With our prep school fees now at £30k x 2 per year we've been wondering about joining together with 4 other children, dropping them out of school and educating them fully through private tutoring.

Aiming to get our costs back down to £15k/child/year and outsourcing all extra curricular activities (which the school effectively does anyway),

Logistically my work situation is flexible and we have the space at home.

I'm aware of the links the prep schools have with secondaries but I don't want to be held ransom to that and would consider this a longer term solution. We'd aim to build their friendship networks through common interest activities (sports / art / drama / science clubs).. and existing friends of course.

I'd be interested if anyone has given this thought, investigated or even tried it, or can relay the experience of someone who has.

To be clear, we're lucky to be able to afford the spiralling fees, but it feels poor value now, compared to 5/6 years ago when it was already toppy.. so we're not looking for a solution for a financial problem, just a better solution to a systemic issue.

Best wishes to all and a happy new year.

Hi Maze,

It’s wonderful to see so many parents exploring homeschooling as an option for their children. Since COVID, homeschooling has grown in popularity, and it’s no surprise - the tailored nature of tutoring offers incredible benefits for a child’s progress.

I’m the founder of The Cove (www.thecovetutoring.com), where I provide in-person private tutoring and homeschooling for children aged 3–13. After completing my English PGCE at University of Oxford, I taught English in secondary schools for four years before deciding to transition to primary education in order to address the root causes of learning challenges I observed in secondary schools. I’m also working towards my APC qualification to become a certified dyslexia assessor.

Here’s a summary of my professional qualifications and experience:

- Attended St Catherine's School, Bramley
- BA (Hons)
- PGCE English (University of Oxford)
- QTS (Qualified Teacher Status)
- DBS-checked
- 4+ years of full-time teaching in secondary state schools (Oxford and London)
- 10+ years of tutoring primary school children
- Extensive knowledge of UK examinations (4+, 7+, 8+, 10+, and 11+)
- Experienced in Special Educational Needs (SEN)
- Currently pursuing an APC (Assessment Practising Certificate) to conduct diagnostic dyslexia assessments

I currently offer homeschooling at your home and have some availability for this term/year. From September 2025, due to growing demand, I’m excited to announce that

I am researching alternatives to traditional schools, especially given the high cost of private education. Setting up a homeschooling group with several children and private tutors is a practical solution. It gives more flexibility to tailor the curriculum to the child's strengths and interests. The biggest challenge is ensuring that children do not miss out on opportunities for social interaction. Organizing group activities, sports, or clubs can help with this. Recently, I came across some interesting publications that gave me a fresh perspective on how to approach learning. If you are interested, maybe it will give you a different perspective. Homeschooling in a group is a good alternative.

Hello Maze, I have done this twice for two students, once for a little boy during the COVID lockdown who was attending a prep school that wasn't particularly aligned with his family's values, nor was he making a lot of academic progress. In this case, his younger sister and friend sometimes joined in as well. Second for a girl who had crashed out of boarding school. In both cases, their parents engaged me as the main home-school teacher and effectively as a 'director of studies' to oversee other provision they were buying for their child e.g. other academic tutors, arts, sports coaches etc. Therefore I have opinions on this topic!

: Since working in this way is much faster than a mainstream school (no matter how 'academically focused' it is) both families effectively bought back their afternoons, evenings and weekends. We worked intensively in the mornings and covered the whole curriculum very quickly. In both cases, the family dynamics improved  it ended up being about £30k for the academic year for both projects. These are essentially fixed costs rather than variable costs, so if you have two children then this could be workable within the budget you suggest. Private tutoring (delivered by a self-employed sole trader) is currently exempt from VAT.
. Yes you can top up with clubs (e.g the boy went to Cubs) and there are home-schooling networks around, but it is hard to replicate the social learning from school. Both the projects I did had a countdown clock on from the outset. For the boy, it was because he had particular learning needs and he needed to catch up. I recommended a more creative, liberal school where he would thrive from the start of the next academic year. The girl had a place lined up at another school starting in Sept, so we did two terms.

There is a good number of small independent schools with fees around £15k-£22k per year, which offer small settings, small classes, tutoring level teaching plus all the spiders, drama, music, art activities that would need to be provided separately if the kids were home schooled. Additionally kids play and socialise across classes. If the kids have not specific needs that can be best catered in an home school setting, I can’t see the benefit of them being tutored at home with other 3-4 kids, then have to go to different activities, with different kids every time, when a small independent schools offers much more for the same amount of money.
Dolphin has been mentioned, but also The Roche, Eveline Day school, Ecole de Battersea in the nappy valley area and a few more.

Hi maze,

I can’t offer any help on home schooling, but we made a huge decision on our children’s education last year and I thought it might be useful for you to hear some of our thoughts and the decision that we made.  

Have you considered finding a private school that costs around £15k per year?

We moved our Year 4 daughter last year to Dolphin School on Northcote Road and I can honestly say it is the best decision we have ever made.  Her younger sister has now joined her in their Reception class.  Both girls are happy and thriving in the environment.

Dolphin’s Fees are between 15k and 17k per year depending on the age of the child, and whilst this is still a  huge financial commitment, we believe is it the best investment we can make in our daughters’ future.

Our eldest daughter was at a local a state primary school before moving to Dolphin and we complimented this with a weekly tutor to get ready for 11plus and thought this was the best approach for her.  However, we soon realised that the weekly tutoring just wasn’t enough.  Our daughter was doing fine, but we wanted her to flourish.

So we set about looking for a private school.

Dolphin School was the by far the best choice for our daughters on so many levels.  The school is so welcoming and friendly and they went above and beyond to help settle our daughter. I love that parents are invited to assembly every Friday, so you can experience just a little of what your children are doing at school.  Their recent ISI inspection awarded them excellent in all areas and having seen how our daughters have been taught and nurtured I can see why,  Any learning challenges have been identified and addressed quickly and I feel reassured that the staff are aware of what both children need to progress.

For us, school is about so much more than just learning.  It’s about the staff who inspire this children and the opportunities the children are given.  Dolphin is delivering all of that and more for our daughters and I am confident they are in the absolute best place for them.

Some people might feel that the lack of playground is a downside for Dolphin, but actually our daughters absolutely love putting on their waterproofs and wellies at break time and playing on the common.  For them it’s a huge plus.  Also, the fact that it is a small school means that they see each other on the common as the whole school are sometimes together for playtime.

I would really recommend you give them a call and pop in for a visit.

If you do decide to look at Dolphin, I’m very happy to answer any questions you might have.  Please do DM me.

 

I am not judging the private tutoring route in any way but wanted to comment that there is so much more that a child gets from school than just the academic learnings.

I know you know this but I just want to re-emphasise it. 

I would be nervous as to how children whom had gone down this route would cope at university.

I'm not blanket criticising it, I'm really not, but there is so much to unpack in this decision.

I leant how to deal with bullies, a love of sport, a love of music and so much from the chaos and maelstrom of school.

Whatever you decide I wish you the very best of luck.

 

Hi Maze

I'm Naomi and I run a small tuition business, The Brainery.  I've seen an increase in families who are moving to private tuition rather than formal schooling and who are enjoying the flexibility that that brings.  As a mother to a young child, it's something I'm wondering about myself too. 

I've also noticed that there are more opportunities for school aged children to access meet-ups during the day as well as to partake in the extra-curricular activities.

If you'd like a chat about how other families have adapted to home schooling after private school, please feel free to reach out: naomi@thebrainery.co.uk

www.thebrainery.co.uk

What a brilliant idea. I would 100% be on board with you if my kids were younger. There’s no value ad now in the eye watering amounts of money the private schools charge. My two are at boarding school but it’s gone up 46% in the 3.5 years since starting. No way is this doable anymore. Yes the social life is great, but the teaching doesn’t ad the value that it should. Now that VAT is added and bearing in mind the fees will continue to rise every year, it’s no longer sustainable and makes no sense. Good luck with your plan, I think it’s a great idea

Hi, I would like to share the Ellendel School with you if you are thinking about the private tutoring route, which a lot of parents are turning to in preparing their students for Secondary school. Ellendel is a specialist school that might meet your needs. We offer tailored English Tuition with specialist and fully qualified English teachers. We have extensive experience in preparing students for entrance exams to top independent and grammar schools.
Beyond academic success, we are proud to be London's leading school for Speech and Drama (voted in Talk Educations' Top UK specialist schools 2023), helping students build confidence and communication skills through expert guidance.
Our students excel in LAMDA exams in communication, which can be a fantastic addition to their skill set and achievements. We offer classes online, and in person across South and West London. Please get in touch if you would like more information or to discuss further. info@ellendel.co.uk

I've been wondering the same thing, £10k per term for prep school is a ridiculous amount of money.  We have no state schools anywhere near us (we don't live in NV anymore).  We're about to hit the teenage years and the mega expensive fees but it's too late for us to move them elsewhere unless we move house and area.

We will be looking at the same option and state for Alevel with lots of tutoring.  So much for levelling up  (or down).

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5e42b74ce5274a1e707c43ac/BRANDED_independent_school_registration_guidance_21_August_2019Ms.pdf

I think that with 5+ pupils you would have to register as an education provider and be subject to OFSTED inspection.