Your questions, our answers

Different, yes. Too different, no. Children coming from traditional schools usually take a few sessions to realise they're allowed to ask questions, disagree, and not know the answer. Once that clicks, they tend to thrive. Coaches are specifically trained to ease that transition.

There's a real difference between passive screen time and interactive collaborative screen time. Eye strain comes mostly from fixed close-up focus. In our sessions children are constantly looking away to projects, materials, and each other. Pomodoro breaks are built in. For comparison, traditional school is six to seven hours of sitting still.

It's the opposite of what most parents fear, presumably stemming from the Covid times of online classes.

At StayQrious, 80% of the time it's the children talking, not the coach. They're debating, disagreeing, building on each other's ideas, and working through problems together. It's more interactive than most physical classrooms.

And the bonds that form are real. Eight children working on the same project for weeks get unusually close. Many parents tell us their child's closest friendships are the ones from their pod. Twice a year the whole school meets for a 5-day residential offsite, so they're not just online friends either.

Coaches have specific tools for helping a shy child open up. If she's not comfortable speaking in the group early on, the coach will hear her out privately and speak on her behalf, so she still contributes without the pressure. Over time she finds her footing. Coaches also model it themselves, saying things like "I'm not sure, don't judge me, but my first instinct is..." so children absorb that it's okay to be uncertain and speak anyway. And the environment is deliberately non-judgmental, certain behaviours are actively encouraged, others are not tolerated. The role of the coach, more than anything else, is to make sure every child feels loved and involved. Shy children almost always surprise everyone, including themselves.

A few things help here: short Pomodoro work bursts with built-in breaks, an active pod where every child has their camera on and a role so they're participating rather than passively watching, and coaches trained to tell the difference between a child who needs a nudge and one who needs a moment. A clutter-free, device-free workspace at home does the other half. That said, it helps to have a conversation with us about the specifics, so we can tell you honestly whether this is the right fit.

Please don't sit beside the child. A parent in the room changes how a child shows up. They perform for you instead of participating for themselves.

As for other involvements, it is very little, by design. You don't need to teach them additional things, or send them to tuitions. The system is built so you can hand over and trust it, that's the job you're hiring us to do. Read the weekly update, and notice the changes in your child's energy and curiosity. If there are concerns, reach out to your coach.

It's a fair question and it comes up for almost every SQ family. The people asking usually mean well, but they're also working with an outdated mental model of what school is supposed to look like. You've thought hard about what you want for your child and done the research. They haven't. You don't need to win that conversation at a wedding or a family dinner. A simple line usually works: “We've chosen a school that will make our child an independent, confident person in the world they're actually growing into.”

We cover core subjects like English, Math and Science alongside Social Emotional Learning(SEL) and Computer Science. Skills like critical thinking and financial literacy are included.

We don't teach a second language as a standalone subject. IGCSE doesn't require one, and we made a deliberate choice to use that time for things we believe matter more at this age.

Through project rubrics, low-pressure checkpoints, a per-child mastery tracker, and a quarterly written assessment, plus continuous coach observation of the things tests can't see. You get a weekly summary email, a structured quarterly update from the coach, and a deeper semester review. Full detail here.

Yes, we're Cambridge-accredited and issue the documents a regular school issues. IGCSE at Grade 10 is generally recognised for mainstream re-entry. Talk to us about your specific plan and we'll be straight with you about what's recognised where.

Three reasons, plainly. Eight children per coach instead of forty costs more to run. The coaches that model requires are paid well above what most schools offer. And we design our own project curriculum from scratch. We also run healthy margins, so that we are financially sustainable to keep our promises.

A fair question, and we won't get defensive about it. Any organisation carries some risk. Here's the context: we've been running since 2020, started as an after-school programme that 10,000+ children went through, and now have a full-time school of 150+ families. The business is healthy, which is partly why we charge what we do. We think the risk is low. But you're right to ask.

Yes. We're Cambridge-accredited and issue the same mark sheets or transcripts, and Transfer Certificates a regular school does, and the IGCSE certificate at Grade 10 is widely recognised for moving into mainstream schooling. The harder part of going back is usually cultural, not administrative. A child used to asking questions and running projects can find a return to pure rote a little flat.