PETITIONClosedPetition · petition.parliament.uk
Fund/establish free virtual school for those unable to attend mainstream school
We are calling on the government to fund and create a free, fully accessible virtual school for children aged 5–18 who cannot attend mainstream school for medical, mental health, or special educational needs reasons.
Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk
Signatures
33
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 33/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 33/100,000
Background
Over 1.7 million children in the UK are currently out of school. Many of them are not absent by choice — they are autistic, have ADHD, anxiety, sensory processing disorder, trauma, chronic illness, or learning disabilities. We feel that the current school system is not built for them.
We think that a government-funded virtual school could change lives — and give families a real option. Private online schools do exist but fees can be high. This can mean that they are out of reach for many families.