Service Children

There are children of Armed Forces personnel living and attending school in every local authority in Wales, not just in areas close to Armed Forces bases.

As a result of their parent’s frequent moves/postings and deployment, Service Children can be affected at school and at home in a variety of ways.

A Service child is defined as:

  • A child who has one or both parents currently serving in the armed forces;
  • A child whose parent/s have served in the armed forces within the last six years (Veteran); or
  • A child whose parent/s are currently serving as Reservists.

Our mission is to provide the best possible educational support to children, by ensuring education professionals understand the issues Service Children in Wales may face. The project is a Welsh Local Government Association project.

Since the project began in 2014 we have worked with schools, local authorities, Armed Forces families and support organisations to gather their views and experiences, build our networks across Wales and continue to raise awareness and understanding amongst education professionals, local authorities and the Welsh Government. We have developed guidance and digital resources for schools and families, held our first national conference and commissioned research to better understand the needs of Service Children in education.

Please help us to gather data on the number and location of Service Children so that we can ensure your school gain maximum benefit from the vast amount of resources and support that is available. Complete the form in the following link to indicate the number of Service Children in your school (even if it is currently 0) or enter ‘Unknown’ if this isn’t something that your school currently include on enrolment forms.