Education in Hospital Settings

The Goldfinch Trust is committed to ensuring that all children and young people admitted to hospital continue to receive a high-quality education, in line with statutory guidance and best practice.

We are guided by the Department for Education’s statutory guidance “Arranging education for children who cannot attend school because of health needs” (2013, updated 2023), alongside our deep experience of hospital education.

Our core principles

1. Education begins as soon as a child is well enough to engage

Education should not be delayed until a child is fully recovered. Where a young person is medically able to participate, even for short periods, educational provision should begin promptly and flex around their needs.

2. There are no arbitrary thresholds for access to education

While statutory guidance identifies 15 days’ absence as a trigger for local authority duty, this must not be used to delay provision. We begin working with pupils from the earliest appropriate point in their admission.

For children who are in hospital for extended periods, delays in access to education risk them falling significantly behind their peers and facing further disadvantage.

3. Provision is personalised, flexible and proportionate

Education may take place:

• at the bedside 

• in small groups 

• through therapeutic or creative approaches 

• via digital or blended learning 

The intensity and format of provision are determined by the child’s health, stamina and readiness on any given day.

4. Education is an integral part of recovery

We recognise that education:

• supports mental health and wellbeing 

• provides structure and normality 

• maintains identity and aspiration 

• prepares children to return to school 

It is therefore a key component of holistic care, not an optional add-on.

5. Decisions are made in partnership with clinical colleagues

We work closely with healthcare professionals to understand each child’s capacity to engage. Clinical advice informs what is possible; educational professionals determine how learning can best be delivered within those parameters.

Clinicians recognise the important role that education plays in children’s recovery journeys.

6. Continuity and reintegration are central

We maintain strong links with home schools to:

• ensure continuity of curriculum 

• minimise disruption to learning 

• support successful reintegration 

In summary...

At The Goldfinch Trust, we do not ask whether a child is “well enough for school” — we ask how education can be adapted so that it is possible today, ensuring every child has an equitable education offer, regardless of the impact of their illness.