Minerva Virtual Academy

Welcome to MVA - the award-winning, DfE-accredited online school for 11–18 year olds, putting young people first, wherever they are.

Minerva Virtual Academy (MVA) offers a bold, compassionate vision for the future of education. We are committed to making a difference - one family, one student, one teacher at a time.

At our core, we offer a familiar school experience — morning assemblies, Live Lessons, independent study, and time for clubs, projects, and creative exploration. But that’s where the similarities end. We’re truly flexible, deeply supportive, and every student is guided by people who genuinely care.

Since day one, we’ve aimed to create a school environment that's full of kindness, where students are supported and challenged as per their individual needs. We’re proud to be one of the few online schools with full DfE accreditation — but what really matters is the daily experience: feeling safe, seen, and free to be yourself.

Minerva Virtual Academy was launched in 2020 by education entrepreneur and ex-classics scholar Hugh Viney, founder of Minerva Tutors — the UK’s leading homeschooling agency since 2014. What began as a bold vision for professionalising home tutoring has grown into a pioneering online school where every child can succeed.

Our flipped learning model combines self-paced study on our Virtual Learning Platform with dynamic, teacher-led Live Lessons, so students show up ready to engage, not just take notes. Add in 1:1 Mentoring and a rich Community of clubs and trips, and you’ve got a school that supports the whole child, not just their academic outcomes.

Our teachers, mentors, and HQ team have come together from schools and organisations across the UK to build something unique. We're helping those who value flexibility and individual support get a brilliant education, while also rethinking what a school can be.

We’re proud to work with a growing network of partners who believe in bringing flexibility and smart thinking to modern education. From trusted names like Pearson to global organisations like Tennis Europe, every partnership helps us reach more families — and shape a new era of learning for those who need it most.

We visit our students and families across the UK whenever we can — because being in the same room does matter. For parents and students, it’s another chance make lasting connections. For us, it’s about listening, learning, and strengthening the community we’re building together.

Minerva Virtual Academy has made history today by becoming the first UK online school to be shortlisted for the T4 Education World’s Best School Prize.

This is a historic achievement, and a highly prestigious award that we are honoured to be considered for, as the nomination itself is a huge step forward for online schooling and the education landscape as a whole.

Education in the UK and beyond still faces a crisis, with more than a million children still absent in Britain alone. Alternatives like online schools are posed to provide a solution, but only once we raise awareness to a national level; something that this prize will go a long way in helping.

In the words of our Founder and CEO Hugh:

“It is wonderful that online schools are now being recognised among some of the top educators in the world - and we are proud and honoured to be the first British online school to be shortlisted for this incredible award.

His school offers a compelling glimpse of what lies ahead; a school that is flexible, global, and compassionate. In a rapidly changing world, the traditional system would do well to reflect on what this new standard represents.”

And Vikas Pota, Founder of the World’s Best School Prizes and T4 Education, praised our innovation and use of technology:

“In a world being turned upside down by AI, as technology reshapes the way we learn and renders jobs that have existed for centuries obsolete, amid growing challenges of climate change, conflict, poverty and populism, the world our young people are entering has never felt more precarious. And a good education, with humans at its heart, has never been more important.

It is in schools like Minerva Virtual Academy where we find the innovations and expertise that give us hope for a better future. Congratulations on becoming a finalist for the World’s Best School Prizes 2025. Leaders and schools around the world have so much to learn from this inspirational British institution.”

All of us here at MVA are thrilled to be shortlisted for this award, and the significant shift in acceptance of online education that it represents.

Whether we win or not, we’re deeply humbled by the recognition and will continue to pursue the mission that earned us this nomination in the first place – ensuring that every child can go to a school that they love.