classes
Outschool offers two formats of classes that are not live sessions with the teacher. These are:
- Flex classes
- Groups
Flex Classes
Flex classes are pre-recorded lesson content that your child can study at a time and pace that suits them. Flex classes are a minimum of 4 weeks long and the teacher prepares a range of materials and pre-recorded lessons for students to access and watch at home.
During the course, the teacher offers plenty of opportunities for students to engage with one another in the classroom and directly with the teacher. The teacher also provides regular feedback for class-related content submitted to the classroom.
Flex classes are great for:
- Students in different time zones to access their favourite teachers. This enables you to still study with your favourite teacher without having to take classes at times inconvenient to your time zone.
- Students who do not have much availability for live classes but would still like to take up a hobby and participate in the snippets of time they have throughout the week.
- Students who are non-verbal or reserved and prefer less direct interaction and to have the option to visually participate in a class e.g. sending in pictures or videos of them completing the tasks from the course.
Why do we personally love flex classes?
We have taken several flex classes and our kids have loved this format! They enable my reserved daughter to relax in the classroom when watching the videos as she knows she won’t be required to speak up in front of others.
But it also enables my kids to learn at a time and pace that suits them. When booking a regular class, you need to be present in class at that specific time set. As we follow more of an unschooling approach to education, they get to choose what they want to learn and when so regular classes do not always fit into how they are feeling at that moment in time.
Whereas with a flex, we can stop or pick up the class as and when it suits their mood and when their most productive time of the day. They also thoroughly enjoy being able to rewatch the videos 3-4times each to allow the information time to really sink in.
Take a look at Outschool’s Flex classes here.
Groups on Outschool are slightly different to anything else we have covered here in this post.
Groups are similar to clubs but virtual, like a monitored forum, instead of attending face-to-face. They help students with similar interests connect in a safe environment to build friendships whilst being monitored and supported by the teacher.
Within groups, teachers offer content every week surrounding the group's topic. Topics can range from Minecraft to Anime, Business, to Home educators. Your child then has the option to respond and participate in the weekly activities or threads and share ideas and opinions with others in the group.
Groups are great for students:
- Who have an interest or hobby that they wish to share with others and make friends with like-minded people
- Who want a safe space to discuss their hobby and activities they have done each week relating to that hobby
- Who would like some creative ideas to expand upon their interests or hobbies but do not wish to attend a regular class
- Who have really busy schedules but wish to connect with fellow learners at any time and from anywhere around the world.
Why do we personally love groups?
We haven’t personally joined any groups yet as my children haven’t shown an interest in this method of learning or socialising. However, if they did want to consider a group, they would be ideal for us as we love connecting with like-minded people from around the world.
Groups are a wonderful opportunity to build friendships with students who have similar interests but can be located anywhere. They are really accessible and budget-friendly too and offer a more informal format/structure to education.
Which Outschool Class Format Is Right For Me?
So now we have covered every type of class Outschool has to offer, where do you start to decide which Outschool class format is right for you?
- Well, the first thing to do is to consider your child’s schedule. Do they have time for a regular class? How many times would you like a class to run? Can they attend 3 times a week, once, every other Tuesday? These questions will help you to narrow down whether or not you are looking for a regular, weekly format, or if you need one-time or flex classes.
- Consider your affordability, the topic you would like to book, and your learning goals.
Affordable classes will be one-time, ongoing, and camps which each require payments for the class(es) of that week, whereas multi-day classes and flex classes will require full course payments in advance. - In terms of topics and learning goals, consider what it is you are hoping to achieve by booking an Outschool class.
- Would you like a social class for your child? A regular ongoing, group or multi-day class would be the best option.
- Does your child need support in a specific academic area? Consider a semester class or private one-on-one tutor that can tailor classes to suit your child’s needs.
Now that Outschool's class formats are a little bit clearer, you’ll have a great starting point of which class formats are best for you and your child, and what to search for on Outschool’s website.
For direct class recommendations from fellow UK families, make sure to join our UK Outschool Families Facebook group. It is a really friendly group full of UK Outschool users who would be happy to help share classes their learners have enjoyed.
Have you tried an Outschool class yet? Sign up for a free account and search for your first class.
