Service Families
/Military Children film draft
Our aim at Southmead is to make your child's transition to our school as smooth as possible and to ensure that they feel part of our school as quickly as possible.
Every child receives a passport and information about the school when they first arrive. This is a pack containing information about your child's school day, a sheet asking your child to tell us about themselves and a postcard to send back to their old school.
During periods of deployment, we run a Troopers club for all children of deployed personnel. Due to current Covid restrictions, we are unable to run the club. However, all children of deployed personnel will be supported within their year group bubbles with deployment packs and activities provided by our pastoral team. Our pastoral team can also provide 1:1 support if needed.
We are a very friendly school so we hope that your child/ren will feel happy and settled as soon as possible. Sometimes it takes a little longer to settle, so, please, if you have any concerns please use the resources on our website and please do not hesitate to contact us. Our pastoral email is: pastoral@southmead.devon.sch.uk
Notification of Military Deployment
We would like to make Service Families aware of support that may be available if children have special educational needs or disabilities. The Service Families' Children's Education and Advice Service can provide advice, guidance and support, and recommend contacting them if your child has a statutory Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) or receives support from external professionals e.g. therapists, social workers and specialist teachers. Further information can be found on the government website below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/the-childrens-education-advisory-service-ceas
Initiation of CEAS support requires the service family to complete and submit the following form, and send this to CEAS together with evidence of the child's support needs.
Information Support for the Armed Forces Community
This information pack has been put together to help better support Service families and children within our school. It provides an overview of organisations, services, websites, publications and charities available to support Service families. For further information please contact RN FPS Information Support at rnrm-wio@royalnavymail.mod.uk.
Service Pupil Premium information
Service Premium
Service Premium – what is it?
Service Premium (SP) is extra government funding for schools to support children with parents in the RAF, Navy and Army. Children attract the premium if one of their parents is serving in the regular armed services.
The Department for Education introduced the Service Premium in April 2011 in recognition of the specific challenges children from armed service families face, and as part of the commitment to delivering the Armed Forces covenant. The 2018 report by the Children’s Commissioner for England ‘Kin and Country’ captured the voice of military children and identified the particular challenges they face including; leaving friends behind, missing out on key parts of the curriculum and on wider
enrichment opportunities, such as extra-curricular activities.
Service Premium – what is the purpose?
Schools with the children of serving armed forces personnel on roll receive the Service Premium, so that they can offer support during challenging times and to help mitigate the negative impact of family mobility or parental deployment, on children. Deployment is when a member of the armed service is serving away from home for a period of time.
This could range from a week-long training course or exercise to a 6 to 9 months tour of duty. Mobility is when an armed service family is posted from one location to another, this could include overseas as well as within the UK.
Service Premium - how it differs from the Pupil Premium
The main purpose of Pupil Premium is to raise attainment and accelerate progress within disadvantaged groups. Whereas Service Premium aims to enable schools to provide mainly pastoral support for Service children, recognising the impact of military life on social and emotional well-being.
The use of Service Premium used at Southmead Primary School
Service Premium is mainly spent on social, emotional and pastoral support for the children. The majority of the money is spent employing support staff and ensuring a whole school Thrive approach to meeting social and emotional need. Support includes:
- Supporting the children of armed service personnel (and their peers) to prepare for both inward and outward transition.
- Supporting the children of armed service personnel to mark important events such as Remembrance Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and to attend events at the military base e.g. tree planting.
- Working closely with children of armed service personnel who have a parent on deployment or away from home.
Here are some useful links for further information:
