Education (SIC division 85)
Division 85 of the UK SIC 2007 list. It holds 12 codes, listed in full below with the number of active UK companies filed under each.
What sits in division 85
Education on the companies register looks nothing like the school system. Most state schools and academy trusts sit outside ordinary company lists. Most of this division lives in 85590, other education. Tutors, training providers and course businesses of every kind register there. Code 85600 covers educational support services, from consultancy to exam administration. Other codes are more precise. Sports coaching is 85510. Cultural education, such as music and dance teaching, is 85520. Driving schools use 85530. Private nurseries and independent schools use the staged schooling codes, including 85100.
Training businesses buy learning platforms, accreditation, booking systems and marketing. The freelance-heavy 85590 group is a good place to look for accountants and insurers. A new company there usually means a teacher or trainer has gone self-employed. Nurseries under 85100 need different things: Ofsted compliance support, staffing agencies, payroll built for shift patterns, and premises services. Driving schools buy dual-control vehicle leasing and booking apps. Across the division, the poor-website filter on an established company usually finds a tutor who runs on referrals. Web and booking tool vendors convert those quickly.
How to read a division 85 code
A UK SIC code is five digits and division 85 is the first two of them. Everything filed under 85 shares those digits: all 12 codes below begin 85, then the third digit narrows to a group, the fourth to a class and the fifth to the subclass a company actually picks. Division 85 sits inside section P, education, which is the broadest tier of the classification. So a code is read left to right, from an industry down to a specific activity.
More on how division 85 codes are built
Companies choose their own codes at incorporation and can change them on any confirmation statement, and Companies House does not check the answer. A company may list up to four. That is worth knowing before you treat any division total as a headcount: the numbers here are what companies said about themselves, on the August 2026 register, and the largest single code in this division is 85590, other education n.e.c..
Working division 85 as a list
Division 85 holds 12 codes and 173,250 active companies between them. 85590 is the largest at 38 per cent and the top three take 71 per cent, with the rest spread across the remaining 9 codes. That is balanced enough that the division is a reasonable unit to work, though the leading code alone will usually give you a cleaner list.
More on working division 85
A caveat that matters more in some divisions than others: a company may register up to four SIC codes, and the figures below count every position, not just the first. A business filed under two codes in this division appears under both. Treat the totals as reach rather than a headcount, and if you need a clean list, filter to companies whose FIRST code sits in the division. Every company you pull carries the Companies House record, the director's name, a verified website and a verified email, and the ones we cannot complete are not charged.
Every SIC code in division 85
85100, Pre-primary education85200, Primary education85310, General secondary education85320, Technical and vocational secondary education85410, Post-secondary non-tertiary education85421, First-degree level higher education85422, Post-graduate level higher education85510, Sports and recreation education85520, Cultural education85530, Driving school activities85590, Other education n.e.c.85600, Educational support servicesProspecting this division
Division 85 companies, as leads
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Division 85 questions
Do I need Ofsted registration before using an education or childcare SIC code?
No. The two systems are separate. Companies House records whatever SIC codes you declare, with no checks, at incorporation or on the confirmation statement (CS01). Ofsted registration is a legal requirement in its own right, and it applies when you actually provide regulated childcare or certain education services. The same goes for the equivalent regulators in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The company register has no say in it.
Which SIC code should a private tutor choose?
Use 85590, other education n.e.c. It is the natural home for tutoring businesses. Music and dance teachers may prefer 85520, and sports coaches 85510. The choice is self-declared and free to change on any confirmation statement. Tutors who also sell online courses or resources sometimes add a publishing or ecommerce code. That is fine, since each company can hold up to 4 codes.
Find companies across division 85
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