This article from the American press comments on the growing use of virtual high schooling via the internet, focusing mainly on Advanced Placement and college-preparatory courses in the kinds of subjects that many traditional high schools don't have enough teachers or money to offer. Pundits suggest that this burgeoning capacity for distance education will give public education students in poor districts opportunities for advanced classes that have traditionally been available only in upscale areas. I would also
suggest similar implications for rural areas.

Although TrainingZone is mainly focused on adult learning, I guess that the UK's virtual learning enterprise is blurring the lines between preparatory education for children and youth and continuing education for
adults. It cetainly is in America.