Key Facts
| Responsibility | Parents assume full financial responsibility, including public exam costs; council help is discretionary |
|---|---|
| Pearson Edexcel GCSE entry fees, 2025-26 | For example Biology £54.80, English Language £56.40, Mathematics £55.00, before centre charges |
| Pearson Edexcel International GCSE entry fee, 2025-26 | £67.00 (excluding modern foreign languages), before centre charges |
| 16 to 19 Bursary Fund | Not payable to young people home educated after 16 |
| Child Benefit after 16 | Can continue for full-time non-advanced education, which includes home education; HMRC must be told |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
The cost of home schooling in the UK ranges from very little, for a family using free lessons, libraries and a parent's time, to a substantial sum for a family using an online school or specialist tutors and entering several GCSEs or A-levels as a private candidate. Parents take on full financial responsibility for the education when they home educate, and help from councils is limited and discretionary. Below are the main costs by category, what drives each one, the costs that are easy to overlook, the help that exists and a simple way to budget.
Who pays for home education
The Department for Education's guidance for parents in England says parents who home educate must be prepared to assume full financial responsibility for the child's education, including the cost of any public exams. Some councils may give financial or other help with exams, and councils can consider support where special educational needs are being met through home education and cause extra costs, but the guidance stresses that any such help is discretionary. Welsh guidance says the same about exam costs, while encouraging councils to support families where resources allow.
The main costs
| Cost | What drives it | Ways to keep it down |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum and resources | Whether the family uses free lesson libraries or paid courses and textbooks | Free national resources; second-hand textbooks; libraries |
| Equipment | A computer and internet access, stationery, science and art materials | Shared family devices; basic kits |
| Tutors or online school | The number of subjects, hours and tutor level | Tutors for specialist subjects only; group sessions |
| Exam entries | The number of subjects, the board's entry fee and the centre's own charges | Fewer, well-chosen subjects; a local centre with lower charges |
| Activities and trips | Clubs, sport, music, museums and travel | Free museums and outdoor learning; home education group rates |
| The parent's time | Reduced working hours or income for the parent leading the education | Tutors or courses for some subjects; sharing teaching with other families |
For many families, the largest cost is the parent's time, since at least one parent is usually available for much of the day. It never appears on a receipt, and it often matters more than any other item in the budget.
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Exams are the most predictable cost. Each GCSE, IGCSE or A-level entry has a board entry fee, set annually and published by each board, and the centre adds its own administration and sometimes invigilation charges. The board's share for Pearson's current fee list is in the key facts on this page. Centre charges vary widely between centres, so the total for the same subject can differ considerably, and late entries cost more.
Some subjects add further costs. A-level sciences need a centre to run the required practicals for the practical endorsement, which AQA warns is likely to involve considerable cost, and speaking assessments and coursework may be charged separately. The exam centres for private candidates page explains what to ask a centre about fees.
Tutors and online schools
Tutors and online schools are optional, and families use them in very different amounts. A common pattern is to use free resources and parent-led learning for most subjects and to add a tutor for one or two specialist subjects, such as sciences or a modern language, or for exam preparation in the final year. Online schools charge termly or annual fees for a full timetable, and the fees and what they include vary widely between providers. The online homeschooling page compares the two approaches.
Costs that are easy to overlook
- Exam travel. The nearest centre that accepts private candidates may be some distance away, and the DfE guidance notes this.
- Assessments for access arrangements. A centre's assessor must carry out any assessment for exam access arrangements, and while centres cannot charge extra for a reasonable adjustment, families should ask about any assessment fees.
- Free school meals. These are provided through schools, so they stop when a child leaves school to be home educated.
- The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund. The DfE guidance says it is not payable to young people whose parents home educate them after 16.
- School transport and uniform savings, which work in the other direction and reduce costs for some families.
Help that exists
- Child Benefit can continue after 16 if the young person is in full-time non-advanced education, which GOV.UK says includes home education, provided HMRC is told.
- Council support, such as help with exam fees, varies by council and is discretionary in England. In Wales, every council has agreed to provide access to an identified exam centre for WJEC exams, and the agreed support offer includes access to council services.
- Free resources, from national lesson libraries to exam board past papers, cover a large part of the curriculum. The home education resources page lists them.
The home schooling funding guide covers funding and financial help in more detail.
A simple way to budget
- List the subjects for the year and decide which the parent will lead, which will use a course, and which need a tutor.
- Price the paid items, including tutor sessions, courses, textbooks and activities.
- Add exam costs two years ahead of the exams, with quotes from at least two centres.
- Include the parent's time, in reduced working hours or income, so the full cost is visible.
- Review each year, since costs usually rise in the exam years.
Related guides
- Home schooling funding
- Home education resources
- Exam centres for private candidates
- Online homeschooling: online schools and tutor-led home education
- Pros and cons of home education
- How much does a tutor cost
Tutoring for home-educated children with Taylor Tuition
Families budgeting for home education often set aside tutor time for the subjects a parent prefers not to teach, particularly in the exam years. More than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status and around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and tutors who work with children hold an enhanced DBS check, and most are registered on the DBS Update Service.
Sessions run online for families across the UK and internationally, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject; there is no registration fee and the initial consultation is free.
Read more about our home education tutors, or send an enquiry and we reply with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does home schooling cost in the UK?
- It varies widely. A family using free resources and a parent's time can spend very little, while online school fees, tutors and several exam entries as a private candidate add up to a substantial sum. The parent's time is often the largest cost.
- Do you get paid to home school in the UK?
- No. Parents take on full financial responsibility, and any council help, such as with exam fees, is discretionary. Child Benefit can continue after 16 for full-time home education.
- How much do GCSEs cost for a home-educated child?
- Each entry costs the board's fee, which Pearson lists at around £55 for many GCSEs in its current fee list, plus the centre's administration and sometimes invigilation charges, which vary widely.
- Does the council pay for home education exams?
- Not as a rule. Some councils help with exam costs at their discretion, and in Wales every council provides access to an identified exam centre for WJEC exams.
- Can home-educated children get free school meals?
- No. Free school meals are provided through schools, so they stop when a child leaves school to be home educated.
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