Supporting the education and welfare of the children of Armed Forces families is a specific challenge for schools. Sara Alston describes the challenges these children face and how schools can support them
Image: Adobe Stock

There are approximately 174,000 children with a parent working in the British Armed Forces in the UK. However, many schools have no experience of supporting these children, while for others managing and responding to the multiple needs of military families is part of their daily work.

The children of serving military personnel are entitled to the Service Pupil Premium (currently £335 per-pupil, per-year – see DfE, 2023). This is “in recognition of the specific challenges children from service families face and as part of the commitment to delivering the armed forces covenant”. This is fundamentally different to other Pupil Premium funding, which is focused on raising attainment; the service Pupil Premium is mainly for pastoral support.

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting Headteacher Update and reading some of our content for professionals in primary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcasts

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here