Questions about Skylarks Learning Courses

Headteacher: Claire Stimson, MTheol, MA (Eng Lit), PGCE.

Claire (Mrs S) teaches the English and History courses from Stage 1 through to 5. Claire has a keen interest in educational pedagogy, with professionally accredited training from the British Dyslexia Association and National Autistic Society. Claire and her husband have home-educated their four children in the UK, with experience of both British and American qualification routes.

Katy teaches the Literary Foundations course and is the teaching assistant for all other English classes. Katy is studying English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Cambridge, having completed a Certificate in English Literature at the University of Oxford.

Claire and Katy both hold a NSPCC certificate in online safety for children and an up-to-date DBS.

Skylarks Learning will use a Zoom account with the same class-specific log in code and password each week. The plan is to keep class sizes to a maximum of 10 children to help facilitate a friendly atmosphere with good opportunities for discussion as the courses progress.

During class, students will keep their camera on and communicate both using their microphone and typing in the discussion box. Parents/guardians are expected to be on hand for any technical issues and to ensure that their child is engaged - it is the parent/guardian's responsibility to check a child is not distracted with other applications on the computer during class time. Please see the Policies page for more information on standards and safeguarding.

The term dates are published on the calendar.

The prices are listed on the course information pages. The course fee covers all admin costs, online classes and, where applicable, homework feedback. 

All payments are made by BACS transfer and account details will be emailed with the invoice. The booking deposit (£40 per course) will be deducted from the total balance. 

Book lists will be sent by email in May. We do not recommend buying texts before seeing the book list as sometimes a specific edition of a book is required. You might find it helpful to purchase a basic head-set with microphone for the class but this is not a requirement.

All payments for 2026-2027 courses need to be received by Friday 28th August 2026. Once your final balance has been paid, you will be emailed the reading and homework schedules for your courses.

The Skylarks course overview shows the discounted rate for a child taking both English and History courses simultaneously. On top of this, there is a sibling multi-course discount: a 5% reduction for the second child, and a 10% reduction for the third(+) child. Multi-course and sibling discounts are applied automatically to the invoice.

Skylarks Learning offers bursary places for families on a low-income or who are facing financial difficulty. There are bursary places available for each of the English and History courses, either covering the full class fee or offering a significantly reduced rate. Bursary applications should be received by Friday 10th April for courses beginning in September 2026. Families will hear back as to whether their application has been successful by 30th April. If you have missed the deadline, you are welcome to email to find out if there are any places still available.

Please click here to request a bursary application.

Please complete the registration form on the website. You will then be emailed an invoice for the booking deposit of £40 per class. If you haven't received your invoice within three days of submitting the form please get in touch.

After your booking deposit has been paid you will be sent an invoice for the remaining balance to pay before Friday 28th August 2026. The book list will be sent out in May, and the reading and homework schedules are emailed to families upon receipt of the final balance payment.

Children are expected to participate in verbal narrations and discussions during class. Students' microphones will generally be muted during the teaching slots and using a headset can be helpful to limit background noise. Children are requested to have their video on during class, with the background setting blurred. Skylarks Learning has previously run classes both with and without videos and feedback has indicated that children feel more involved when they can see the faces of those they are learning alongside. If you have concerns about your child's use of their camera or microphone please do get in touch.

Participation in discussion will be an important part of the learning process and helps to encourage a positive group atmosphere. There will be a chat box discussion that runs during the class - students cannot privately message each other but can share a comment or question with the whole class or directly to the teacher. Classes are not recorded.

The Stage 1-4 courses have been designed to provide a full syllabus of English and History learning for students working from UK Y8 to Y11 and, as such, the material and skills develop in the sequence below:

Stage 1: (Year 8) Early English Literature and Medieval History*.

Stage 2: (Year 9) Language & Epic and New World History.

Stage 3: (Year 10) Essay Skills and Age of Revolution.

Stage 4: (Year 11) The Art of Fiction and The World Reshaped.

*Medieval History is suitable for children in Year 7 if you would like to stagger your child's start to online classes.

It is not assumed that a child's learning year will correspond to their age and it is no problem for older students to take the earlier classes - there will generally be a mix of ages and year groups are not mentioned within the course material.

The Stage 5 Advanced Literature courses (Words in the World and the Importance of Ideas) are both aimed at UK Year 12 and Year 13 students. As such, these fit with A-level or AP studies.

All Skylarks courses are taught from a Christian perspective and this influences the choice of texts, as well as providing a basis upon which to encourage a class atmosphere that is respectful, supportive, and edifying. Skylarks Learning is non-denominational and we hold to the historic, orthodox Christian creeds, such as the Apostles' Creed.

C.S. Lewis described a Christian approach to writing literature as aiming at ‘edification in so far as edification was proper to the kind of work at hand. But whatever it chose to do would have to be done by the means common to all literature; it could succeed or fail only by the same excellences and the faults as all literature’. We think the same approach applies to studying literature; it is an academic rather than devotional activity but, as with every other area of life, this can be done with the end goal of reflecting something of the glory, wonder, and grace of God. 

With the history reading groups, Christian theology will sometimes be part of the subject content itself, and this will be addressed with sensitivity to differing views. The aim is to equip the students to recognise various worldviews, understand the ways in which the Christian faith has shaped our heritage, and feel more able to examine truth claims independently.

Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) wrote six fantastic volumes on educational philosophy, and is perhaps best known for the emphasis she placed on children reading excellent (‘living’) books and narrating back the content in their own words. She also encouraged families to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

Skylarks Learning follows her educational principles and, although the classes are online, the homework is flexible enough that learning won’t be primarily screen-based - children are very welcome to do their reading up a tree if they’d like!  The courses aim to provide each child with the opportunity to enjoy an abundant feast of learning, which has been carefully arranged so that they can explore connections themselves whilst cultivating a habit of focused attention.

Reading the quotations on the website will reveal more of Charlotte Mason’s wisdom on education and you can access her volumes online.

Before the course begins you will be emailed a link to set up a password for both yourself and your child. This will give you access to view a private menu of course webpages via the ‘Student’ tab (from the drop-down menu at the top of the Skylarks website). The student page for each course contains week-by-week information about the content covered in class and any additional instructions for homework assignments. At the bottom of the page there is also an updated PDF of selected course slides and copies of the course paperwork, along with extra resources.

All resources (including reading schedules and class slides) remain the property of Skylarks Learning and must not be copied or shared with others.

All courses have a reading schedule that students need to follow in order to participate in verbal narrations and class discussions. Parents receive the course schedule in August so that they have all the necessary information to make a predictable weekly plan for their child, and parents can then have as much (or as little) oversight as they would like.

Homework for English classes is due for submission on Thursday to allow time for marking and feedback. Children won't need to have completed all their weekly reading schedule by this deadline, just that which is necessary for their written assignment. A parent/guardian is to be copied into all communication between the student and tutor.

There is no submitted written work for history reading groups although there is an optional marking supplement to add written homework (with feedback) to Age of Revolution and The World Reshaped.

Please see individual course pages for a guide on expected homework timings.

All classes are Zoom based although you do not need an account to join the meetings. You will need to have a stable internet connection and access to a computer with a microphone and camera at class times. A headset can be helpful to limit background noise for the microphone and to allow your child to be on class in the same room without everyone having to listen in with them!

Students will need access to email for homework submission, although it is fine for a parent/guardian to send it via their own account if preferred. It is best for written assignments to be composed in a text document and then copied and pasted into an email so that you have a saved record of their coursework.

The booking deposit of £40 is non-refundable as it covers the administrative costs. The remainder of your course fee can be refunded pro-rata if you find within the first two weeks that the class is not what you expected. There are no refunds given after Friday 25th September 2026.

If a class date is cancelled then we will try to find an alternative day/time that would suit everyone to rearrange that lesson.

In the unlikely scenario that a course is cancelled, you will be reimbursed pro-rata for any remaining sessions. The weekly cost can be worked out by deducting the booking deposit from the course fee and then dividing the remainder by 25.

Skylarks Learning runs courses that will equip students preparing for GCSE/IGCSE exams in English Language, English Literature and History, and the A-level or AP exam in English Literature. Parents are also able to include courses as part of a child's high school transcript. Please see the Qualifications page for further details.

All students who successfully complete a course will receive a Skylarks certificate. 

There are a limited number of places in each class. If a course is fully booked then you are welcome to email info@skylarkslearning.co.uk and request to be informed if there is a cancellation before the course begins.

Please see the Policies page.