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The United Kingdom government website Check if you need a visa says that high-school students (aged 17 and under) coming to study in the UK from Europe for six months or more at an Independent School, require a Child Student visa and sponsorship from an "accredited institution". It then mentions a list of the routes to accreditation. These include being "listed" by Ofsted or the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).

Ofsted will inspect and report on schools, and can give a school a rating from "inadequate" through "requires improvement" to "good" and "outstanding". For independent schools, the report will also state separately if the school meets the Independent School Standards.

If a school is inspected by Ofsted, and is found to be "requires improvement" or "inadequate", does it lose its listing and accreditation for visa purposes? If it does not meet the Independent School Standards, does it lose accreditation? Or does "listed" include schools with poor Ofsted or ISS reports?

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  • If this description of the process for accrediting online education providers is the same as for in-person providers, I’d say the answer is Yes, it would not get / would lose its accreditation. The page says that providers that do not meet all of the standards will not normally be accredited.
    – Traveller
    Commented Jul 16 at 7:59
  • It's likely to be different from online, since the accrediation of online providers is specifically about "accrediation for visas" but the ratings "requires improvement" etc is a general ofsted rating, and not specifically about student visas. The website above only mentions "listed" by ofsted. A school can be inspected, and listed as requiring improvements, but still allowed to operate. I'd like clear description of what "listed" really means for normal schools.
    – James K
    Commented Jul 16 at 8:42
  • Why is it likely to be different for online? Only accredited providers are eligible to enrol visa students. If the accreditation is withdrawn/suspended, logically it follows that the provider is no longer ‘listed’ as a provider for visa purposes (however, if the provider is ‘under review’ they can still remain listed). I can’t find details for Ofsted right now, but see eg s2.4 of the British Council accreditation handbook. They can be ‘allowed to operate’ but ineligible to enrol visa students
    – Traveller
    Commented Jul 16 at 10:31
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    A Ofsted rating of inadequate or requires improvement cannot be compared to accreditation being withdrawn. It is not the same. Schools in such a situation are still allowed to continue teaching students. I have no idea as to the actual answer of the question, but I don't think it is obviously the same situation.
    – MJeffryes
    Commented Jul 16 at 14:46

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To get a Child Student Visa, you must have an unconditional offer of a place on a course with a licensed Child Student sponsor. A relevant webpage seems to be https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-sponsor-guidance/applying-for-a-student-sponsor-licence-accessible which includes

3.6 An education provider wishing to be a sponsor must demonstrate that all of its sites meet acceptable educational quality standards. An Educational Oversight body will make this assessment. Sponsors are required to maintain their Educational Oversight for all their sites throughout the duration of their Student sponsor licence.

3.21 To gain and maintain Educational Oversight, a provider must achieve and maintain the rating set out in the following table when inspected or reviewed by its Student Educational Oversight body. ...

ISI
‘Meets expectations’ or ‘Exceeds expectations’ (for private providers)
‘Met’ (for independent schools) ...

Ofsted
‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ ...

3.24 The following section sets out the consequences of not achieving a required rating in a statutory education inspection or a Student Educational Oversight inspection.

New applicant
Provider cannot apply for a Student sponsor licence. ...

Probationary Sponsor
Provider’s licence will be revoked. ...

Student Sponsor
Any Student sponsor with Student Sponsor status which fails to achieve the required rating will be allocated zero CAS [Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies] until it achieves a required rating in a new Educational Oversight or statutory education inspection, as applicable. ...

This suggests to me that schools with a poor rating would not be able to sponsor new students. It seems less clear about the position of continuing students.

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  • Students need to find a new course with a different education provider if the sponsor loses their licence. Meantime their current visa will be limited to 60 days (or however long left on the visa if it’s less than 60 days), and will have to leave the UK if they don’t find a new sponsor in that time. Students: if your education provider loses their sponsor licence
    – Traveller
    Commented Jul 18 at 6:01

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