Best Practice

Supporting children from Armed Forces families

Publish Date: Updated Date: Vulnerable children Pupil Premium and disadvantage Pupil wellbeing Pastoral issues Lesson planning
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.

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