Online School & Homeschool in Shanghai

International curriculum information for Shanghai families

For Shanghai families — read this page before enquiring, because what we may offer here is genuinely limited.

This page is written differently from the rest of our site, and deliberately so. Shanghai is the mainland's commercial and financial centre with a large international business community and an established international school sector — but mainland China regulates off-campus subject teaching in a way that directly affects a provider like us. The Double Reduction policy of July 2021 bans for-profit tutoring in academic subjects for students in compulsory education, and places a strict ban on foreign teachers physically based outside China teaching students in China. We are foreign teachers physically based outside China. So before anything else: we do not enrol compulsory-education-age students resident in mainland China for subject teaching, and we will not pretend otherwise to win a family.

Challenges Shanghai families face

The Double Reduction policy bans for-profit academic tutoring for students in compulsory education.
It places a strict ban on foreign teachers physically based outside China teaching students in China.
Compulsory education covers six years of primary and three of junior secondary, and reporting indicates the policy is likely to apply through upper middle school.
Institutions may not use foreign curricula, and overseas education materials are subject to review.
Mainland international schools operate under their own enrolment rules, which families must confirm directly.

Why Shanghai families choose Smartious

We tell you the constraint before you enquire: Most providers marketing to mainland families do not put the Double Reduction policy on the page. We have put it in the opening paragraph.
We do not enrol where we should not: Compulsory-education-age students resident in mainland China are not enrolled for subject teaching, regardless of what a family is willing to pay.
Continuity if you relocate: Families leaving Shanghai for Hong Kong, Singapore, the Gulf or elsewhere can pick up a single pathway that continues unchanged.
Hong Kong and Macau are separate systems: Both Special Administrative Regions have their own education systems and regulators, and we serve families there in the ordinary way.
No claim we have assessed your position: We have not. Any family who believes their circumstances fall outside the policy should take their own advice before contacting us, not after.

We want to be as clear as we can be, because a family acting on a vague answer here carries the consequence rather than we do. Compulsory education in mainland China comprises six years of primary education, typically from about age six, followed by three years of junior secondary. The Double Reduction policy — formally the Opinions on Further Reducing the Homework Burden and Off-Campus Training Burden of Students in Compulsory Education, issued on 24 July 2021 by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, effective on release — bans all forms of for-profit tutoring in academic subjects for students receiving compulsory education. Subject-based training covers precisely what we teach: mathematics, foreign languages including English, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography and Chinese literature. Reporting indicates the Opinions are also likely to apply through upper middle school. Two further provisions bear directly on us: the policy places a strict ban on foreign teachers physically based outside China teaching students in China, and institutions may not use foreign curricula, with training materials and overseas education materials subject to a filing and review system. Off-campus subject training is also prohibited during national holidays, weekends and school breaks. We are a for-profit provider, our teachers are physically based outside China, and we teach a foreign curriculum. That is three separate points of contact with the policy. Accordingly we do not enrol compulsory-education-age students resident in mainland China for subject teaching. We are also not a registered mainland school, hold no mainland licence, and do not teach toward the gaokao. Separately, mainland international schools operate under their own enrolment rules which vary and which a family must confirm with the school and the relevant authority directly. If you believe your circumstances fall outside the policy, take your own advice first — we have not assessed your position and cannot.

Not offered in mainland China.

Where a family's circumstances permit, live online delivery runs on a five-hour offset with evening classes in China falling in our afternoon. In mainland China this is subject to the constraints set out above.

Shanghai is the mainland's commercial and financial centre with a large international business community and an established international school sector — and a regulatory framework for off-campus subject teaching that directly constrains providers based outside China. Mainland China runs UTC+8, five hours ahead of our teaching base.

Family situations we work with

Families seeking to understand the regulatory position before making enquiries.
Households relocating from Shanghai to another country who want continuity planning.
Families relocating to Hong Kong or Macau, where the education systems are separate.
Households whose circumstances may fall outside the policy and who intend to take their own advice first.

Shanghai communities and nearby areas

Pudong · Jing'an · Xuhui · Minhang · Hongqiao · Suzhou · the Yangtze delta

Common questions from Shanghai families

Can our child in Shanghai study with Smartious?

If they are of compulsory-education age and resident in mainland China, we do not enrol them for subject teaching. The Double Reduction policy bans for-profit academic tutoring for compulsory-education students and places a strict ban on foreign teachers physically based outside China teaching students in China. We are exactly that.

Why are you telling us this rather than just selling?

Because a family who enrols on a claim that turns out to be wrong bears the consequence, not us. We would rather lose an enquiry than mislead one.

We are relocating to Hong Kong — does that change things?

Yes. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region with its own education system and regulator, and we serve families there in the ordinary way. The same applies to Macau.

We are leaving China for another country — can you help with continuity?

Yes, and that is one of the situations we can genuinely assist with. A single pathway can be set up to continue unchanged wherever the family goes next.

Guides for families in China

What parents say

Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Google from 130+ reviews. Read our Google reviews

“Smartious Homeschooling delivers genuinely effective one-on-one instruction. The teachers are patient, consistent, and skilled at identifying and addressing each learner's specific academic gaps. Since enrolling, our child has become more confident, enjoys lessons, and is now performing above grade level. For families in Nairobi seeking a dependable, academically rigorous homeschooling programme with personalised support, Smartious is a standout choice.” — Allan H., Google review