Seren of the Month

This month, the SSCE Cymru team is thrilled to present Ellie Jones as our Seren! Ellie is currently a Learning Support Assistant for the Learning Links Team at the Vale of Glamorgan Council. We have a wonderful working relationship with Ellie and the team, and we deeply appreciate their continuous efforts in supporting Service children and young people across the Vale. Ellie recently led on the Service Children - Your Views Project, developed in partnership with the Service Children at Ysgol Y Ddraig, and is a wonderful example of her dedication to her role. The project will gather the voices of Service children within the Vale and will have an impact on future projects. We are grateful for the event hosted by the Little Troopers Club at Ysgol Y Ddraig Primary School, which gave participating children the chance to share their amazing work with their families. The poster with the QR code survey, now widely available across schools in the Vale, will help ensure that more Service children receive the support they need throughout their educational journey.

A heartfelt thank you to Ellie for your hard work and commitment to this project! We eagerly look forward to hearing the feedback. A big thanks also goes to the rest of the Learning Links Team for your ongoing support of the SSCE Cymru programme, it is truly appreciated!

A BIG thank you to Leah Humphreys, the Deputy Headteacher at Prendergast CP School, for her invaluable contribution at last year’s SCiP Alliance conference. By adding her voice to the panel, Leah provided a crucial perspective on how school staff are navigating the current challenges in education, particularly the fiscal and time constraints when supporting vulnerable groups, including children from Armed Forces families.

SSCE Cymru deeply appreciates the outstanding work that schools like Prendergast do to support Service children. We remain committed to our mission of helping school staff across Wales by offering guidance on funding, accessing resources, and promoting positive engagement with the Armed Forces community.

We are especially grateful for the work Prendergast School does in this area and would like to take this opportunity to thank not only Leah but the entire school community. To Headteacher Ms. John, Service Children School Champion Mr. Hill, and all the staff – your Little Troopers are fortunate to have such dedicated advocates.

Thank you – and we look forward to continuing our partnership and supporting your amazing efforts.

The SSCE Cymru team are proud to recognise Riley, Joe, Kiean, Ewan, and Tom as Seren of the Month for their exceptional contributions at the recent SCiP Alliance conference. As Service children ambassadors, they not only embraced the opportunity to share their personal stories but also played a pivotal role in fostering deeper understanding and sparking meaningful discussions about the experiences of Service children and young people across Wales.

Riley, Joe, Kiean, Ewan, and Tom’s involvement was truly exceptional, and they represented Service children and young people from across Wales with remarkable pride and strength. Their contribution to this national event was not only inspiring but also invaluable in advancing the understanding and support of Service children. We hope they take pride in how they represented their peers and know that their families and schools must feel incredibly proud of their courage and positive involvement.

Diolch yn fawr iawn / Thank you very much, Riley, Joe, Kiean, Ewan, and Tom. Your participation has made a lasting difference, and you are all most deserving of this recognition.

Del Marshman went above and beyond as the Service Children School Champion at what was Mount Street Infant (MSI) School, now part of the new Powys school, Ysgol Golwg Pen Y Fan. Del worked with SSCE Cymru to help MSI achieve their Armed Forces Friendly Schools Cymru GOLD status by embedding good practice to support all Service children at the school.

Del made every effort to ensure that all Service children felt listened to and welcomed. She co-ordinated a wonderful Little Troopers Club and made excellent use of the SSCE Cymru tools, taking extra time and care to produce ‘Moving school’ booklets for those children who were relocating due to a Service move. These became much-treasured items for Service children, as part of their journey.

We’ve even known Del to collect dandelion seeds, the recognised symbol of Service children, from the school grounds and place them in an envelope with a special message from her for a Service child to take with them to scatter in their new location. It’s kindness like this, shown to those Little Troopers, that made her an absolute star!

Thank you for working with us, Del. You will be missed, not only by us, but by your Little Troopers too. Best of luck in your new role!

It’s been wonderful to work alongside Eve at Baglan Primary School in Neath Port Talbot. When asked to take the lead on identifying and supporting Service children in the school, Eve contacted the SSCE Cymru team, and we were able to offer her advice and support on how to make a start. Since then, Eve has been very motivated and proactive.

By applying for the Supporting Service Children in Education in Wales Fund (SSCE-WF), Eve set up a Little Troopers Club and now runs regular sessions throughout the academic year, bringing these children together from across all age groups. The Little Troopers Club members also appointed a Service child ambassador to represent their school for any SSCE Cymru activities outside of their normal sessions.

As a result of listening to the Little Troopers, last year Eve organised a Remembrance assembly with the Service children, as a whole school event. They invited the Mayor and other members of the local community who share a connection to the Armed Forces and the event was a great success!

Eve has continued to develop the schools support and has embedded good practice by working through the Armed Forces Friendly School (AFFS) Cymru checklist. The school has been awarded their GOLD status and are an excellent example of how a school with not large numbers of Service children can still make a huge difference.

Thank you, Eve and the Baglan Primary team for all that you do within your community.