Make GCSE exams free for home educated children under 18
- Parliament:
- 2024–present
- Signatures:
- 13,235
- Responded:
- 11 Mar 2025
- Department:
- Department for Education
The petition
We believe all children, regardless of their educational setting, deserve equal opportunities to access higher education and employment. We think that charging fees for GCSE exams for home-educated children creates an unfair disparity, as their peers in state-funded schools have these costs covered.
Families of home educated children can have limited financial resources as they are responsible for covering all the costs of their children's education, including textbooks, materials, and tutoring. GCSE exam fees can be substantial, especially for families taking multiple exams, creating a financial barrier that may discourage some home-educated children from pursuing further qualifications. We think that charging fees for GCSE exams for home-educated children creates an unfair disparity.
The government's response
Parents who home educate are fully responsible for that education, including costs of obtaining qualifications. We are introducing a duty on local authorities to give advice to those who request it.
Parents who home educate their children assume full responsibility for that education and the costs associated with it, including the costs of taking exams. The Government recognises the considerable effort many parents put into ensuring their children receive a full-time, efficient, suitable education and the challenges that can be faced by some home educating families.
We are, as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introducing a duty on local authorities to support home educating families on their Children Not in School registers by providing advice and information to families who request it. This could include advice and information about how to access and navigate the exams system.
For the first time, this will create an established baseline of support that ensures that, wherever home educating families live, they can have access to a reliable level of support from their local authority.
As part of this duty, some local authorities may choose to offer further support in the form of financial assistance or contributions for the cost of exams. However, this remains a decision for each local authority in respect of their individual circumstances.
Department for Education