Armed Forces Families
Supporting Our Armed Forces Families
At Appleshaw St Peter’s, we are proud of our long-standing connection with the British Armed Forces. We understand that service life brings unique rewards and challenges, and we are committed to ensuring that every 'Service Child' feels stable, supported, and celebrated within our school family.
Our Commitment to You
We recognise that military life can involve frequent moves and periods of parental deployment. Our goal is to provide a "constant" for your child—a place of Faith, Hope, and Love where their education remains seamless, no matter where your next posting takes you.
The Service Premium: How we support your child
As a school, we receive Service Premium funding (currently £360 per pupil) for children of serving personnel. We use this funding specifically for Pastoral Support, ensuring that the emotional wellbeing of our service children is prioritised.
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Emotional Wellbeing and Pastoral Support: We provide a strong pastoral "safety net" specifically designed to address emotional barriers to learning. This includes dedicated time with staff trained in ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support) and TALA (Therapeutic Active Listening), who offer 1:1 and small-group support for pupils experiencing anxiety or self-esteem issues. Additionally, our staff undergo Trauma Informed Schools (TIS) training to ensure a safe, predictable environment for all pupils.
● Support for Deployment and Transitions: We recognise that parental deployment and returns are significant transitions for a family. Our SPP funding is specifically allocated to help students manage the anxiety and shifts related to these unique circumstances through our targeted TALA and ELSA provisions.
● Academic Support and Tutoring: Beyond pastoral care, we invest heavily in targeted academic support, which includes having Learning Support Assistants in every class. We use funding to provide small-group and 1:1 intervention directly linked to the specific needs identified through diagnostic assessments, ensuring any gaps in foundational literacy or numeracy are addressed quickly.
● Clubs, Trips, and Enrichment: While our primary focus for SPP is on pastoral and academic stability, we do look for opportunities to ensure service children can fully participate in school life. If there are ever financial barriers to trips or enrichment activities due to service circumstances, or if a child would benefit socially from a specific extracurricular club, we review these on an individual basis to see how we can best support them.
● Identifying Needs and Measuring Success: We use regular diagnostic assessments to pinpoint specific academic needs. Because our cohort is small, we also rely heavily on individual pupil tracking and qualitative evidence (such as feedback from class teachers and the children themselves) to closely monitor wellbeing and progress.● Transition Care: Whether joining us mid-term or preparing for a new posting, we ensure all academic and pastoral records move swiftly so your child never "restarts" their learning.
Admissions & Transitions
We have extensive experience in managing In-Year Admissions for military families. We work closely with the Children's Education Advisory Service (CEAS) and local units to make the transition as smooth as possible.
This video, funded by Forces Connect South East, and produced by Hampshire County Council, provides details on the steps that Forces families need to take to secure a school place for their child, with key application dates. This video with contributions from school leaders, the forces federations, Local Authority representatives, Councillor Andrew Joy, Hampshire's Armed Forces Champion, and most importantly families and children, provides practical clarity for families, exemplifies the processes and challenges that are faced, alongside the high level of support we expect of each other.
More information can also be found on the Hampshire County Council website: https://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/admissions/guidance/servicefamilies
//www.youtube.com/embed/lrYAhGO-tRE#t=0.5
If you are moving to the area on a new posting, please contact our School Office early so we can help navigate the application process with you.
Useful Links for Parents
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Army Families Federation (AFF) -
The independent voice of Army personnel and their families, providing confidential advice and guidance on everything from housing to education.
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A charity dedicated to supporting children with a parent serving in the British Armed Forces, offering resources like "Little Troopers at School" and separation packs.
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A shared reading initiative that helps families stay connected through books and scrapbooking, specifically designed for periods of deployment or separation.
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