FAQs

Is it just games or is it proper teaching?

Or put another way, are we edutainment or purely educational? Both have a place and both play an essential role in a child’s development – after all learning should be fun. However, it is fair to say that FutureSchool is at the educational end of the spectrum. FutureSchool has been designed by teachers, for teachers to use in the classroom to deliver lessons. So the focus is on a no frills approach to teaching the core concepts of mathematics and English, combining technology and sound pedagogical strategies (teaching practices) ensuring concepts are taught, practised and assessed on a regular basis. In simple terms, will you see a talking butterfly explaining geometry? No, you won’t.

Does your programme match with how my children are taught at school?

We understand that you want to make sure that whatever you buy for your children, it will not cause any confusion or conflict. One of our strengths is that FutureSchool has been structured and aligned to match your local curriculum (scheme of work used by schools). Whilst every teacher teaches in a different way, the core concepts remain the same. What’s important to know is that your child must be taught age and ability appropriate material that is also matched to your school’s curriculum. FutureSchool has over 200 different curricula as an integral part of the system, so no matter where you are in the world, we’ve got your course covered. You can find out a little more here.

Is it available in my country?

YES. FutureSchool is a cloud-based system that means as long as you have a suitable internet connection, you can make use of the system. This could be great news for you, but maybe not so much for the kids, as you can now get them to do schoolwork on holiday, or during the holidays.

Is it in my native language?

The FutureSchool programme itself is delivered in English only.

Can I get a free trial?

Yes, and no. Although when you sign up we take payment, we offer you a 30 day money back guarantee – no questions, no arguments, no delays. So if for any reason the system does not provide your family with what you’re looking for, you can get a refund for your first month – so effectively the first month is free!

Why do I have to pay for it from the start?

To be honest, for a long time we offered the programme where you didn’t have to pay for it until the 30 days expired. However, what we found is that many people who signed up using this facility, did so because it was free but had no intention of using the programme. I know we were surprised too! It seems that if we spend money on something from the start, it makes us use it immediately because we want to make sure it’s going to work for us. Under the previous system, people didn’t feel any urgency or importance to start using it. But you can rest assured, our priority is that your children improve their confidence and performance with Maths and English, so if you use the system and it doesn’t fit your needs, we refund immediately, no questions, no arguments and no delays.

Can I use FutureSchool as the only form of teaching to fulfil the requirements of Home Schooling?

FutureSchool is a valuable addition to any home schooling program, and indeed, is used by many home-schoolers around the world. However, whether in the classroom or the living room, students should be exposed to a variety of teaching methods and resources, and FutureSchool should be just one of those. FutureSchool is designed to be used to support a child’s education, it is not meant as the sole replacement. The courses are aligned with your local curriculum, you can be confident that your children are being given the correct work to do. FutureSchool adds diversity to any home schooling schedule offering an engaging and effective learning experience.

What age range do you cover?

The system caters for students from Reception to Year 12.

Can students use their smartphones?

No, we have currently made this a deliberate policy, as such devices are not ideal for viewing maths and English course work.

How does your programme work?

FutureSchool is a highly structured online learning programme that is used by schools all over the world to help teachers in the delivery of lessons. We use video lessons to teach, supportive worksheets to consolidate the teaching, all of which is supported by a full management and reporting system for parents. If you haven’t already watched it, you’ll find this short video really useful as it provides you with a good overview of the system.

How much does the programme cost?

The cost of the programme depends on whether you want one subject or all of the subjects for your family. You can find out more by clicking here

Can we stop and re-start using the programme at any time?

Yes you can. As you will see from the Pricing page, you can pay for the system on a month-by-month basis, so you can stop and restart at any time you wish.

My child is dyslexic. I’m concerned that the tutoring is not going to be specific enough

for his particular needs?

I guess the truth is, only you will know that once you’ve started using the system. The audio-visual medium has been found to be particularly effective with children with a specific learning difficulty. But you know your child best, so this is one of the reasons we offer a 30 day money back guarantee, so you can get to use the system first hand and see how it goes. At any time during this 30 day period, if it’s not for you, then you simply just cancel the subscription and we will refund you.

How will I know which of your lessons to give my child?

The right lessons are those ones that help your child turn a weakness into a strength. Our Smart Diagnostic Assessment Tool will do this for you. You simply have them do the Initial Assessment and the system will automatically and dynamically create a personalised course of study based on those questions your child got right and wrong. The Initial Assessment ensures your child starts in the right place and that all of the following lessons are tailor-made for their individual needs.

What happens if my child refuses to keep using the programme?

It is not unknown for children to find the transition to regular home-based study difficult at first. But it is the key to success. Do you find that your child needs lots of motivation to study? If so, then we suggest that they initially start off with only 10 minutes at a time and see how they go and then over the progressing weeks you can increase the amount of time of the study period. In fact, don’t be surprised if they increase that time themselves!

What’s the difference between English Grammar and Literacy?

Good question! It’s one that we often get asked. Without wanting to get too technical about it, Grammar tends to focus on the components of written English – spelling, vocabulary development, punctuation, parts of speech, sentence construction, word usage, common errors, figurative language and writing skills. Whereas our Literacy programme has a more rounded approach encompassing listening, reading, comprehension, communication and writing, whilst including all of the Grammar programme as well.

What do we need to install on our computers? Where can we use the system?

No, there is NOTHING to install on your computer. As long as you have a suitable internet connection your children can use FutureSchool from anywhere… even when you’re on holiday!

How can I pay for the programme?

There are two ways you can pay for your FutureSchool programme; monthly or yearly. The monthly subscription option has no fixed term and can be cancelled at any time. The yearly payment is a one-off payment and provides you with a 12-month subscription, which includes a significant discount, making it much cheaper than the monthly subscription over the same period. We currently use a specialised payment gateway, Avangate, to ensure the best in security of your information.

Are the teachers on the video lessons qualified teachers, or just TV presenters?

All of the lessons you see are from qualified teachers. In fact, everything to do with the educational side of FutureSchool has been put together by qualified teachers.

Who created the FutureSchool system?

Everything to do with the educational side of FutureSchool has been put together by qualified teachers. The operational and technical side of FutureSchool (things like the website and the delivery of the lessons) has been created by software technicians.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. If you have taken up the monthly subscription, you can cancel at any time, no problem. If you’ve taken out the annual subscription, just drop us an email and we’ll close your account immediately and no further is payable. You’re not locked in to a long contract. Please send a cancellation request to our support team via our website contact us form. To send your cancellation request, click here.

How do I cancel within the first 30 days?

Please send a cancellation request to our support team via our website contact us form. To send your cancellation request, click here.

Can the FutureSchool system be used on tablets (e.g. iPad, Samsung)?

FutureSchool can be used on a tablet, using a browser called Puffin Academy. Without getting too technical about it, FutureSchool uses Flash technology, which can often cause tablets some issues. However, when you run FutureSchool through the Puffin Academy browser, it works fine. To download Puffin Academy’s browser on your tablet, go to the Google Play store (Android) or the App Store (Apple) or click here

Does it run on Windows and Apple?

Yes. Being cloud-based means we no longer are affected by the computers themselves.

I understand that Apple does not run Adobe flash, is that a problem?

There are issues with Apple products with some applications. We recommend that if you are using an Apple device, that you access FutureSchool through a compatible internet browser, such as Puffin Browser. Also, Puffin will allow you to use any other software that also uses Flash, on your Apple device.

Will my subscription automatically renew?

Yes, FutureSchool subscriptions will automatically renew each month, or year, depending on the subscription option you chose – providing your family uninterrupted use for as long as your family needs it.

Do education departments and teachers support FutureSchool?

FutureSchool has long been associated with education departments and teachers. FutureSchool has worked with education departments in many countries around the world, and it is used by teachers in the classroom every week. We are constantly using teachers to help us continue to develop FutureSchool.

As a parent I would like to review the progress of my child. How do I do this?

Within your FutureSchool account is the Reports section, that allows you to see what they’re up to, what lessons they’ve done and are about to do, you will see their results, how long they’ve been using the system for etc. You will always be able to keep up to date with what your children are doing on the system, as well as receiving regular emails from us about their performance and progress.

Chrome – Adobe Flash Player Support

Do you have a distributor/Licensee in my country?

Collaboration is key to our success. We are always looking to partner with others in the education industry in each country. If you’d like to find out a little more about becoming the exclusive partner for your country just complete our contact form and we’ll be in contact shortly.

Would I be exclusive in my country?

Whilst we are happy to consider non-exclusive arrangements, our preferred option would be to work on an exclusive basis with our partners.