Defence CommitteeWritten evidence from the Min istry of Defence
MOD welcomes the decision of the House of Commons Defence Committee to extend its inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant to the education of Service children. This memorandum aims to provide the Committee with all necessary and relevant information to aid their inquiry.
The Committee said it wished to examine the services provided for the children of service men and women, taking the opportunity to follow-up on the conclusions and recommendations of its Report Educating Service Children,1 to consider which have been adopted by Government. The Committee wanted to consider the difficulties facing Service families when their children have to move schools during term time, including the transfer of schooling records to new schools. The Committee also wished to consider the particular problems facing those Service families who have children with Special Educational Needs and to look at the range of financial support schemes available to support all Service families.
General Background
Within the four countries that make up the UK (all of whom have their own education departments) statutory responsibility for ensuring the provision of education to Service children lies with the local authority (or equivalent) within whose area the Service child resides. Outside the UK responsibility for the education of Service children lies with the Secretary of State for Defence, advised by the three Principal Personnel Officers (PPOs), with the MOD acting in lieu of a UK local authority when and where required.
The Adjutant General (AG) is the lead PPO for all issues related to Service children and young people, within the parameters set by the Secretary of State and in 2009 the MOD created a 2-star Directorate, Children and Young People (DCYP) to lead on all strategy and policy issues related to Service children and young people, including education. The Director Children and Young People is also the Chief Executive of MOD Service Children’s Education (SCE), who provide the majority of educational settings for Service children overseas.
1. Role of Directorate Children and Young People
a. Reporting to the AG in his capacity as the Defence-wide lead for children and young people, the 2* Director Children and Young People (DCYP) is responsible for providing the professional leadership and direction for the MOD’s work in support of Service children and young people, at home and overseas, in order to ensure that they are provided with every opportunity to achieve the best possible outcomes and fulfil their potential. Governance is achieved through the multi-agency/multi-disciplinary MOD Children and Young People Trust Board, supported by a framework of sub-boards and steering groups, including the MOD Safeguarding Children Board.
b. Where Service children and young people live in the UK, and where Local Authorities have the lead for providing support, the role of the Directorate, is to concentrate on developing strategic links and challenge at the appropriate level to ensure that the unique needs of Service children and young people are taken into account at national and local levels. In those areas where the MOD has direct responsibility for delivering services to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people the Directorate’s main focus is to ensure that this work is effectively coordinated and directed.
c. The Children’s Education Advice Service (CEAS) is now part of DCYP, and provides information advice and support to Service parents on school admissions, Special Educational Needs, curricular discontinuity, continuity of education, and non-MOD provision overseas. CEAS also works closely with all four UK education departments and their subordinate authorities and schools.
d. The Directorate has developed a comprehensive Children & Young People’s Plan in order to provide a framework for outputs and outcomes to support Service children and young people.
2. Role of Service Children’s Education (SCE)
a. The role of SCE is to provide an educational service to meet the needs of dependant Service children, including the children of MOD UK-based civilians and sponsored organisations serving outside the UK which, as far as possible, conforms in type, scope and standard to that required by the Education Acts in England (and takes into account developments in the education systems of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland), but also seeks to benefit pupils by their temporary residence outside the UK.
b. The Chief Executive SCE is responsible for the day to day management of the organisation and the provision of policy advice on Service children’s education to the AG and PPOs within the terms of the SCE Framework Document and the approved Corporate Plan.
c. The MOD Children and Young People’s Trust Board, chaired by the AG, provides strong governance through thorough Holding-to-Account and Risk Management processes. The Trust Board reviews SCE achievements at the end of each school year, and monitors achievements in the UK through close dialogue with DfE and devolved equivalents.
3. Education of Service Children Within the UK
a. There are some 49,400 children of AF personnel in state education across the UK (England: 45,000; Scotland: 2,500; Wales: 1,000; NI: 900); they remain the responsibility of the Local Authority (or equivalent) where the family resides. In addition currently there are some 6,000 children of AF personnel in state and non-state boarding education within the UK.
b. DCYP engages with the four government education departments, representative head teachers, Local Authority officers and other stakeholders in the education of Service children across the UK through four forums:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(In effect, these fora replace the UK- wide Service Children’s Education Forum (SCEF) established after the last HCDC Enquiry into the education of Service children in 2006 as, within the context of devolution, it is more appropriate and easier to focus on achievable outcomes if MOD (DCYP) engages with each administration individually and acts as the focal point for communication and dissemination between the groups. These links are further strengthened by the closer relationships established more widely under the Armed Forces Community Covenant).
4. MOD Funded Schools in the UK
a. Queen Victoria School. Queen Victoria School was established in Dunblane under Royal Warrant in 1908, and continues to be funded by the MOD to provide stability and continuity of education, within the Scottish system, for the children of UK Armed Forces personnel who are Scottish, have served in Scotland or are part of a Scottish Regiment. Fully boarding, co-educational and tri-service, the School takes around 270 pupils from the ages of 10/11 up to 18.
b. Duke of York’s Royal Military School. Previously funded directly by the MOD, the Duke of York’s Royal Military School, Dover became a state boarding school under the Academy Programme in 2010. The MOD is the academy sponsor, and pupils continue to come from predominantly Service families.
5. Education of Service Children Overseas
a. Education of Service Children in SCE Schools Overseas:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
b. Education of Service Children in non-SCE Schools Overseas:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
The Committee expressed an interest in the following areas:
6. The difficulties facing Service families in achieving the same standard of education for their children as they would if they were civilians in the UK or overseas
a. Although statistics continue to show that Service children do not under-achieve by comparison with their civilian peers, the key challenge remains the mitigation of the adverse effects of the mobility of Service families and/or the deployment of a Service parent, in order that all Service children realise their potential. Although much has been done, the 2011 OFSTED Inspection confirms the difficulty of reconciling curricular discontinuity between and, with free schools and academies, within national educational policies.
b. There have been welcome changes to schools admission codes, and CEAS continue to assist parents who wish to make representations to admission panels.
c. In the longer term it is hoped that the New Employment Model should reduce overall mobility; meanwhile improvements in maintaining continuity of education through measures such as the retention of Service quarters to see out critical stages of education have helped.
7. The transfer of information about pupils between schools, in particular pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN). SCE wrote to overseas schools asking them to make use of SEN transfer documentation from September 2012 onwards. SCE and the DfE will review how well the SEN transfer documentation has been implemented by all SCE schools and maintained schools concerned. Separately, the DfE has committed to consult the MOD’s Directorate for Children and Young People on drafts of the Children and Families Bill and its related guidance, particularly in relation to the sections on SEN matters. A project is also underway to further improve the transfer of pupil records of Service children within the UK, funded by the MOD £3M fund (details below).
8. The effectiveness of the various financial support schemes for all Service families. The MOD continues to provide a range of allowances to allow parents to provide continuity of education and to ensure that parents are appropriately recompensed if they are forced to pay for provision overseas that would be provided at no cost in the UK.
Below are responses to specific questions raised by the Committee, in relation to finance and allowances followed by other issues.
A. Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA)
The Aim of CEA2.
1. The aim of CEA is to assist Service personnel to achieve continuity of education for their children that would otherwise be denied in the state maintained day school sector if their children were to accompany them on frequent and consecutive assignments at home and overseas.
Main Principles of CEA (Eligibility Criteria)
2. There are two main principles associated with eligibility for CEA; accompanied service and educational continuity. A CEA claimant must be accompanied by their immediate family at their assignment station so there must be an acceptance of family mobility. If a child’s family home is static for extended period of time and the family is not mobile, the child is not subject to the upheavals of service life and there is no need for CEA. Similarly, it is a fundamental condition that any child for whom CEA is being claimed remains at the school and completes a stage of education for which CEA is in issue.
Parental Contribution
3. All CEA claimants are required to pay a minimum contribution of 10% of the actual boarding and tuition fees levied by the school in respect of each child for whom they are claiming CEA. The parent is also responsible for any fees in excess of the sum of their 10% contribution and the CEA allowance maximum.
Service Child Eligibility
4. Generally, Service children are eligible for the purposes of CEA from the beginning of the academic year in which they reach the age of 8 until the end of the academic year in which they reach the age of 18.
Eligible Schools
5. The MOD maintains a list of schools that are eligible for the purposes of CEA; the Accredited Schools Database (ASD). In order for a school to be included on ASD they must be a member of an association affiliated to the Independent Schools Council and maintain facilities for the board and accommodation of their pupils. In addition, all state maintained boarding schools and those run by the MOD are also eligible for inclusion on the ASD if they provide boarding facilities.
CEA Calculation Methodology
6. Maximum rates of CEA are set by reference to the results of an annual survey of schools eligible for the purposes of CEA. The schools included in the survey are those attended by 75% of the child CEA population. An average of the schools’ published fees for the forthcoming academic year is calculated and then discounted by 25% to reflect a combination of the average discount offered by schools to CEA claimants (circa 15%) and the minimum parental contribution (10%). The schools involved in the calculation of CEA for academic year 12/13 and the number of Service children (for whom CEA is claimed) attending them are detailed in the table at ANNEX A.
Divorced or Separated CEA Claimants
7. When CEA claimants are separated or divorced from their spouse, they may remain eligible providing they satisfy certain eligibility criteria. The claimant must be able to demonstrate that they are the prime mover in their child’s life and accept complete financial responsibility for the child. There is no entitlement where the child is normally resident with the other natural parent or where any form of shared responsibility has been decreed by a court.
Provision of CEA to Families of Deceased/Medically Discharged Claimants
8. When a CEA claimant dies or is medically discharged from service CEA will continue to be paid until the end of the current stage of education in respect of any child for whom CEA was being claimed at the time of death or medical discharge. Where the child is already within two years of public examinations CEA may continue for up to 4 years. For example where a child is aged 9, then CEA will continue until the end of the preparatory or junior stage of education. Where the child is within two years of GCSE examinations then CEA may continue until that child has completed their ‘A’ levels.
Provision of CEA to Claimants made Redundant
9. When CEA claimants are made redundant the final payment of CEA is made for the academic term during which the claimant completes their final day of service. Where on the last day of service, a child for whom CEA is being claimed is within two years of public examinations, CEA will continue to be paid until the end of the academic term in which the child takes those examinations. Unlike following the death or medical discharge of the claimant, CEA eligibility will not extend from GCSEs into the ‘A’ Level stage of education.
Recent CEA Policy Changes
10. Following the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) a number of changes were made to the CEA policy in order to improve the governance of the allowance. A team was also set up within the Service Pay and Veteran’s Agency to ensure probity and compliance with the CEA regulations; the CEA Governance Team (CEAGT).
In addition to the SDSR measures, the Secretary of State directed that a review of CEA should be conducted. The remit of the review was to develop a future approach to the educational continuity of Service children that would increase value for money and reduce costs but would also continue to support mobility within the context of life in the Armed Forces as it is expected to be in the future. Following the review, the core principles of CEA have been retained however a number of changes have been implemented:
A complete re-write of the CEA policy is underway in order to make the regulations more easily understood by the recipients and more easily governed by the CEAGT.
In acknowledging that Service parents may wish to provide educational continuity for their children in ways other than CEA, claimants are now able to withdraw from CEA without any financial implications.
CEA rate setting is now carried out in-house; the methodology is explained above. Beforehand, the rates were adjusted annually by a percentage factor provided by an external contractor (Employment Conditions Abroad). The advantage to the MOD by the calculation of CEA rates in-house is that it uses the schools that are actually attended by the majority of children for whom CEA is claimed therefore, the resulting rates are more reflective of the fees that claimants are actually paying.
11. The number of CEA claimants by Service and term is outlined at ANNEX B Fig 1. For Autumn Term 12, the total number of CEA claimants is circa 4,100, a reduction of circa 11% since Academic Year (AY) 11/12 and 21% since AY 09/10. The most significant in-year reductions have been within the RN/RM (-17%) and RAF (-15%).
12. A breakdown of CEA claimants between Officers and Other Ranks is at ANNEX B Fig 2. The overall CEA claimant community currently comprises 2,476 Officers (60%) and 1,631 Other Ranks (40%); a ratio that has remained relatively unchanged during the period under scrutiny. Although the ratio of Officer to Other Rank claimants is around 1.5:1, the proportion of claimants within each group is significantly different. Officer claimants represent 8.3% of all serving Officers (30,010) whereas Other Rank claimants represent only some 1.1% of all serving Other Ranks (145,930).
Within the overall groups, the highest numbers of Other Rank claimants are at the ranks of OR6 (384 or 24%) and OR7 (412 or 25%) while the highest numbers of Officer claimants are at the ranks of OF3 (728 or 29%) and OF4 (790 or 32%).
13. The overall number of Service children for whom CEA was claimed in Autumn Term 12 compared with the previous three AYs is shown in ANNEX B Fig 3. The reduction in numbers of Service children is in line with the reduction in claimants as the ratio of children to claimant is 1.46:1 compared with 1.44 (AY 09/10), 1.43 (AY 10/11) and 1.45 (AY 11/12).
14. The numbers of children in each school year group at the beginning of each of the last 3 AYs are shown in ANNEX B Fig 4. It shows that the increase in child numbers from one year group to the next is generally uniform until Year 7 when there is a marked increase (for GCSE stage of education). The numbers of children generally remain static until the end of the GCSE stage when a significant number of children are withdrawn from CEA for the ‘A’ Level stage of education. Before SDSR, the numbers of children in each year group was similar from one AY to the next however since SDSR the numbers of children have shown a year on year decrease, particularly in the preparatory stage of education.
B. The Service Pupil Premium
1. The Service Pupil Premium is provided by the Department for Education (DfE). Introduced in April 2011 it provided £200, per service pupil, to the school to assist the school in providing additional, (mainly pastoral) support. The premium increased to £250 in 2012–13 and will increase further to £300 in 2013–14.
2. Payment is based on the number of service children which schools report through the annual school census in January. However, parents are not required to tell schools that they are a service family at the point of enrolment.
3. With regard to the monitoring of how this money is spent, DfE did not initially require schools to state how their pupil premium was being spent. However, since September 2012 DfE requires that schools publish details of how their pupil premium is spent but this is not broken down into individual types of pupil premium such as service pupil premium. DfE have since worked with MOD and the Service Children In State Schools (SCISS) network to ask SCISS members to volunteer information on how they were using their pupil premium. Examples of good practice are now included on the DfE armed forces web page. This information will continue to be collected and shared via the web page and through the various MOD information sharing conferences that take place throughout England.
4. Whether it is paid across all four administrations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). The service premium is paid from the DfE and only available to maintained schools, free schools and academies in England. The Department of Education Northern Ireland currently funds a similar scheme, but the Welsh Department for Education and Skills has not yet formally considered the option and the Scottish Service Children’s Stakeholder Network, chaired and facilitated by the Scottish Directorate for Learning, have judged that such an option is not currently required in Scotland.
5. Should the parents split up, and the child lives with a non-Service parent then the eligibility for the service premium, which is based on the MOD personnel status category, in essence means that if a parent retains financial responsibility for the child then they will be able to be eligible for the service pupil premium.
6. If the serving parent is seriously injured and leaves the Service as a result, or is killed. DfE have extended the eligibility for claiming service pupil premium this year so that those children who have a parent who has died while in service is still eligible for service premium up to 2018. DfE has also stated that any service person who was eligible in 2011 but has since left the service, for whatever reason, will retain this eligibility for up to six years following their departure. Service personnel leaving in 2011
In such cases the entitlement to financial support schemes will not continue into further or higher education stages.
C. The MOD Support Fund for Schools
Provides up to £3 million over 4 years to help mitigate the effects of mobility and deployment for schools with a service children population.
1. The MOD £3m support fund for state schools with Service children was announced in May 2011 with the first grants, totalling £3m, being awarded in November 2011, although actual payment was not completed until January/February 2012.
2. The fund was set up to provide funding to maintained schools with Service children, (regular and reserves forces), to help them provide mitigating action where their Service community were experiencing either exceptional mobility and/or deployment and this was impacting upon the school. Any grant from the fund is paid directly to the school to implement the mitigating action which should benefit the whole school not just those Service children within it.
3. The fund is now in its third year having provided £6m to 261 applicants over the past two years. To apply for a grant schools complete an application form where they state their evidence of need ie the effect that either exceptional mobility and or deployment is having on the school. The school states how this can be mitigated and what success will look like to the school. Applications are then scored by regional panels that mark the evidence provided by the applicants. Regional panels are made up of MOD representatives, education department representatives, head teachers and local authority representatives.
4. Scored applications are provided to a Funding Panel made up of members of the MOD’s Directorate Children & Young People (DCYP), a central MOD finance member and an independent member of the Armed Forces Families Federation. The funding panel review the regional panel scoring and provide a strategic perspective on the applications determining the level of funding that should be received.
5. Applications can be made by all maintained schools, free schools and academies with Service children (regular or reserve forces) who are experiencing issues related to exceptional mobility and/or deployment. The fund is available throughout the UK and receives applications from the complete range of schools who apply either individually or in clusters. Local authorities have also applied on behalf of and in collaboration with their schools.
6. The distribution of these awards to schools thus far shows that in 2011 there were 277 applications from throughout the UK, totalling £7.8m. Grants that were subsequently awarded to 140 of those applications (50%) totalled £3m. In 2012 there were 230 applications from throughout the UK, totalling £7.6m. Grants were awarded to 121 applications (53%) and totalled £3m. The fund is oversubscribed.
7. With regard to recording how this money is spent, the application forms are completed by schools. These forms state the requirement, the action to be taken and the end result. The DCYP carry out an audit of the successful applications within 12 months of them receiving their funding. This audit confirms that the money has been spent as instructed and seeks evidence on how successful the mitigating action undertaken by the school has been. DCYP is in the final stages of completing the 2011 audit the results of which will be shared with partners and published on the DCYP webpage as well as at information sharing conferences throughout the UK.
D. Armed Forces Bereavement Scholarship Scheme
1. The Armed Forces Bereavement Scholarship Scheme (AFBSS) was created in April 2011 to provide university and further education scholarships for the children of Service men and women who have died on active duty since 1990. The aim of this scheme is to give the children of those who have died in the service of their country a head start in life by enabling them to obtain a university degree or further education training. The Scheme is funded by BIS, DfE and the devolved administrations, but is administered by the MOD. To date, 95 children have benefited from the scheme.
The Scheme
2. Eligibility. The scheme is open to an applicant who meets all of the following criteria:
(a)
(b)
(c)
What the Scheme Provides
3. Further Education (FE). The scheme will provide a scholarship to enable a bereaved child to stay in further education for up to 3 years in order to obtain the qualifications necessary to secure a place at university, although application for FE Scholarship does not require that child to go on to study at University. This will normally be paid for the last 2 years at school when GCE A Levels are studied, but may be extended to 3 years if required by the syllabus being studied. It will not be extended in order to repeat part of a syllabus or to retake exams.
4. University. The scheme will provide a contribution towards the cost of a first undergraduate course at a publicly-funded UK higher education institution, regardless of course length. The university scholarship contributes towards both the tuition fees and maintenance fees. Since tuition fees vary across the UK according to place of domicile and place of study the university scholarship is adjusted to provide a similar level of support to all applicants across the UK.
5. Existing University Scholarship Recipients. Those students whose study began prior to September 2012 will not be charged the new higher rate fees by their universities. Therefore, students already in receipt of a university scholarship who are continuing their education for further academic years will receive the same amount as they did for previous academic years.
6. Place of Study. Scholarships will only be provided for study in the UK. Those who are resident in either the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, residence in England will be assumed. Funding will not be provided for study at any institution outside the UK, except as an integral part of a degree course at a UK university. For example, a year spent in France as part of a degree in French.
7. Foreign and Commonwealth personnel. Applicants who are not domiciled in the UK must obtain a place at a UK institution before applying for a scholarship. Scholarships will be provided as though the applicant is resident in England. Arrangements and costs for visas and travel will be the responsibility of the applicant; they will not be covered by this scheme.
8. Payments. Further education scholarships will be paid to either the parent or guardian or directly to the bereaved child. University scholarships will be paid directly to the student. For both scholarships 3 payments will be made each year by 31 October, 31 January and 30 April or as soon as confirmation has been received from the education establishment that the student has registered and is attending the specified course. The Service Personnel and Veteran’s Agency (SPVA) will confirm both registration and attendance at the beginning of the academic year.
9. Income Tax. Scholarship payments will not be liable for Income Tax.
10. Means Testing. The award of a scholarship will not depend on the financial situation of the applicant or their family. The receipt of a scholarship should not preclude a recipient from applying for other financial support, such as the Government’s Access to Learning Fund or university funds, should they find themselves in hardship.
11. Death of a Service Parent while at School or University. If a child becomes eligible for a scholarship during an academic year while in further education or at university, payments will be backdated to the start of the term in which their parent died or will begin from the start of the next term following a death during the holidays.
12. Academic Year. For the purposes of this scheme the academic year is deemed to run from 1 September to 31 August of the following year. The scheme does not set an end date on eligibility, nor is the child’s eligibility affected by remarriage of the surviving parent.
13. Since the scheme began, there have been 95 successful claimants; 14 from children with a parent from the RN (incl RM), 36 from the Army and 45 from the RAF. The tables at ANNEX C include the ranks, service and locations of the scholarships and full details of the numbers and types of scholarships awarded. Predictably, in light of the relatively short duration of the scheme to date, more claimants come from ranks where one would expect parents to have children of higher education or university age.
14. Levels of award and scholarship rates for Academic Year 2012/13. The Further Education scholarship rate is currently set at a flat £1,500 for all students. The university scholarships rates are given at ANNEX C, but are made up of an amount to cover fees and a maintenance grant. The amount paid for fees will be the actual amount charged up to a maximum of £9,000. The maintenance grant is £4,950. These amounts will be reviewed annually.
15. Additional MOD support is provided to bereaved families, through the use of Casualty Notification Officers, Visiting Officers, longstanding welfare structures and close links with Service and bereavement charities. Assistance regarding children’s education following bereavement takes many forms. The SPVA will provide details of the Armed Forces Bereavement Scholarship Scheme to a family via the Visiting Officer who will go on to find answers or specialist assistance for any questions or concerns that the family has regarding education.
The MOD’s Children’s Education Advice Service continues to provide information, advice, support and representation for bereaved families as they transition into civilian life after a death. This will continue until such time that they either no longer need support or that their support is being appropriately provided by a civilian agency.
16. From April 2013 the Service Pupil Premium for schools will continue to apply to those Service children who were already eligible, for up to 6 years after the death of their service parent. The Service Pupil Premium also increases from £250 to £300 from April 2013.
17. Families living in Service Families Accommodation are permitted to remain for an initial 2 years and then beyond that for as long as is necessary on a case by case basis whilst they prepare for their long-term future. Immediate schooling needs are often one of the primary reasons for a family wishing to remain in Service accommodation, though the support network, friends and other connections all play a part.
18. Additionally, the MOD works closely with the charitable sector which continues to provide exceptional support for these families and for their children in particular, in partnership with the MOD.
19. The Defence Bereaved Families Group provides a forum for issues concerning the policy for care of bereaved families to be raised by representatives of those families, jointly chaired by the MOD and a representative of a bereaved families’ organization. The Group consists of delivery and policy organisations and where improvements are identified appropriate, policy and processes are adapted. The Group have considered issues such as bereavement support, Military Inquest assistance, pensions and support for children; and a sub-group is currently reviewing the information provided to bereaved families to ensure that it is appropriately worded.
The Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen’s Family Association (SSAFA) facilitate five self help groups that are considered to be extremely helpful by those involved. The MOD partly funds the management of these groups which are:
The Bereaved Families Support Group (which includes Bereaved Children’s Workshops) [200 members]
The Bereaved Siblings Support Group [60 members]
The Families of Injured Service Personnel [180 members]
Siblings of Injured Service Personnel [30 members]
Forces Additional Needs and Disability Forum [450 members]
20. The support groups provide advice and mutual support amongst their members in an entirely confidential manner and the groups maintain a strong link with the Defence Personnel Welfare team to capture feedback and allay fears and concerns.
21. The Royal British Legion offers advice and support to families via its specialists and volunteer visitors as well as indirectly through its workshops, attended by MOD representatives, that have investigated with families how they believe that things could be improved.
22. With regard to the longevity of the AFBSS, as an element of the support available to bereaved children lasts up to the achievement of a first degree, whenever that may be.
OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST TO THE COMMITTEE
E. Devolved Administrations
1. Arrangements between the MOD and the devolved administrations regarding transfer of pupils. The devolved administrations each have a stakeholder network consisting of schools with Service children, Local Authority and Education Department members. MOD is represented on these groups through DCYP.
2. These stakeholder networks seek to raise the awareness of the needs of service children particularly in relation to their mobile nature. As part of grants from the MOD £3m fund two individuals have been employed, one in Scotland by the Association of Directors of Education Scotland (ADES) and one in North Yorkshire by North Yorks Council, to look at the issue of the movement of Service children within and to/from the devolved administrations.
3. These posts are working closely with MOD representatives and sharing their data on transition widely including, in N Yorks, developing a transfer document for all Service children.
4. Statistics of how many “Service children” there are in total and how many in each of the four administrations. Based on 2012 statistics there are some 65,900 Service children in formal education. Some 49,400 are in state education within the UK (45,000 in England, 2,500 in Scotland, 1,000 in Wales, 900 in Northern Ireland) and some 6,000 Service Children attend State and Independent Boarding schools pan-UK. Some 10,500 Service children are educated outside the UK.
5. Statistics showing numbers of Service pupils in primary and secondary schools. Of the totals above 65% will be in primary education; 35% will be in secondary education. Detailed data is only required for a major event such as re-basing into a new area, and is generated at that time. This process underpinned the successful recent rebasing of HQ ARRC from Germany to Innsworth, Germany-based Army units to the former RAF Cottesmore area, and England-based units to the former RAF Kinloss. It also underpins the planned moves from Germany and the UK into the Stafford area.
E. Special Educational Needs (SEN)
1. The table below sets out the current number of Service children with SEN.
|
Army |
1,545 |
|
RAF |
435 |
|
RM |
32 |
|
RN |
216 |
|
Civil Service |
32 |
|
Total |
2,260 |
Of these some 850 have Local Authority (LA) statements and of them 14 have joint funding agreements to enable them to attend specialist boarding schools.
2. Our records show that there are 34 LAs who have statemented children on our register (although some remedial work needs to be done on this as not all children with statements indicate which LA has produced it. The information will be on the file, but this will involve checking some 700 files).
G. Other
The other main issues around the education of the children of Service personnel as MOD sees them are:
1. Mitigating the impact of mobility and parental deployment on the emotional wellbeing and academic achievement of Service children.
2. The challenge of achieving continuity of curriculum when Service children move between (and increasingly within) different countries, including the devolved administrations.
March 2013
Annex A
SCHOOLS ON THE MOD’S ASD USED IN THE CALCULATION OF CEA
RATES FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2012
|
School |
Children |
|
Queen Ethelburga’s College—York |
170 |
|
The Duke of York’s Royal Military Academy—Dover |
162 |
|
Royal Alexandra & Albert School—Reigate |
149 |
|
Royal Hospital School—London |
139 |
|
Clayesmore School/Clayesmore Prep School—Blandford Forum |
121 |
|
Licensed Victuallers School—Ascot |
87 |
|
Warminster School—Warminster |
87 |
|
Barnard Castle School—Barnard Castle |
83 |
|
Gordon’s School—Woking |
81 |
|
King’s College—Taunton |
81 |
|
St Lawrence College—Ramsgate |
80 |
|
Bromsgrove School—Bromsgrove |
79 |
|
Hazlegrove Preparatory School, Yeovil |
75 |
|
Forres Sandle Manor School—Fordingbridge |
74 |
|
Kingswood School—Bath |
73 |
|
Chilton Cantelo School—Yeovil |
72 |
|
St John’s College—Southsea |
72 |
|
Dauntsey’s School—Nr Devizes |
67 |
|
Taunton School—Taunton |
64 |
|
Wycliffe College—Stonehouse |
64 |
|
Dean Close School—Cheltenham |
62 |
|
Wycliffe Preparatory School—Stonehouse |
61 |
|
Monkton Combe School—Bath |
60 |
|
Queens College—Taunton |
58 |
|
Kelly College—Tavistock |
52 |
|
Culford School—Bury St Edmunds |
51 |
|
Lincoln Minster (inc St Mary’s Prep) |
50 |
|
Kingham Hill School—Chipping Norton |
49 |
|
Stamford Endowed Schools—Stamford |
49 |
|
Monmouth School—Monmouth |
48 |
|
King’s School (Bruton) |
47 |
|
Pocklington School (incl Lyndhurst School [Junior])—York |
47 |
|
Downside School (Inc Plunkett Jnr Section), Bath |
46 |
|
Christ College—Brecon |
43 |
|
Clifton College—Bristol |
43 |
|
Finborough School—Stowmarket |
43 |
|
Blundell’s School—Tiverton |
41 |
|
Cheltenham College—Cheltenham |
41 |
|
Wymondham College—Wymondham |
39 |
|
Bruton School for Girls—Bruton |
38 |
|
Canford School—Wimborne |
38 |
|
Chafyn Grove School—Salisbury |
38 |
|
Sherborne School—Sherborne |
38 |
|
St Mary’s School—Shaftesbury |
38 |
|
Woodhouse Grove School—Apperley Bridge |
38 |
|
Millfield School—Street |
37 |
|
Repton School—Repton |
36 |
|
Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls—Monmouth |
34 |
|
Lucton School—Leominster |
34 |
|
St Peter’s School—York |
34 |
|
Rookwood School—Andover |
33 |
|
Lomond School—Helensburgh |
32 |
|
Fettes College—Edinburgh |
31 |
|
Moyles Court School—Ringwood |
31 |
|
All Hallows Prep School—Shepton Mallet |
29 |
|
Malvern College—Malvern |
29 |
|
Peter Symonds College—Winchester |
28 |
|
Bearwood College—Wokingham |
27 |
|
Godolphin School—Salisbury |
27 |
|
Oakham School—Oakham |
27 |
|
Stonar School—Melksham |
27 |
|
Strathallan School—Forgandenny |
27 |
|
Wellington School—Wellington |
27 |
|
Worksop College—Worksop |
27 |
|
Appleford School—Nr Salisbury |
26 |
|
Chichester College of Arts, Science & Technology |
26 |
|
Knighton House School—Blandford |
26 |
|
Bedstone College—Bucknell |
25 |
|
Farleigh School—Andover |
25 |
|
Giggleswick School—Settle |
25 |
|
Bloxham School—Banbury |
24 |
|
Pangbourne College—Pangbourne |
24 |
|
Sherborne School for Girls—Sherborne |
24 |
|
Port Regis School—Shaftesbury |
23 |
|
Royal Masonic School for Girls, The—Rickmansworth |
23 |
|
Sexey’s School—Bruton |
23 |
|
Dover College—Dover |
22 |
|
Fyling Hall School Trust Ltd—Whitby |
22 |
|
Highfield School—Liphook |
22 |
|
Rossall School—Fleetwood |
22 |
|
Ashville College—Harrogate |
21 |
|
Edington & Shapwick School—Bridgwater |
21 |
|
Gordonstoun School—Elgin |
21 |
|
King’s School, The—Ely |
21 |
|
Millfield Preparatory School—Glastonbury |
21 |
|
Queen Mary’s School—Thirsk |
21 |
|
Read School—Selby |
21 |
|
Bryanston School—Blandford |
20 |
|
Durham School—Durham City |
20 |
|
Hanford School—Blandford |
20 |
|
Monkton Combe Preparatory School—Bath |
20 |
|
Shebbear College—Nr Beaworthy |
20 |
|
St Hugh’s School—Woodhall Spa |
20 |
|
Boundary Oak School—Fareham |
19 |
|
Plymouth College—Plymouth |
19 |
|
Eagle House School—Sandhurst |
18 |
|
Radley College—Abingdon |
18 |
|
The Leys School—Cambridge |
18 |
|
Framlingham College—Framlingham |
17 |
|
Kingswood Preparatory School—Bath |
17 |
|
Marlborough College—Marlborough |
17 |
|
Oundle School—Oundle |
17 |
|
Prior Park College—Bath |
17 |
|
Ratcliffe College—Ratcliffe on the Wreake |
17 |
|
Rishworth & Heathfield Schools—Rishworth |
17 |
|
Westonbirt School (including Querns Westonbirt)—Tetbury |
17 |
|
Abbotsholme School—Uttoxeter |
16 |
|
Ampleforth College—York |
16 |
|
Casterton School—Kirkby Lonsdale |
16 |
|
Hampshire Collegiate—Romsey |
16 |
|
Horris Hill School—Newbury |
16 |
|
Mary Erskine & Stewart Melville College |
16 |
|
St Edmund’s School—Canterbury |
16 |
|
West Hill School Trust Limited—Titchfield |
16 |
|
Ardvreck School—Crieff |
15 |
|
Ellesmere College—Ellesmere |
15 |
Annex B
Figure 1
CEA CLAIMANTS BY SERVICE & ACADEMIC TERM
Figure 2
CEA CLAIMANTS SPLIT BY OFFICERS/OTHER RANKS & ACADEMIC TERM
Figure 3
CEA CHILDREN BY SERVICE & ACADEMIC TERM
Figure 4
NUMBERS OF SERVICE CHILDREN IN EACH YEAR GROUP
Annex C
ARMED FORCES BEREAVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME—DATA
Recipients
|
Royal Navy (7 Royal Marines) |
Army |
Royal Air Force |
|||
|
AB |
2 |
Pte |
2 |
SAC |
2 |
|
LR |
2 |
Sgt |
9 |
Cpl |
2 |
|
Cpl |
1 |
S Sgt |
3 |
Jnr Tech |
1 |
|
PO |
1 |
C Sgt |
1 |
Sgt |
2 |
|
CPO |
1 |
WO2 |
3 |
Chf Tech |
2 |
|
WO2 |
2 |
WO1 |
1 |
FS |
4 |
|
WO1 |
1 |
Capt |
5 |
WO |
1 |
|
Lt |
1 |
Maj |
6 |
Flt Lt |
21 |
|
Cdr |
2 |
Lt Col |
4 |
Sqn Ldr |
6 |
|
Lt Col |
1 |
Col |
2 |
Wg Cdr |
2 |
|
Air Cdre |
1 |
||||
|
ACM |
1 |
||||
|
England |
Scotland |
Wales |
NI |
|
|
Further Education |
23 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
University |
53 |
7 |
5 |
4 |
LEVELS OF AWARD AND SCHOLARSHIP RATES FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2012
|
Studying in Residing in |
England |
Scotland |
Wales |
Northern Ireland |
|
England |
Up to £13,9501 |
£6,7702 |
Up to £13,9501 |
Up to £13,9501 |
|
Scotland |
Up to £13,9501 |
£4,9503 |
Up to £13,9501 |
Up to £13,9501 |
|
Wales |
Up to £13,9501 |
£6,7702 |
Up to £13,9501 |
Up to £13,9501 |
|
Northern Ireland |
Up to £13,9501 |
£6,7702 |
Up to £13,9501 |
Up to £8,4154 |
1 Defence Committee, Eleventh Report of Session 2005-06, Educating Service Children, HC 1054
2 There are various forms of CEA: CEA(Board) (Junior and Senior), CEA(Day) (Junior and Senior), CEA(SENA) (Special Educational Needs Addition) (Board and Day)