Credit: This story was first seen on the Herald Scotland
Private schools in Edinburgh fear an exodus of financial and investment firms from the capital post Brexit would ‘impact severely’ on their campuses, the Herald Scotland reports.
The Scottish Council of Independent schools (SCIS) – which represents some of Scotland’s top schools, including Fettes College, George Herriot’s School and the Edinburgh Academy – said that many Edinburgh independent school pupils are the sons and daughters of those working in the financial industry or staff in the professional services which support it.
It raised fears that these parents may be forced to move elsewhere while key European staff based in Edinburgh will also depart.
In its submission to the Westminster Education Committee’s inquiry into the impact of exiting the European Union on higher education, the SCIS said: ‘A large day school comments that they are alive to the perceived risk of relocation of financial and investment institutions away from Edinburgh. If this happens, it will be compounded by the impact it will have on the professional services that support these organisations. This potentially could impact severely on the customer base of the school and other educational institutions.’
It also revealed that an EU national working at a Scottish boarding school had already resigned as they ‘no longer felt welcome in the EU’, while the devaluation of sterling may also have an impact upon the important and globally-competitive boarding school market.
John Edward, director of the SCIS, said that its members were reacting to the continued uncertainty brought about by the EU referendum and the decision to leave.
He said: “It is too early to say definitively what will happen, but certainly there are views which would have to be considered. Anything which changes a market such as the independent schools sector, which is global in reach, is going to have an impact.”