House of Commons Defence Committee The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 3: Educating the Children of Service Personnel Fourth Report of Session 2013–14 Volume I: Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence Additional written evidence is contained in Volume II, available on the Committee website at www.parliament.uk/defcom Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 9 July 2013 HC 586 [Incorporating HC 941-i to -iv, Session 2012-13] Published on 23 July 2013 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £17.50 The Defence Committee The Defence Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Ministry of Defence and its associated public bodies. Current membership Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP (Conservative, North East Hampshire) (Chair) Mr Julian Brazier MP (Conservative, Canterbury) Thomas Docherty MP (Labour, Dunfermline and West Fife) Rt Hon Jeffrey M. Donaldson MP (Democratic Unionist, Lagan Valley) Mr Dai Havard MP (Labour, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney) Adam Holloway MP (Conservative, Gravesham) Mrs Madeleine Moon MP (Labour, Bridgend) Penny Mordaunt MP (Conservative, Portsmouth North) Sir Bob Russell MP (Liberal Democrat, Colchester) Bob Stewart MP (Conservative, Beckenham) Ms Gisela Stuart MP (Labour, Birmingham, Edgbaston) Derek Twigg MP (Labour, Halton) The following Member was also a member of the Committee during this inquiry. Sandra Osborne MP (Labour, Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the internet at www.parliament.uk/parliament.uk/defcom. The Reports of the Committee, the formal minutes relating to that report, oral evidence taken and some or all written evidence are available in a printed volume. Additional written evidence may be published on the internet only. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Alda Barry (Clerk), Dougie Wands (Second Clerk), Karen Jackson (Audit Adviser), Ian Thomson (Committee Specialist), Christine Randall (Senior Committee Assistant), Rowena Macdonald and Carolyn Bowes (Committee Assistants), and Sumati Sowamber (Committee Support Assistant). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Defence Committee, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 5745; the Committee’s email address is [email protected]. Media inquiries should be addressed to Alex Paterson on 020 7219 1589. The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 3: Educating the Children of Service Personnel 1 Contents Report Page Conclusions and recommendations 3 Standard of education 3 Levels of achievement 3 Access to education 3 Conflict with the School Admissions Code 3 Funding of school places 3 Advantages of Service life 4 Service children with Special Educational Needs 4 Children and Families Bill 4 Devolved Administrations 5 Transfer documents 5 Continuity of education 5 State boarding schools 5 Safe-guarding children 5 Service Pupil Premium 6 Local Authority funding 6 The Ministry of Defence Support Fund for Schools 6 Support for bereaved families 7 Conclusion 7 1 Introduction 9 2 The provision of education for Service children 11 Background 11 Ministry of Defence 12 The Secretary of State for Education and the Department for Education 12 Local Authorities 12 Devolved Administrations 13 Standard of education 14 Levels of achievement 15 Access to education 17 Conflict with the School Admissions Code 19 Funding of school places 21 Pupils moving mid-school year 21 The movement of large numbers of families 22 Advantages of Service life 23 Service children with Special Educational Needs 24 Children and Families Bill 27 Devolved Administrations 28 Transfer documents 29 3 Continuity of education 32 Continuity of education 32 2 The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 3: Educating the children of service personnel Boarding schools and continuity 34 Continuity of Education Allowance 35 The importance of the Continuity of Education Allowance 35 Tightening of the rules on eligibility for the Continuity of Education Allowance 36 Take-up of CEA 38 State Boarding Schools 39 Safe-guarding children 40 4 Financial Support Schemes 42 Service Pupil Premium 42 Expenditure on the Service Pupil Premium 43 Evaluation of the Service Pupil Premium 44 Local Authority Funding 46 The Ministry of Defence Support Fund for Schools 47 Support for Bereaved Families 48 The Armed Forces Bereavement Scholarship Scheme 48 School Fees 49 5 Conclusion 51 Formal Minutes 52 Witnesses 53 List of printed written evidence 53 List of additional written evidence 54 List of unprinted evidence 54 List of Reports from the Committee in Sessions 2012–13 and 2013–14 55 The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 3: Educating the Children of Service Personnel 3 Conclusions and recommendations Standard of education 1. We note the MoD’s commitment to maintaining high standards in SCE schools. We are satisfied that the procedures in place, including Ofsted inspections, ensure the standard of teaching in schools attended by Service children is at least ‘good’, or that where weaknesses are identified they are addressed. (Paragraph 16) Levels of achievement 2. It is encouraging to note that Service children’s progress is broadly in line with other pupils even though they face considerable challenges. However, mobile Service children do not perform as well as non-mobile Service children. With greater recognition of their needs and focused additional support, Service children could do even better. The Government should ensure that these children are given every opportunity to maximise their potential. (Paragraph 20) Access to education 3. The nature of Service life means that families have to be mobile if they are to accompany the Service parent. That moves can be made at short notice, or during term-time, means that parents may not have time to research the schools in the area, and may not get a place in their preferred school, as places in high performing schools are unlikely to be available either at short notice or part way through the school year. It is clear that there is a contradiction at the heart of the Covenant, in that Service families’ mobility makes it difficult for parents to get places in the schools of their choice. The timescale for the implementation of the New Employment Model will not help those children currently in education. The MoD needs to consider further how it can assist parents to gain access to their preferred choice of schools. (Paragraph 27) Conflict with the School Admissions Code 4. The Government should explain how it intends to resolve the conflict between the Armed Forces Covenant, which says that Service children may need special arrangements to access school places, and the Schools Admissions Code which sets out a strict timetable for admissions, to ensure that Service families can access the schools of their choice when they need them. (Paragraph 31) Funding of school places 5. Availability of school places will be a significant issue as large numbers of Service families are re-located as a result of re-basing and the withdrawal from Germany. We seek reassurance that there will be sufficient places for the children moving as part of major re-basing moves and the withdrawal from Germany. The Ministry of Defence must provide information promptly to allow the Department for Education to liaise with Local Authorities and the Devolved Administrations to ensure that the right 4 The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 3 Educating the children of service personnel number of places and adequate funding will be provided in advance of major moves. (Paragraph 37) 6. Schools with significant numbers of Service children on their roll experience additional challenges, including a lack of the appropriate level of funding throughout the school year and difficulties caused by high levels of admissions through the school year. The Government should work with Local Authorities to ensure that appropriate funding is available. Where there is competition for places between Service children and the resident population, and both have equal merit, we question who will provide the funding for additional school places. One option may be for the Ministry of Defence to fund additional buildings, if needed, and the Local Education Authority to pay for staff and on-going maintenance costs. (Paragraph 38) Advantages of Service life 7. While we acknowledge the challenges facing Service children we must not forget the advantages of Service life for children of Service families. (Paragraph 40) Service children with Special Educational Needs 8. The lack of clarity about the number of Service children with Special Educational Needs is disturbing. The Ministry of Defence and the Department of Education should liaise with the Devolved Administrations to establish how many Service children have Special Educational Needs across the UK so that the scale of the problem is known. (Paragraph 43) 9. Service children with Special Educational Needs are spread across the English local authorities, the Devolved Administrations and SCE schools overseas. The number in any one local authority or administration is likely to be small. We consider that, with the will and support of Government and engagement with the Devolved Administrations, it must be possible to make things easier for those families in this difficult situation. It is unacceptable that no progress has been made on our predecessor Committee’s 2006 recommendation that Service children with a Special Educational Needs should be given a statement which would be accepted by all schools. We welcome the Minister’s commitment to resolving the issue, and expect to see prompt action.