Inside Pangea, Haileybury College’s $18k-a-year online school

There will be no school camps or sport programs, but parents will still fork out a whopping fee for Victoria’s first online private college.

Haileybury Pangea will be Victoria’s first online private school.

Parents could fork out nearly $20,000 in fees to send their children to a virtual school at one of Melbourne’s most prestigious colleges.

Haileybury College has opened Victoria’s first online private school, named Pangea, for students from year 5 to year 12.

Officially launched on Wednesday, the school is now taking enrolments for 2023 after receiving approval from the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority.

Parents will be charged a whopping $18,000 per year in fees – nearly half of the $34,000 tuition for a year 12 student’s on-campus attendance at the school.

Haileybury students can be enrolled in Pangea and keep their place on campus if their parents front the full annual tuition fee on top of costs for the virtual school.

Parents must also complete a home-learning environment checklist that confirms they can be at home to supervise their child at all times.

Parents will pay nearly $20,000 in school fees.

Students will get two live virtual lessons, prepared video content and between four to six hours of self-paced learning time per subject each week.

The online classes will hold approximately 10 students each.

Students can choose from 23 VCE subjects, with single subject VCE courses on offer over two years for pupils between years 10 and 12.

The virtual cohort misses out on traditional school opportunities, such as camps and school sports, but they can attend summer school programs and a graduation ceremony.

Haileybury chief executive and principal Derek Scott said the online school was designed to “remove geographical barriers and offer flexibility for students, families and teachers”.

“There are many students and families who are seeking choice in how they learn because of where they happen to live or because of things they do outside school,” he said.

The virtual cohort will miss camps but be able to attend summer programs.

“They may be part of an elite program and struggle to juggle school with those commitments.”

Mr Scott said Pangea had been under development for several years, well before the pandemic.

“The move to remote learning due to the pandemic didn’t suit everyone and we are not saying that online learning suits every child, but there are students that Haileybury Pangea will absolutely suit.”

Entrance tests will determine whether a student can skip a grade in some subjects.

Psychologists and advisers will also be on call to support students.

The school is Haileybury’s fifth campus in Victoria, with other sites in Keysborough, Berwick, Brighton and the CBD.

Haileybury Girls College topped the state for VCE results last year, with a median study score of 37 out of 50.