Case study completed by: Leah Burnett, Forces Families Support Officer (FFSO)

What experiences do Service children have?

• They worry about not spending a lot of time with their serving parent and not building a bond with them
• They spend more time with their non-serving parent when the Serving parent is away
• They do lots of activities with the Army engagement team
• Some find it hard moving out of the patch and away from my friends
• Some are excited about moving to a new house
• When children are new to the school, people want to talk to find out about them, but some children want to settle in their own way
• The teaching and subjects can be different when they move school
• They have an expanded network of friends
• Some can’t always manage new situations on their own and need someone to help them
• Many get settled in a place and then have to move
• Some have time off from school when they move and forget some of their learning
• They often live far away from family and friends
• They feel safe here, it is peaceful, quiet and they like the small community
• Many like exploring a new place when they move in.

What challenges do Service children at Brecon High School face in education?                         

• They sometimes have gaps in their knowledge as they have moved schools frequently
• They might not be able to study a subject they have studied before, due to it not being available E.g. Spanish
• Making new friends
• Sometimes they are wrongly diagnosed with Additional Learning Needs (ALN) or none have been identified, and they need support put in place; this can be due to the fact they have moved schools frequently
• There can be different ways of teaching from previous schools - across different schools/counties/countries
• Option choices for GCSE can be limited; especially if the children arrive later in the year
• Some schools are starting GCSEs from Year 8, this can be an issue when moving
• They might have completed a topic more than once in a previous school E.g. Volcanoes in Geography
• Learning Welsh with no previous experience can be challenging.

How does the school support Service children to overcome any challenges?

On arrival – induction

• Powys’ local authority admission form has a tick box to identify if the family has a Service background
• Joining part way through the year can be a key indicator that they may be a Service child
• The parents will contact reception, who will then speak with the FFSO to have support for the induction process
• When we know a pupil is arriving, we liaise with the family in advance and support with learning/identify any resources to start the curriculum change
• Speak to receiving schools regarding levels and support the child has had and gain assessment data
• FFSO will liaise with key staff and provide support
• The school sends a map of the school/timetable/list of clubs/uniform list – FFSO has a template of information for the family and child
• The FFSO will have a phone conversation with the previous schools’ teachers to get to know the child before arrival - informal discussion/record any key information
• Assessments in English and Mathematics to ascertain level
• Networks have been established with schools in Wiltshire where many Service children are coming from.

Support during their time at the school         

• Regular communication with the Service children and parents
• Create a personal profile for each child
• Speak with teachers/head of year to identify any concerns
• When issues are identified, we use resources to overcome any gaps
• Assessment forms are completed
• Development profiles list Service child scores e.g. CAT/LNF (year on year)
• Gain regular feedback from children/parents
• Monitor attendance
• Counselling is made available from external agency
• Wellbeing department organize support when a Service child is feeling ill, suffer from anxiety, not engaging with lessons or if disability/counselling support is required
• MPCT mentoring and group sessions are held weekly at the school
• Engage with Royal Navy/British Army/Royal Air Force engagement teams to promote positive aspect of the Armed Forces.

Moving on

• We talk about the process with the child and discuss what they want the new school to know about them
• We look at the new school website together and help the child to understand what to expect
• We find out if any children from Brecon High School have been to the new school before and buddy these children with the moving child, to provide support and a buddy group as necessary
• We always make a follow up call to the new school after a few weeks to find out how the Service child is settling in.

How does Brecon High School work with the Local Armed Forces community?

• Army Welfare Service run a lunch club funded by the Armed Forces Covenant; including activities where they learn new skills such as food technology and gardening club, learning with friends and socialising
• Provide networking and support to Nepalese community through English as an Additional Language (EAL) programmes
• The FFSO builds links with feeder schools in the cluster, through visiting the schools regularly to run reading activities
• Strong relationship with a key contact at 160th (Welsh) Brigade
• Army Engagement team provides talks, events and visitors to talk about life in the Armed Forces
• Remembrance events are held annually and involve activities with the local barracks
• Local cadets and reservist are involved with the school
• The Nepalese culture/language/traditions are celebrated through various activities which engage all the whole school community

Date produced: December 2019