Sick children attending private schools in Edinburgh are being charged up to £115 an hour for tutoring while receiving hospital care—while state school pupils get lessons for free.
Parents have slammed the policy at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, where only state-educated patients qualify for free classes provided by Edinburgh Council. One boy reportedly spent months watching other children in his ward receive daily schooling while his family struggled to cover costs.
“You Opted Out”
When one parent challenged the rule, Dr Lynne Binnie, the council’s Head of Education (Inclusion), reportedly said: “Unfortunately, as you have chosen to privately educate your son, he cannot be supported by this team—you have effectively opted out of state-funded education.”
Parents call the policy “divisive” and say it denies their children a “basic human right.” One mother, a lawyer, told The Mail on Sunday her son, 8, was hospitalized for months in 2024 but was refused tutoring because he attends George Watson’s College, a private school.
“We were told there was an amazing tutor on the ward,” she said. “But when they found out he was privately educated, they said there was a problem. It felt like, ‘You chose private, so you get nothing.’”
Who’s Responsible?
Edinburgh Council claims it follows Scottish Government guidance, but a government spokesperson said fees are decided locally by councils and NHS boards.
Craig Hoy MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance, called the charges “punitive” and vowed to raise the issue in Holyrood.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Decisions on hospital education fees are for local authorities and NHS Boards to discuss with independent schools.”
Other major hospitals, including Great Ormond Street in London, provide free education to all patients regardless of school type.
