How much does homeschooling cost in the UK?

Home education can cost almost nothing — or as much as a private school. Most families land somewhere in between. Here is an honest breakdown of where the money goes, so you can plan with real numbers.

The free layer

Libraries, free online resources, museum education programmes and local home-ed groups cover a surprising amount, especially in the primary years. Many families spend very little in the early years beyond stationery and days out.

Books, resources and subscriptions

Workbooks, reading schemes and maths or language subscriptions typically run to a few hundred pounds a year per child. Second-hand marketplaces and home-ed selling groups bring this down considerably.

Live teaching and tutors

This is usually the biggest line item. One-to-one tutoring in the UK commonly costs £30–£50 an hour, which adds up fast across several subjects. Small-group live online classes are the more affordable way to get real teaching: at Growing Roots Academy, for example, a full year of live small-group lessons in a subject costs £795, payable as a deposit plus monthly instalments, with a 10% sibling discount.

GCSE exam entries

Private candidates pay exam centres directly. Expect roughly £40–£60 per GCSE subject in board fees, plus a centre administration fee that varies widely — from around £30 to over £100 per subject. Budget £100–£200 per subject all-in, and more for subjects with practicals or speaking tests. We help our families find centres and meet entry deadlines so there are no surprise costs.

The hidden saving

Families often forget the costs that disappear: uniform, school trips, travel, packed lunches and fundraising requests. For many households these offset a large part of the home education budget.

Plan it out

Our fees page lists every course price plainly, with instalment options, so you can build a realistic yearly budget before you commit.