£250,000 fund to support Armed Forces children in schools opens

Last month, the Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, announced that the £250,000 Supporting Service Children in Education Wales Fund would be extended into 2019-20. 27 schools across Wales received funding for projects last year.

The fund helps schools provide additional support to children from families of Service personnel. The challenges can include the effects of moving from one school to another due to the location of the posting. It can also include the effects of parents or guardians in the Armed Forces being deployed away from home, either on operation or a long term training exercise.

The fund is administered by the Supporting Service Children in Education (SSCE) Cymru project, hosted by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA).

The closing date for schools to submit applications is 30th September.

Kirsty Williams said:

Ensuring equity of access to education for all children and young people is one of my top priorities and I recognise the particular challenges that Service children can face.

The Supporting Service Children in Wales Fund has been extremely successful, so I’m pleased to be able to continue this funding for another year, which has supported many interesting and innovative projects for Service children in schools across Wales.

Ant Metcalfe, Area Manager for the Royal British Legion in Wales, added:

”The continuation of this fund is fantastic news. We know that the children of Armed Forces personnel can face particular challenges such as frequent school moves or the emotional uncertainty that comes with having a parent deployed, so it is right that schools try to find ways to better support those children.

We have already seen some fantastic successful bids in the fund’s first year and I look forward to seeing how this money is used to assist Service children in Wales going forward.”

Councillor Debbie Wilcox (Newport), WLGA Spokesperson for Education, said:

”Everyone involved with SSCE Cymru, hosted by WLGA, are very pleased that Welsh Government have confirmed the continuation of this fund. Schools in Wales are doing a fantastic job of identifying the challenges Service children face in education and working with SSCE Cymru to ensure they are not disadvantaged by their Armed Forces lifestyle. The Welsh fund will go a long way in ensuring this work is continued and good practice examples are shared.”

School can submit applications at:

https://www.sscecymru.co.uk/funding

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