Second memorandum from the Ministry of
Defence
COPIES OF
THE "MOVING
SCHOOL PACK"(Q226)
1. CEAS produces a range of information
to assist parents and children in moving between schools. The
following information is enclosed:
Moving schools pack
2. The CEAS Moving Schools Pack is intended
to help Service Parents and children to prepare for changes in
school. The pack contains the following three booklets:
— Children's Activity Pack; and
3. There is also a letter for schools explaining
the purpose and use of the Moving Schools Pack.
4. Although currently only produced for
Primary School Children, the Activity pack is being developed
for children of Secondary School age.
Broad sheets
5. Depending on the particular circumstances
of the parent or child, a range of Broadsheets and Briefing Sheets
have been produced to provide further information and guidance
to parents. Subjects are as follows:
— Boarding Education in the United
Kingdom.
— Choosing a Boarding School.
— Continuity of Education Allowance
(Boarding).
— Boarding Education in the United
Kingdom—the Day School Allowance.
— Special Education Needs Registration.
— Specific Learning Difficulties—Sen
Addition.
— Post Sixteen Education.
— Education in Northern Ireland.
— Charities and Sources of Help.
— Useful Websites on Education.
Appeals procedures
6. If a parent wishes to appeal against
their allocation of school, the following information can be provided
by CEAS inorder to assist them in making their case:
— Broadsheet 8—Admissions
to Schools.
— CEAS Leaflet—Schools Admission
Appeals—Preparing Your Case.
— ACE Publication—Appealing
for a School.
— DFES Publication—School
Admission Code of Practice.
— DFES Publication—School
Admission Appeals Code of Practice.
COMMUNICATIONS AND
SUPPORT FACILITIES
AVAILABLE TO
PERSONNEL DEPLOYED
IN AFGHANISTAN
AND THEIR
FAMILIES
7. MOD Policy on welfare support to troops
on deployments is set out in the Operational Welfare Package.
This details the level of communication which should be provided
to personnel serving in operational environments and each stage
of development of an operation or new deployment. Details of the
communications available in the package are at Annex A. Details
of current and future provision at the various locations in Afghanistan
are at Annexes B and C.
Annex A
OPERATIONAL WELFARE PACKAGE—POLICY
FOR COMMUNICATIONS PROVISION
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
1. Current allocation is 20 minutes per
person per week (with an additional 20 minutes over the Christmas/New
Year period) to any telephone network and any destination.
2. Ratio is one telephone for 50 people
at static locations and 1:30 for manoeuvre forces.
3. Full provision of telephone facilities
are to be provided as soon as possible, but are to be in place
within one month of the start of the operation.
E-MAIL AND
INTERNET
4. Where the theatre infrastructure and
environment allow, the following should be provided:
— Facilities to send and receive
e-mail.
— Facilities to compose and print
e-mail off-line.
— Access to internet sites (restricted
due to host nation sensitivities and operational requirements).
5. Internet terminals should be provided
at a ratio of 1:100 people. Where the infrastructure and environment
allow facilities will be provided within one month of the start
of the operation.
FORCES MAIL
AND E-BLUEY
6. Letters and small packets (less than
2 kgs) can be sent at normal UK first class rates. Letter service
should be available within 1 month of the start of an operation
and parcels as soon as the logistical environment will allow.
E-BLUEYS
7. Facility to send and receive e-blueys
should be available as soon as the infrastructure and operational
situation allow and at the latest within one month of the start
of the operation.
Annex B
CURRENT SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN (INFORMATION
AS AT 5 MAY 2006)
1. Kandahar
— Telephones: Provided to scale
through the MOD contractor;
— Internet: Provided to scale
through the MOD contractor;
— Forces Mail and E-bluey: All
provided.
2. Camp Bastion
— Telephones: 39 Iridium satellite
handsets (in excess of scaling);
— Internet: six early entry communications
kits have been provided allowing access to the e-mail, internet
letter and SMS texting.
— Forces Mail and E-Bluey: All
provided.
3. Lashkar Gah
— Telephones: six Iridium satellite
handsets;
— Internet: one early entry communications
kit (e-mail, internet letter and SMS texting).
4. Gereshk
— Telephones: eight iridium satellite
telephones;
— Internet: one early entry communications
kit (e-mail, internet letter and SMS texting).
Annex C
FUTURE SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN
1. Kandahar
— No change—communication
provision is already to scale.
2. Camp Bastion
— Future troop numbers: 2,000.
— Telephone and internet to be
provided by the end of May 2006.
3. Lashkar Gah
— Future troop numbers: 400.
— Telephone/Internet/Mail to be
provided by 20 May 2006.
4. Gereshk
— Future troop numbers: 400.
— Telephone/Internet/Mail to be
provided by early June 2006.
AN UPDATE
ON SCE INVOLVEMENT
IN THE
DFES EXTENDED
SCHOOLS INITIATIVE
(Q274)
1. The DfES concept of extended schools,
and the provision of extended learning opportunities to pupils
and families, is fully supported by SCE and the Agency already
provides an extended schools service in a number of locations
and is working towards extending that provision further. The Agency
has adopted a bespoke and targeted approach to meet local needs
by encouraging headteachers to work closely with Garrison welfare
services to identify parental requirements and then submit costed
plans to HQ SCE for consideration.
2. At present, many of SCE's Foundation
Stage 1 Settings provide parents with the opportunity of additional
afternoon care as an extension to the statutory Nursery provision
that is available. These FS1 Settings provide a period of three
hours extra care for which there is a minimal charge to parents
to cover essential costs for staffing and consumable resources.
SCE is looking to further expand these provisions across Garrisons
on a case by case basis and where there is an identified need
for the service.
3. Additionally, a number of SCE schools
provide after school homework clubs for pupils, which are delivered
by SCE teaching staff and for which there is no charge to parents,
whilst many schools also offer a range of recreational activities
for pupils after school.
4. SCE has also developed plans to provide
extended facilities, in partnership with the Army Welfare Service
(AWS), in other locations, both before and after school. The opportunity
to utilise these extended facilities has been offered to parents
at a small charge.
5. This summer SCE will be piloting an extended
learning opportunity to a number of Gifted and Talented pupils
by providing a one week Creative Arts summer school for selected
pupils from BFG and Cyprus. SCE is subsidising the cost of the
summer school and if the initiative proves successful it is planned
to extend the scheme next year.
6. The Agency makes its facilities available
to other organisations outside the standard school day and, in
some Garrisons, school premises are being utilised by the Army
Education and Training Service to provide evening classes for
adults. SCE is also working in partnership with the AWS to provide
extended services to pupils and families by enabling the AWS to
use SCE school premises for its activity programmes, which it
provides for children during school holiday periods.
7. SCE will continue to develop its plans
for providing extended learning opportunities to meet the needs
of the local communities it serves.
A NOTE ON
THE NUMBER
OF APPLICATIONS
(AND WHETHER
THEY WERE
SUCCESSFUL) MADE
BY SERVICE
PARENTS TO
MOVE THEIR
CHILD BETWEEN
BOARDING SCHOOLS
AND WHETHER
THEY WERE
PERMITTED TO
TAKE THE
CONTINUITY OF
EDUCATION ALLOWANCE
WITH THEM
(Q292 AND Q293)
8. Within the time available to obtain this
information it has only been possible to obtain data from the
Joint Personnel Administration Agency Pay and Allowances Casework
Cell (JPAC PACC) who assumed responsibility for tri-Service Education
allowances casework with effect from 12 December 2005. In the
period 12 December 2005—16 May 2006 they have processed
27 requests for a change of Boarding School (0.34% of the number
of Service children for whom Continuity of Education Allowance
is paid). All of these cases were approved and the Service parents
retained their entitlement to Continuity of Education Allowance.
9. A breakdown of the reasons leading to
each of the 27 applications is as follows:
(a) 15 cases where the parent and/or child
were unhappy with the school.
(b) Three cases for early change of school
at age 11 for children who were in prep schools that went through
to Year 9 (age 13).
(c) One case for changed school curriculum.
(d) Three cases following school mergers.
(e) One case following the expulsion of a
child—the new school accepted the child with full knowledge
of the circumstances.
(f) One case where the school withdrew boarding
facilities.
(g) Three cases for moves to schools with
Special Educational Needs facilities.
7 June 2006
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