Conclusions and recommendations
Standard of education
1. We
note the MoD's commitment to maintaining high standards in SCE
schools. We are satisfied that the procedures in place, including
Ofsted inspections, ensure the standard of teaching in schools
attended by Service children is at least 'good', or that where
weaknesses are identified they are addressed. (Paragraph 16)
Levels of achievement
2. It
is encouraging to note that Service children's progress is broadly
in line with other pupils even though they face considerable challenges.
However, mobile Service children do not perform as well as non-mobile
Service children. With greater recognition of their needs and
focused additional support, Service children could do even better.
The Government should ensure that these children are given every
opportunity to maximise their potential. (Paragraph 20)
Access to education
3. The
nature of Service life means that families have to be mobile if
they are to accompany the Service parent. That moves can be made
at short notice, or during term-time, means that parents may not
have time to research the schools in the area, and may not get
a place in their preferred school, as places in high performing
schools are unlikely to be available either at short notice or
part way through the school year. It is clear that there is a
contradiction at the heart of the Covenant, in that Service families'
mobility makes it difficult for parents to get places in the schools
of their choice. The timescale for the implementation of the New
Employment Model will not help those children currently in education.
The MoD needs to consider further how it can assist parents to
gain access to their preferred choice of schools. (Paragraph 27)
Conflict with the School Admissions
Code
4. The
Government should explain how it intends to resolve the conflict
between the Armed Forces Covenant, which says that Service children
may need special arrangements to access school places, and the
Schools Admissions Code which sets out a strict timetable for
admissions, to ensure that Service families can access the schools
of their choice when they need them. (Paragraph 31)
Funding of school places
5. Availability
of school places will be a significant issue as large numbers
of Service families are re-located as a result of re-basing and
the withdrawal from Germany. We seek reassurance that there will
be sufficient places for the children moving as part of major
re-basing moves and the withdrawal from Germany. The Ministry
of Defence must provide information promptly to allow the Department
for Education to liaise with Local Authorities and the Devolved
Administrations to ensure that the right number of places and
adequate funding will be provided in advance of major moves. (Paragraph
37)
6. Schools
with significant numbers of Service children on their roll experience
additional challenges, including a lack of the appropriate level
of funding throughout the school year and difficulties caused
by high levels of admissions through the school year. The Government
should work with Local Authorities to ensure that appropriate
funding is available. Where there is competition for places between
Service children and the resident population, and both have equal
merit, we question who will provide the funding for additional
school places. One option may be for the Ministry of Defence to
fund additional buildings, if needed, and the Local Education
Authority to pay for staff and on-going maintenance costs. (Paragraph
38)
Advantages of Service life
7. While
we acknowledge the challenges facing Service children we must
not forget the advantages of Service life for children of Service
families. (Paragraph 40)
Service children with Special
Educational Needs
8. The
lack of clarity about the number of Service children with Special
Educational Needs is disturbing. The Ministry of Defence and the
Department of Education should liaise with the Devolved Administrations
to establish how many Service children have Special Educational
Needs across the UK so that the scale of the problem is known.
(Paragraph 43)
9. Service
children with Special Educational Needs are spread across the
English local authorities, the Devolved Administrations and SCE
schools overseas. The number in any one local authority or administration
is likely to be small. We consider that, with the will and support
of Government and engagement with the Devolved Administrations,
it must be possible to make things easier for those families in
this difficult situation. It is unacceptable that no progress
has been made on our predecessor Committee's 2006 recommendation
that Service children with a Special Educational Needs should
be given a statement which would be accepted by all schools. We
welcome the Minister's commitment to resolving the issue, and
expect to see prompt action. (Paragraph 49)
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES BILL
10. The
Children and Families Bill has no specific clauses relating to
the needs of those children of Service personnel who have Special
Educational Needs. It is disappointing that the Government has
not taken this opportunity to incorporate the commitments made
in the Armed Forces Covenant into this new legislation. However,
we hope that the provisions of this Bill will ease some of the
difficulties faced by Service families who have children with
Special Educational Needs. (Paragraph 51)
DEVOLVED ADMINISTRATIONS
11. We
urge the Government to work with local authorities and the Devolved
Administrations to reach agreement that Service children's SEN
statements are recognised by all, without exception, across the
UK, demonstrating the country's 'moral obligation' to this very
small number of children and their families, who deserve our full
support. (Paragraph 53)
Transfer documents
12. We
are dismayed that no appreciable progress has been made on the
transfer of pupils' records since our predecessors' 2006 report.
Service children and their families deserve better. Only now is
work being undertaken to develop a Service children's transition
document. We are pleased that the Devolved Administrations are
broadly supportive of a common approach to the transfer of information.
We recommend that the Government liaise with the Devolved Administrations,
local authorities and others to reach a UK-wide agreement on a
transfer document for Service children and a process for ensuring
it is used, to resolve this issue once and for all. (Paragraph
59)
Continuity of education
13. We
recognise that as a result of mobility children encounter difficulties
in the consistency of their education. When moving mid-year pupils
can repeat topics, for example. Evidence also suggests some children
may not be academically stretched as much as they should be. We
recommend that under the New Employment Model, Future Army 2020,
and Future Force 2020, the MoD undertakes to minimise, as far
as possible, moves during the school year, and restricts, wherever
possible, the movement of whole units to an appropriate time in
the academic year. (Paragraph 65)
14. Maintaining
continuity in their children's education is a major concern for
parents. We support the principle of paying CEA to those families
who choose to send their children to boarding school to provide
continuity. The MoD should clarify the rules on CEA and reassure
Service personnel that entitlement to CEA is not under further
review and will not change at short notice. (Paragraph 75)
STATE BOARDING SCHOOLS
15. The
Ministry of Defence should ensure that all Service personnel are
aware of the availability of the Continuation of Education Allowance.
It should also advertise more effectively the existence of the
state boarding schools. (Paragraph 83)
Safe-guarding children
16. The
safety and well-being of children is paramount and the rules should
not hinder movement of pupils in cases where, for example, there
have been suggestions of abuse. The MoD should clarify the rules
on CEA and its role in the decision-making process when parents
wish to move their children to another school during a key stage
of education. We recommend that in principle the MoD should be
more prepared to leave to parents the difficult judgement of when
to move a child; while it is axiomatic that a "Continuity
of Education Allowance" is designed to provide continuity,
the name of the allowance should not be a major barrier to the
parents deciding what is best for their child. (Paragraph 88)
Service Pupil Premium
17. We
support the payment of the Service Pupil Premium to support Service
children. However, we are not convinced that this expenditure
is adequately monitored for value for money for the taxpayer,
and to ensure that it is used to the best possible advantage to
the Service children themselves. The Government should introduce
guidelines on how the Service Pupil Premium should be spent. It
should also require schools to make more transparent how this
money is spent. The Government should monitor and publish this
information and share examples of best practice. (Paragraph 95)
18. Ofsted
should be asked to report in more detail on the results achieved
by use of the Service Pupil Premium to ensure that the funding
is meeting the particular needs of Service children. The DfE and
the MoD should also report on the overall level of expenditure
on the Service Pupil Premium. (Paragraph 96)
19. The
anomalies in the payment of a Service Pupil Premium across the
Devolved Administrations indicates a contradiction between the
Armed Forces Covenant and the practice across the UK. The Government
should liaise with the Devolved Administrations to encourage the
same level of support for all Service children across the UK in
line with the Covenant. In its response to this report the Government
should set out why the Service Pupil Premium can at the same time
represent good value for money in those areas which have it and
be unnecessary in those areas which do not. (Paragraph 100)
LOCAL AUTHORITY FUNDING
20. We
are concerned that the introduction of the Service Pupil Premium
has replaced other forms of funding, so that schools with a significant
number of Service children may not benefit as much as was intended.
The Government should ensure that Local Authorities do not use
the Service Pupil Premium to replace other funding. (Paragraph
102)
The Ministry of Defence Support
Fund for Schools
21. The
Government should publish figures showing the distribution of
the Support Fund for Schools across all parts of the UK, and encourage
applications from Welsh schools to ensure all regions get their
fair share. (Paragraph 105)
22. The
Government should publish details of the ways in which the Support
Fund for Schools money is spent in support of Service children,
and give examples of good practice so that best use is made of
this limited resource. We agree with the Scottish Government,
that the Government should maintain this Fund after the planned
four years to provide pastoral and other support to individual
schools where needed. The need will rise as significant numbers
of Service children move during re-basing and the withdrawal from
Germany. (Paragraph 108)
Support for bereaved families
23. We
are reassured that a range of funding is available to support
the education of children of a parent killed in the service of
their country, though such payments need to be made promptly to
avoid unnecessary hardship or worry for bereaved families. (Paragraph
113)
Conclusion
24. We
support the aims of the Armed Forces Covenant, in that:
Children of members of the Armed Forces should have
the same standard of, and access to, education (including early
years services) as any other UK citizen in the area in which they
live. (Paragraph 114)
25. In this inquiry,
we have identified that the mobility required of Armed Forces
personnel means their children face considerable challenges in
achieving the same access to education as the rest of the UK population.
During the inquiry it has also become clear that in order to meet
the obligations made in the Armed Forces Covenant, the Government
is dependent on the voluntary agreement of the numerous bodies
who all play a part in providing education for the children of
Service personnel. (Paragraph 115)
26. In our view there
is a conflict at the heart of the Armed Forces Covenant because
the Government is dependent on the commitment of those who provide
education services—Government Departments, Local Authorities
and the devolved administrations—offering the same provision
to all Service families wherever they live in the UK. The Government
must demonstrate its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant by
seeking the co-operation of the Devolved Administrations and Local
Authorities to ensure that its obligations are met. (Paragraph
116)
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