FAQs
Fees
01 What is included in the school fees?
The fees include access to all live and recorded lessons on the school portal. It also includes participation in all the residential programs which includes accommodation, transport (at the venue), food and all activities. Please note, external exam fees are not included in the school fees. Please refer to the exams policy for further information.
02 Why are the fees similar to traditional Islamic school?
At Palm Global Academy, our mission is to ensure that all students make progress and strive to attain the highest possible grades. To this end, we only recruit teachers who are fully qualified and have demonstrated attaining high grades for their GCSE/IGCSE and A-Level cohorts.
03 How can I pay the fees? Can I pay termly or monthly?
Fees can be paid annually, termly or monthly. Please refer to the school fees policy for further information.
04 When is the deposit paid and will I receive it back after completing the year?
When a place is accepted, a deposit of £500 is payable to Palm Global Academy.
For Key Stage 3, the deposit will be returned at the end of the school year when any outstanding fees and other charges have been paid.
For Key Stage 4 and A-Level, the deposit will be returned once any outstanding fees and other charges have been paid, and the student has fed back their exam results to the Head of Key Stage 4.
If a place is cancelled by the parent after acceptance, and not within the notice period of one term, the deposit is non-refundable.
05 Do you offer discounts for siblings?
Yes, there is a discount offered which will be applied to all siblings whilst they are all enrolled at Palm Global Academy.
Our Programme
01 Which subjects can I study at Palm Global Academy?
Students at Palm Global Academy study a wide range of subjects at both Key stage 3 and 4. Our focus throughout the year groups is to develop a connection with the Quran. Students will study a unique programme of Tafseer from years 7 to 11. This is supplemented by Quranic Arabic as well as being embedded with the Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, and study of Hadeeth.
02 What IGCSE subjects can I take? Are there any options?
Students at Key Stage 4 follow a core programme which includes the following subjects: Maths, English Language and Literature, Biology, Chemistry, and two optional subjects. This will give each student at Palm Global Academy seven IGCSE’s.
Additional subjects are available at an extra cost per academic year. The optional subjects include: Business Studies, Economics, Physics and History, Computer Science and Arabic.
03 How much are the additional subjects per year?
Additional subjects are only available at Key Stage 4. Each additional subject incurs an extra cost of £550 per academic year.
04 What will my child learn at the residential trips? What if I don’t want my child to attend?
The residential trips are a key component of the curriculum at our school. As well developing skills such as orienteering and trekking, each residential trip is an opportunity for our students to enjoy nature and socialise with their peers. Each residential will have a theme which will be linked to an element of the Quran or the Seerah. Students will listen to inspiring reminders and will take part in various activities to enhance their learning of the deen.
There is no compulsion in attending the residential retreats but they are highly recommended.
Exams
01 Where will I sit my IGCSE or A-Level exams?
As we are an approved online school accredited by Pearson EdExcel, we have the opportunity to offer remote virtual exams for our students. This will allow students to take the IGCSE/A-Level exams in the comfort of their home. Currently, subjects are limited so please contact the school office for further details.
Students will also have the option to sit exams in a local exam centre.
Parents should give notice to the school that they require assistance in finding an exam centre, ideally in year 10. The school will assist parents in finding an exam centre close to your registered address. Parents will need to arrange fees for the IGCSE exams directly with the exam centre.
02 Are the qualifications accepted in colleges and universities?
IGCSE and the International A-levels are recognised worldwide across all colleges and universities. The fact that your child has studied online has no impact on the quality of the qualification.
03 Which exam boards do you use?
We follow the EdExcel exam board for all IGCSE and International A-Level subjects.
04 Can I join the school in Year 11?
We generally do not accept students directly into Year 11, as our IGCSE courses are two-year courses. We always recommend that students join us in Year 10, unless they have previously studied with the same exam boards (we use Edexcel). Different exam boards will teach different content, so there would be an element of catch-up work involved. Each case is looked into individually and a in exceptional circumstances we may accept a student into Year 11.
05 When should I register my child at an exam centre?
As part of our school induction at Key Stage 4 and A-Levels, students and parents will be informed of the process required to register at an exam centre. Although the deadlines are not until February/March of the year in which exams take place, it is a good idea to secure your place before the Winter Holidays in December, as centres can close their entries at this time.
Teaching and Learning
01 How are lessons conducted?
Lessons will be delivered via MS Teams and other software that will enable teachers to conduct formative assessment and make the lessons interactive.
02 How long is each lesson?
Live lessons are 40 minutes at KS2 (Y3-6) and 45 minutes at Secondary.
03 How many lessons a week for each subject.
This differs based on year group and key stage. As a guide, students in Y3/Y4 have 3 live lessons a week for Maths and English, whereas students in Secondary will have the same subjects at 3 or 4 times a week
Other than the live lessons, students will be given work to complete for homework as well as independent study time during the school day.
04 Will lessons be live or recorded?
All lessons are live delivered by specialist teachers to students at scheduled times. Students interact with the teacher either by microphone or in our live classroom chat. All lessons are recorded. You will have access to all the lesson resources for each class.
05 Do students need textbooks?
A book list will be provided to parents once their child has enrolled with the school. Careful consideration has been taken to ensure that only books which are required need to be purchased. Not all subjects will be requesting parents to purchase textbooks.
06 How is work marked and submitted?
At Palm Global Academy we are very conscious of that fact that too much screen time is not good for the students. Our daily timetable reflects this and so does the methods of how students complete their work. It is expected that in most subjects, students will complete work in exercise books and upload images of their work when completed. Using the features in our various platforms, teachers will be able to provide feedback in a variety of ways including annotation, audio and video.
Admission Process
01 What documents do I need to register my child?
The following documents are required when enrolling a student at Palm Global Academy.
Student passport copy/birth certificate
Proof of address
Latest school report (if applicable)
02 Can I register and join at any time in the school year?
It is highly recommended that students are registered with the school before the academic year begins (beginning of September). Applications may be accepted once the academic year has begun, but it will be expected for the student to catch up on all work missed.
03 Do you accept students from overseas?
Yes, students from overseas are welcome to attend Palm Global Academy. The school operates at UK time from 8.00am to 2.45pm. Students overseas will need to demonstrate high fluency in written and spoken English.
04 Which age groups do you accept?
Palm Global Academy is a secondary online school. We accept students from the age of 7 (year 3) to 18 (year 13).
05 How can I apply for my child?
Click on the apply now button to complete an online registration form.
To complete the registration process, a non-refundable £50 fee is required.
Once successful, the school will be in touch to arrange an assessment test. After successful completion of the assessment and interview will be arranged and then the deposit of £500 will be required to confirm your child’s place.
For more information refer to the admissions and fees policy.