£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

First published

Calls for Labour to Go Further on War on Plastic

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on Welsh Labour to be more ambitious in its war on plastic and introduce a bottle deposit scheme in Wales. While welcoming the long-delayed plans to ban single-use carrier bags and plastic drinking straws in Wales, the Welsh Liberal Democrats said there was more to be done. Under legislation introduced today, single-use carrier bags, plastic drinking straws, plastic plates, cutlery, stirrers and cotton buds would all be banned under the proposed new law. Research from Wrap Cymru estimates that 400,000 tonnes of plastic waste are generated in Wales each year, with 67 per cent of that waste being packaging. Another report by the Marine Conservation Society found that there were 29 drinks containers for every 100 meters of beach in Wales. A Deposit Return Scheme, also known as a bottle deposit scheme, encourages people to recycle drinks containers such as plastic or glass bottles. People pay a small deposit f...

Wales Hosepipe Ban – Criticism of Welsh Water Over Large Bonuses While Infrastructure Creaks

Following the news that people in some areas of Wales could face a hosepipe ban this summer, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have criticised Welsh Water for paying large bonuses to its bosses while infrastructure creaks. Data from Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, showed that 169.9 megalitres/day were being wasted through leakage in Welsh Water’s network during 2020-21. The company also failed to meet its Per capita consumption (PCC) targets which are designed to push for less water to be taken from the environment. The Welsh Liberal Democrats say that their analysis of Company House data shows that executives at Dŵr Cymru were paid £2.6 million in 2020 and 2021 including £931,000 in bonuses, benefits and inc entives. Commenting Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said: " We cannot control the hot and dry weather, but we can control wastage through outdated or poorly-maintained infrastructure. “Welsh Water brands itself as “no...

Ed Davey pays tribute to Her Majesty The Queen in Parliament

Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, paid tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Parliament. The deep mourning across the country now – just like the celebrations of her Jubilee a few months ago – comes not from a sense of duty, but from genuine and heartfelt affection, love and admiration of Her Majesty. It's not because we were her subjects, but because she was truly our Queen. What she meant to us is perhaps best summed up by a phrase on so many people’s lips over the last twenty-four hours: “I can’t imagine our country without her.” For almost everyone in the country, she has been there our whole lives. At times of national grief and national jubilation, she has never not been there for us. So it is hard to accept that she is gone. And hard to see how we go on without her. But we will. Our great United Kingdom has a great future – because The Queen’s spirit of strength, grace and resolve lives on in her people. One of the great...

Welsh Liberal blogs

Search This Blog