Army&You highlights the excellent support that schools worldwide show our military children. For our summer 2017 edition, we headed to Hampshire...


Name of school
The Wavell School

Location
Farnborough

Number of Service pupils
161 out of 958

How does the school help Service children settle in?
We have a wellbeing centre for Service children. We employ two pastoral mentors and have a large SEN and pastoral team to support students.

What practical support do you give Service pupils?
A military club runs once a week and we have a breakfast club running twice a week, enhancing a feeling of belonging. The touring theatre group An Invisible Man visited us and performed the excellent Wherever Home Is. Military students were able to share their experiences with non-military students and this work will be used to continue the ethos in our PSHE programme for the whole school.

Are there any military links?
Yes, with the local garrison. Our head teacher is a member of the national committee, Service Children in State Schools (SCISS) and the school is the southern regional hub school in the support of Forces families.

Are there any special projects involving Service children?
We are currently developing a sensory garden and have a gardening club with the military students. We run university visits for students regularly throughout the year and there’s leadership training for Army cadets at school events. On Camo Day we work with the local cadets and community.

What do the kids say?
One pupil told us: “The military drop-in is very friendly and you get to know others in the Army too.”

Another added: “You are around other people who are in the military, so you can talk about when they are going away without getting sad.”


Is your child’s school going that extra mile to support Service children? Would you like your school to feature in the future? Contact Army&You for details by emailing deped@aff.org.uk

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