Our unique online school equips students with excellent English, diverse subject knowledge, soft skills and a global outlook.
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Svitlo means ‘light’ and Svitlo School began life following the Russian invasion of February 2022. Within 2 weeks, our UK-based founder and educational expert Yuliya Kosko had arranged lessons in English for 100 children and secured the support of 40 volunteers. It was an emergency response and quickly grew ‘arms and legs’ as applications from Ukrainian children and their parents poured in.
Today our online school is a registered charity in England and Wales. In the last academic year, Svitlo School supported over 500 children with high quality academic and social lessons in English.
Over 40% of children in Ukraine have limited or no access to classroom learning in their mainstream school due to the war. We teach extracurricular lessons in English Acquisition, Humanities, STEM, Creativity, Careers and Wellbeing. Our Juniors (10-13 years old) and Seniors (14-18 years old) are in charge of their own learning and choose their own subjects.
We exist to combat learning loss and social isolation being inflicted on Ukraine’s children, and to equip these future leaders with the knowledge, skills and global outlook required to rebuild the country.
Ukraine has enjoyed high levels of literacy and tertiary educational attainment for many years. However, primary and secondary education is hindered by an outdated curriculum and lack of modern teaching methods.
There is an emphasis on content knowledge over critical thinking and memorisation over analysis. The freedom to have discussions and make mistakes is not encouraged, which leaves many students with low confidence and motivation in class.
At Svitlo School, the children in charge of their learning. They have autonomy to choose their own subjects. They are encouraged to ask questions, make mistakes, give their opinions and collaborate with classmates. Our students learn and demonstrate valuable soft skills such as confidence, teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving and decision-making.
“Ukrainian schools should better equip pupils with the skills needed to learn throughout life, think critically, set and achieve goals, work in teams, and communicate in a multicultural environment.”
World Bank Group, Education Review, 2019
9,474
hours taught
540
students supported
63
classes per week
data Sep 2023 to Jul 2024
Our students have the opportunity to start, lead and join projects which build their skills in creativity, teamwork and leadership. They form friendships, find role models and become role models themselves. Learn about the different ways in which students contribute to Svitlo School and play a leading role in growing our safe, stable and welcoming community.
Students earn points for their House, encouraging participation, collaboration and friendly competition!
Older students can gain leadership skills as prefects, and our buddy system helps new students to settle and make friends
Students are elected into the Council, where they work with the Svitlo team and volunteers and even teach themselves
An active space where students share their perspective and insights on academic and social life of the school
Our team of writers and designers collaborate on a monthly magazine-style publication
Students run the Svitlo Instagram and TikTok accounts, creating graphics, text and video
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela
