Decision summary: Wolsey Hall Oxford and Oxford Home Schooling (OHS) both let a child study for IGCSEs, GCSEs and A Levels at home, at their own pace, and both leave you to book the exams at an outside exam centre. The difference is the model. Wolsey Hall is a full, bundled course: you pay per course up front (or in instalments over six months), course books and tutor marking are included, and the school states it is Cambridge-approved (a registered school of Cambridge International Education) and an approved Pearson Virtual Centre. Oxford Home Schooling is a low-cost subscription: about £14.99 a month per course, with marking, mock papers, printed packs and one-to-one tutoring bought as add-ons, and no provider-level accreditation published on its site. In short: choose Wolsey Hall if you want structure, included marking and a Cambridge-registered school behind the course; choose OHS if you want the lowest entry cost, are studying one or two subjects, and are comfortable organising support yourself. Neither offers live classes, and neither is an exam centre.
The numbers, from each official site checked 23 October 2026: a Wolsey Hall IGCSE course costs £900 for most subjects when one to three courses are paid in full (£950 for English Language and Maths), and each IGCSE course covers two years; a full illustrative eight-subject IGCSE programme is £6,245 paid in full. An Oxford Home Schooling course starts with a first payment of £24.99 and then £14.99 per month per course, with a six-month minimum. If you searched “Wolsey Hall vs Oxford Home Schooling”, you probably also want to know whether each is accredited, who books the exams, how much tutor help you really get, and whether either works for a family outside the UK. This page answers those questions with official sources only, and writes “Not published on the official site” wherever a fact is missing. We are NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY (NGA), a different kind of online school that opens in September 2027 (planned); we appear at the end only as one more option for families who want live classes.
The short answer: which one fits your child
- Wolsey Hall Oxford may fit if your child is taking a full set of IGCSEs or two to four A Levels, you want course books and tutor marking included in one price, you prefer Cambridge International qualifications, and a Student Progress Manager checking in matters to you.
- Oxford Home Schooling may fit if you need one or two subjects (a resit, an extra IGCSE, a single A Level), you want to spread a small monthly cost, and your child is independent enough to work with optional rather than built-in marking.
- Both fit a self-motivated student who studies best alone and at their own pace, with no live lessons or fixed timetable.
- Abroad? Both say students outside the UK can study with them. With OHS, its own page says IGCSEs can be sat at centres abroad, while its GCSEs and A Levels must be sat in the UK. Wolsey Hall says many overseas students sit exams at the British Council. Either way, find an exam centre before you enrol.
- Look at a different option if your child needs a teacher and classmates every day: a live online school such as King’s InterHigh (see our King’s InterHigh vs Sophia High School comparison) is a different model with a different price.
- Look at NGA if you live in Asia or Oceania, your child is still learning English and you want small live groups. NGA opens in September 2027 (planned), is not yet accredited and has no graduates yet, so it does not replace an IGCSE provider today.
Wolsey Hall Oxford vs Oxford Home Schooling at a glance (official data)
Every entry below comes from the two schools’ own websites and fee documents, checked on 23 October 2026. Wolsey Hall publishes its secondary fees in a PDF dated 1 April 2026; Oxford Home Schooling publishes a pricing page plus a price on each course page.
| Item | Wolsey Hall Oxford | Oxford Home Schooling (OHS) |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Online homeschool courses sold per course, in bundles (1–3, 4, 5+ courses) | Subscription per course, self-paced online materials |
| Ages / levels | Ages 3–18 (Primary, Lower Secondary, IGCSE/GCSE Level, AS and A Level) | Key Stage 3, GCSE/IGCSE and A Level; over-18s are referred to its sister organisation Oxford Open Learning |
| IGCSE price | £900 per course for most subjects (1–3 courses, paid in full); £950 English Language and Maths; £1,395 languages, Art & Design, ESL. Each course covers two years | First payment £24.99, then £14.99 per month per course; minimum 6 months |
| A Level price | £1,895 per subject for 2 years (1–2 courses, paid in full), falling to £1,445 at 5+ courses | Same subscription model (about £14.99 per month per course) |
| Included | Course books, online materials, tutor feedback on assignments, Student Progress Manager, community and clubs | Online course materials and an academic induction session; sample answers for most assignments |
| Extras | £95 non-refundable registration fee per student; exam fees; international postage of books | Assignment marking, mock marking, printed packs, email tutor support (£10/month), tutoring (£10 per 15 minutes), delivery, exam fees |
| Recognition | States it is Cambridge-approved (registered school of Cambridge International Education) and an approved Pearson Virtual Centre | Provider accreditation: Not published on the official site. Courses follow exam-board specifications (e.g. Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Maths 4MA1) |
| Exam centre? | No: “not an exam centre ourselves”; students sit as private candidates | No for most subjects: students book their own centre; OHS enters a few coursework (NEA) subjects itself |
| Live classes | None (“no live lessons, set timetables”) | None; tutorials by arrangement |
| Refunds | Written cancellation within 45 days of the course Access Date, minus an admin fee | Full refund before materials are received; 14 days after receipt with return of materials |
Fees compared: per course, per year and for a full IGCSE set
Comparing these two on price is harder than it looks, because Wolsey Hall charges once per course (and each IGCSE or A Level course runs for two years), while Oxford Home Schooling charges per month. Below are the official figures, followed by our own arithmetic so you can compare like with like.
Wolsey Hall Oxford fees (secondary fees from 1 April 2026)
| Level | Paid in full | Paid by instalments |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Secondary (Years 7–9), per course, 1 year | £600–£700 (1–3 courses); £500–£600 (5+ courses) | £630–£740 (1–3 courses) |
| IGCSE (Years 10–11), per course, 2 years | £900 most subjects; £950 English Language, Maths; £1,395 languages, Art & Design, ESL; £1,800 Co-ordinated Sciences (two IGCSEs) — all at 1–3 courses | £950 most subjects; £1,000 English Language, Maths; £1,470 languages (1–3 courses) |
| Illustrative full IGCSE programme (8 subjects) | £6,245 | £6,590 |
| AS Level, per course, 1 year | £1,145 (1–2 courses) to £800 (5+) | £1,210 to £840 |
| A Level, per course, 2 years | £1,895 (1–2 courses), £1,645 (3), £1,545 (4), £1,445 (5+) | £2,000, £1,730, £1,630, £1,520 |
Wolsey Hall’s fee document says paying in full gives “an approximate 5% discount”, that instalments are an initial 25% followed by six monthly payments of 12.5%, and that a sibling of a new or current student gets 10% off (the first child does not). A £95 non-refundable registration fee per student is charged on top, exam fees are paid separately to the exam centre, and international postage for books is charged at cost. The fee document’s own example: three A Levels plus one AS Level costs £5,485 paid in full (3 × £1,545 + £850). Each IGCSE course has a 24-month access term.
Oxford Home Schooling fees
| Item | Official price |
|---|---|
| Course subscription | First payment £24.99 (materials subscription plus academic induction session and booking fee), then £14.99 per month per course; minimum 6 months (IGCSE Maths course page) |
| Assignment (TMA) marking | About £10 per assignment, varies; 10% off if bought at the start. Example: IGCSE Maths marking bundle £53.95 (Foundation) or £35.96 (Higher) |
| Mock / practice exam marking | £25 per paper (GCSE/IGCSE), £30 per paper (A Level); IGCSE Maths practice exam bundle £47.50 |
| Email tutor support | £10.00 per month (IGCSE Maths course page) |
| One-to-one tutoring | £10 per 15 minutes |
| Printed course pack | Varies by subject (IGCSE Maths £40.00); UK mainland delivery £11.60, other areas quoted |
| UCAS reference | £75 to £150 |
| Exam entry | Not included; paid to the exam centre |
Like-for-like: one IGCSE and a full set of eight
These are our calculations from the published prices, not quotes from either school. Assume a two-year IGCSE course, as Wolsey Hall designs it. With OHS, if the £24.99 first payment counts as month one, 24 months of one subscription is £24.99 + 23 × £14.99 = £369.76. Adding the IGCSE Maths Higher marking bundle (£35.96) and practice exam marking (£47.50) gives £453.22, or £493.22 with the printed pack. The Wolsey Hall IGCSE Maths course is £950 paid in full (1–3 courses), with books and marking included, plus the £95 registration fee once per student.
For a full set of eight IGCSEs over two years, Wolsey Hall’s illustrative programme is £6,245 paid in full, which is about £3,122 per year (plus £95 registration). Eight OHS subscriptions for 24 months would be 8 × £369.76 = £2,958.08 before any marking, mocks, printed packs or tutoring, roughly £1,479 per year. OHS is cheaper on paper, and much cheaper for one or two subjects; the gap narrows as you add the marking and support that Wolsey Hall includes. For a single-school deep dive, see our Oxford Home Schooling fees and review, and for wider context, online British curriculum school fees.
Exams: who books them, and what they cost
This is the part families most often miss. Neither provider is an exam centre, and neither price includes exam fees.
Wolsey Hall Oxford says it is a registered Cambridge school but, as an online school, “not an exam centre”. Most students sit exams at external centres as private candidates. Its exam page lists UK centres it works with and notes that some give Wolsey Hall students discounts; it says many overseas students use the British Council, and that exams can be sat in the May/June or October/November series, though many Northern Hemisphere centres do not run October/November. Wolsey Hall’s accreditation page adds that it is an approved Pearson Virtual Centre, “allowing remote invigilation for some of their courses”. Exam fee amounts: Not published on the official site (they are set by each centre). Wolsey Hall advises contacting your exam centre before you enrol.
Oxford Home Schooling says it cannot book exams for most subjects: the student finds a centre and pays it directly. It lists more than 30 partner centres, which often give OHS students 10% off. For a few coursework (NEA) subjects such as AQA GCSE English and some A Levels, OHS makes the entry itself and transfers it to a host centre. Its booking page says the official summer deadline is 21 February but that centres fill early, many stop accepting private candidates after Christmas, and families should start looking at the beginning of the autumn term. Its studying-abroad page says IGCSEs can be taken at test centres worldwide, while GCSEs and A Levels must be sat in the UK.
Practical tip for both: before paying for any course, email two or three exam centres near you, confirm they accept private candidates for your exact board and specification (for example Cambridge IGCSE vs Pearson Edexcel International GCSE), and ask for their fee per paper.
Tutor support and pacing
Wolsey Hall Oxford includes tutors who give feedback on submitted assignments and answer academic questions through the messaging system on its learning platform; its fees page says tutor marking is returned within 3–5 working days. Each family has a Student Progress Manager. There are no live lessons or set timetables. Lower Secondary and AS courses are designed to be completed in 12 months, IGCSE and A Level courses over two years.
Oxford Home Schooling gives each course an induction session and “brief course-related help and guidance” from an allocated subject tutor, who holds a PGCE or equivalent and a DBS check. Fuller help is bought separately: email tutor support (£10 a month), marking per assignment, or tutoring at £10 per 15 minutes. The office is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am–4:45 pm UK time, and tutors hold tutorials outside those hours by prior arrangement. OHS recommends about 200 study hours for an IGCSE Maths course; you start any time.
The trade-off is plain: Wolsey Hall builds feedback in; OHS lets you buy only the feedback you want. A child who drifts without deadlines may need the first; a confident student topping up one subject may prefer the second. If you are unsure how self-paced study feels day to day, our guide to how an online international school works shows the live-class alternative.
Is Wolsey Hall Oxford accredited? Is Oxford Home Schooling?
Wolsey Hall Oxford: its curriculums and accreditations page states it is “one of only a handful of online schools that are Cambridge-approved” for Lower Secondary, GCSE Level and A Level (and the first for Primary), describes itself as a registered school of Cambridge International Education, and says it is an approved Pearson Virtual Centre. Most of its courses follow Cambridge specifications; some (for example A Level Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and GCSE Psychology) follow Pearson Edexcel. The page does not mention a US accreditor or a US-style diploma.
Oxford Home Schooling: a provider-level accreditation is Not published on the official site. What OHS does publish is the exam-board specification each course follows, such as Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A (4MA1).
What this means in practice: with both providers, the qualification your child ends up with is issued by the exam board (Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel or AQA), not by Wolsey Hall or OHS. An IGCSE from Cambridge is the same certificate whichever course provider prepared the student. Provider recognition matters most for the quality and structure of teaching, references (OHS charges £75–£150 for a UCAS reference) and support, rather than for whether universities accept the grades. Neither awards its own diploma. For a step-by-step check, see how to check an online school’s accreditation before you pay.
Wolsey Hall vs Oxford Home Schooling vs NGA vs King’s InterHigh
| Item | Wolsey Hall Oxford | Oxford Home Schooling | NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY | King’s InterHigh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Self-paced online homeschool courses | Self-paced subscription courses | Online international school with small live groups (opening Sept 2027, planned) | Online school with timetabled live lessons |
| Ages / levels | 3–18; IGCSE, AS/A Level | KS3, GCSE/IGCSE, A Level | Ages 6–18 | Years 3–13 |
| Price (official) | IGCSE £900–£1,395 per 2-year course; A Level £1,445–£1,895 per 2-year course | £24.99, then £14.99/month per course | Not yet published; no enrolment, facility or uniform fees; materials included; sibling discounts | GCSE £7,250 per year (annual contract, 2026/27, checked 20 Oct 2026) |
| Curriculum | Mostly Cambridge, some Pearson Edexcel | Pearson Edexcel, AQA and others by course | Subjects learned in English with a bilingual mentor; optional Cambridge IGCSE / A Level pathway listed | IGCSE, A Level, IB Diploma |
| Live classes & time zone | None | None; tutorials by arrangement | Small live dialogue groups (about 8), timetabled for Asia & Oceania daytime; may fall outside daytime in the Americas or Europe | Live lessons; UK, Middle East and Southeast Asia timetables |
| Recognition | Cambridge-approved; Pearson Virtual Centre | Not published on the official site | Not yet accredited; no graduates yet | See official site |
| Admission | Via admissions team; entry grades: Not published on the official site | Higher-level courses expect prior study; OHS may decline | No academic entrance exam, no English requirement | See official site |
| Exams | Private candidate at outside centre; fees extra | Private candidate at outside centre; fees extra | Not published | See official site |
Sources: Wolsey Hall Oxford fees, Wolsey Hall secondary fees from 1 April 2026 (PDF), Wolsey Hall curriculums and accreditations, Wolsey Hall exam information, Oxford Home Schooling pricing, OHS IGCSE Maths course, OHS exam booking procedure, OHS studying outside the UK — checked 23 October 2026. King’s InterHigh: official fees page, checked 20 October 2026.
Reviews and common concerns, answered honestly
“Oxford Home Schooling reviews mention extra costs”
A recurring theme in parent discussions is that the monthly price is only the starting point. That is consistent with OHS’s own pricing page, which lists marking, mocks, printed packs, tutoring and email support as separate items. It is a design choice, not a hidden charge: budget for the extras you expect to use before comparing.
“Is Wolsey Hall worth the higher upfront price?”
It depends on how much of what is bundled you would otherwise buy. Books, marking and a Student Progress Manager are included. If your child would use them all, the difference shrinks; if your child only needs materials, a subscription may be better value.
“Finding an exam centre is stressful”
Both providers say this plainly and both publish centre lists. Start in the autumn term before the exam year. Abroad, check whether your local British Council or international school accepts private candidates for your board.
“My child gets lonely without classmates”
Neither has live classes. Wolsey Hall mentions a community area, clubs and a virtual library. If daily interaction matters, consider a live online school alongside or instead.
“Will universities accept the grades?”
The certificate comes from the exam board, so universities assess the IGCSE or A Level grades themselves. Check each university’s entry requirements, and ask your provider early about references.
Alternatives worth comparing
King’s InterHigh runs timetabled live lessons with UK, Middle East and Southeast Asia timetables; it costs considerably more per year than either self-paced provider. Cambridge Home School Online offers small live classes on UK time; see our Cambridge Home School Online fees and review. A wider overview is in online international schools compared and online vs in-person international school cost.
NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY (NGA) is a different kind of option: an online international school for ages 6–18 focused on Asia and Oceania, opening September 2027 (planned), with free trial classes every month from September 2026 and pre-opening trial classes in April–May 2027. Classes are small live dialogue groups of about eight, subjects are learned in English with a bilingual (English–Japanese) mentor, and English levels follow CEFR. There is no academic entrance exam and no English requirement, and it can run alongside a local school. An optional Cambridge IGCSE / A Level pathway is listed on the curriculum page. Tuition is not yet published (no enrolment, facility or uniform fees; materials included; sibling discounts). Honestly: NGA is not yet accredited, has no graduates yet, and its timetable is built for Asia–Oceania daytime, so live classes may fall outside daytime for families in Europe or the Americas.
For a closer look at one provider, see our Wolsey Hall Oxford fees guide.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Wolsey Hall Oxford or Oxford Home Schooling?
Oxford Home Schooling is cheaper to start: £24.99, then £14.99 a month per course (six-month minimum). Wolsey Hall charges per course up front, e.g. £900–£950 for most IGCSEs over two years, but includes books and marking. By our arithmetic, one OHS course for 24 months is £369.76 before extras.
Is Wolsey Hall Oxford accredited?
Wolsey Hall states it is Cambridge-approved (a registered school of Cambridge International Education) and an approved Pearson Virtual Centre (official site, checked 23 October 2026). Qualifications are awarded by the exam boards.
Is Oxford Home Schooling accredited?
A provider accreditation is not published on the official site. Its courses follow named exam-board specifications, and the IGCSE or A Level certificate is issued by the exam board.
Are exam fees included?
No, for both. Students sit as private candidates and pay the exam centre. OHS enters a few coursework (NEA) subjects itself, with separate entry and transfer fees.
Can international students enrol?
Yes, both say so. OHS states IGCSEs can be sat worldwide but its GCSEs and A Levels must be sat in the UK; Wolsey Hall says many overseas students use the British Council. Confirm an exam centre first.
Choosing calmly
Both Wolsey Hall Oxford and Oxford Home Schooling are long-established routes to real IGCSE and A Level qualifications. The right choice depends less on brand and more on three questions: how many subjects your child is taking, how much built-in feedback they need, and whether you have an exam centre lined up. Tuition and admissions details were checked on the official websites on 23 October 2026. Schools revise fees every year — always confirm on the official site before applying.
