Private school pupils ‘barred' from work experience at NHS hospitals

Telegraph

17 hours ago

Private school pupils have been 'barred' from undertaking work experience at some of the largest NHS hospital trusts.
Official schemes at world-famous London hospitals, including Barts and University College London Hospital (UCLH) are reportedly only open to children from local state schools.
The doctors' trade union, the British Medical Association (BMA), advises children considering a career in medicine that they need clinical work experience to even be considered for a university medical course.
One would-be medical student from Emanuel School in south London was told by King's College Hospital Trust – their local NHS trust – that pupils from private schools were not admitted onto their courses, even if they lived in the area, the Mail on Sunday reported.
War on private schools
It comes amid Labour's ongoing war against private schools, which has disrupted the education of thousands of children across the country amid a wave of sudden closures.
Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, imposed a 20 per cent tax on private school fees in January, making them subject to VAT for the first time.
Pupil numbers have since dropped four times faster than government forecasts predicted, suggesting the move has backfired. Around £200m in VAT has also failed to materialise, while taxpayers must now find an extra £90m per year to cover the costs of displaced private pupils flooding into state schools.
Critics say Labour is trying to punish the children of its perceived opponents as a way of courting Left-wing voters who cannot afford private education for their offspring.
Others point out that forcing children of parents who cannot afford its tax hikes into a scramble for school places within the under-pressure public sector is cruel and disruptive.
Children on bursaries shut out
Gordon West, the head of careers at Stowe, a prestigious independent school, revealed that a pupil of his had been unable to secure medical work experience.
'This young woman is not from a wealthy background at all; she's from one of the highest priority groups there are,' he said.
'Policies like [those of] King's College don't account for stories like hers. By excluding private school kids, they also shut out students on 100 per cent bursaries, many of whom come from families with very limited means.'
The pupil in question is understood to be on a 100 per cent bursary, which is granted to children whose parents could otherwise not afford to send their academically able offspring to private schools.
A King's College Hospital NHS Trust spokesman told the Mail on Sunday: 'In 2024, we facilitated 396 work placements. The vast majority were for students from state schools.'
At Barts Hospital, a spokesman told the newspaper that placements for private school pupils were available, but only if a member of staff referred the children in question.
On its website, UCLH said it would not accept work experience students outside of its partnerships with The Social Mobility Foundation and 'selected local schools'. A spokesman reportedly said that placements could be arranged 'for friends and family of UCLH staff members'.