Service Children in State Schools
Who are we?
SCISS is an affiliation of thousands of state-maintained schools in England that have Service children on roll and is led by a National Executive Advisory Committee (NEAC) of headteachers; Local Authority officers/advisers; representatives from the three Armed Forces Families Federations and personnel from the DfE and MOD’s Directorate for Children and Young People (DCYP).
Service child definition
A person whose parent, or carer, serves in the regular armed forces, or as a reservist, or has done at any point during the first 25 years of that person’s life.
How are schools identified as SCISS schools?
Initially, SCISS schools used to be entirely self-nominating. Since the introduction of the Service Pupils’ Premium (SPP) in England, the DfE shares the identity of those schools that draw down the SPP with the Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS), part of the MOD’s Directorate of Children and Young People (DCYP).
What does the NEAC do?
- Advocates for Service children;
- Responds to initiatives / policy proposals that affect Service children;
- Gathers the Service child’s voice;
- Grows the network of SCISS schools;
- Disseminates good practice
What are its achievements to date?
An overview of SCISS and the achievements of the NEAC can be viewed in a short film at https://www.scipalliance.org/resources/service-children-in-state-schools-film. These include:
- The introduction of the Service child ‘marker’ on the annual school census, providing a clear picture of the number and location of pupils of Armed Forces personnel;
- The SEND and Admissions Code now specifically include the education of Service children;
- Submissions were made that were influential in persuading the Government to introduce discrete funding for schools in England to help them provide for Service children, more effectively, in the forms of the Service Pupil Premium and the MoD’s Education Support Fund for Schools with Service Children (2011-2020).
Our partners
Alongside close working with the MoD, DfE and the three Families Federations, the NEAC has developed a strong working relationship with the SCiP Alliance.
Core purpose of the National Executive Advisory Committee
To champion the education and wellbeing of Service children so that they achieve the best possible outcomes, by engaging with policy-makers and developing / sharing effective practice.
The National Executive Advisory Committee members are:
| Steph Fawdry | Chair: Headteacher, RAF Benson Primary School, Oxfordshire (primary) |
| Angela Maxted | Vice: Headteacher, Cheriton Primary, Folkstone, Kent (primary/nursery) |
| Matt Blyton | Senior Education Adviser, Education and Skills Service, North Yorkshire County Council |
| Russell Collier | Principal Education Officer, Directorate Children and Young People |
| Philip Dent | Service Children’s Progression Alliance, Director (University of Winchester) |
| Phil Bannister | Department for Education |
| Sue Mason | Headteacher, Brompton Westbrook Academy, Medway (primary) |
| Ian Mottram | Headteacher, Le Cateau Primary, Catterick Garrison (primary / nursery) |
| Ruth Halbaurer | Deputy Headteacher, Crofton Hammond Infant School, Fareham, Hampshire |
| Ben Turner | Headteacher, Akrotiri Primary School, RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus |
| Rebecca Lovell | Education & Childcare Policy Advisor, Naval Families Federation (NFF) |
| Alexandra Stokes | Policy Advisor - Education and Childcare, Royal Air Force Families Federation (RAFFF) |
| Anna Hutchinson | Education & Childcare Specialist, Army Families Federation (AFF) |
Download resources from the June 2018 SCISS Waddington conference
Cooperation between SCISS and the SCiP Alliance
Download powerpoints and delegate list from the September 2017 SCISS South East conference
Download presentations from the October 2017 Stafford regional conference