Schools & LAs

Armed Forces Friendly Schools Cymru

Armed Forces Friendly Schools Cymru

Summary

The Armed Forces Friendly Schools Cymru status aims to:

  • Embed good practice for supporting Service children
  • Create a positive environment for Service children to share their experiences
  • Encourage schools to become more engaged with their Armed Forces community.

The SSCE Cymru team will work closely with all schools to support them in achieving their status, through activities/actions on the SSCE Cymru checklist.

Schools will be expected to complete the following three steps throughout the process to achieve the status:

  • Identify – Appoint Service children and a key member of staff to become the Service Children School Champions
  • Understand – Develop an understanding of Service children and their needs by completing the SSCE Cymru CPD/e-learning
  • Engage – Engage with SSCE Cymru and the Armed Forces Community.

Status

There are three levels of awards for schools to work towards, which are achieved by meeting the following criteria:

Bronze

  • Identify a ‘Service Children School Champion’ (SCSC) who will be the primary link with SSCE Cymru
  • Ensure that the relevant staff members (see audit form) complete the SSCE Cymru CPD/e-learning
  • Embed a process for collecting data on Service children
  • Sign up to the SCiP Alliance Thriving Lives Toolkit and engage with the content
  • Complete at least 40% of activities/actions on the school checklist.

Silver

  • Have previously been awarded a Bronze Armed Forces Friendly School Cymru status
  • Organise for a member of the Armed Forces to deliver a session with Service children and their peers
  • Liaise with the SSCE Cymru Participation Lead Officer to explore options for listening to Service children
  • Completed the SCiP Alliance Thriving Lives Toolkit, providing a self-assessment of the school's support for Service children in all 7 principles and commit to an annual review
  • Complete at least 60% of activities/actions on the school checklist.

Gold

  • Have previously been awarded Bronze and Silver Armed Forces Friendly School Cymru status
  • Celebrate Month of the Military Child (April)
  • Embed a process for listening to your Service children and creating opportunities for them to share their experiences
  • Implement actions identified through the SCiP Alliance Thriving Lives Toolkit to progress to the "developing" or "embedding" status for all 7 principles
  • Complete at least 80% of activities/actions on the school checklist.

Download the SSCE Cymru checklist (Tool 1) here

UNCRC

Article 8: I have the right to an identity.

UNCRC

Article 28: I have the right to an education.

Service parent/carer survey (2020).

Challenges schools face in supporting Service children: 81% indicated gaining an understanding of the Armed Forces lifestyle, 58% said identifying Service children and 56% indicated supporting Service children with their emotional and wellbeing needs.

How to achieve Armed Forces Friendly School Cymru status:

  • Attend an Armed Forces Friendly Schools Cymru drop-in session
  • Download the relevant audit form and SSCE Cymru checklist (Tool 1)
  • Familiarise yourself with the requirements of the status
  • Work through the SSCE Cymru checklist activities
  • Complete the activities associated with the essential criteria of the status
  • Complete the audit form and submit to SSCECymru@wlga.gov.uk with the required evidence.

Download the Armed Forces Friendly School Cymru bronze audit form here

Download the Armed Forces Friendly School Cymru silver audit form here

Download the Armed Forces Friendly School Cymru gold audit form here

Celebrating being an Armed Forces Friendly School

When a school is awarded Armed Forces Friendly Schools Cymru status, they will be awarded the following items to celebrate their achievement and demonstrate their commitment to the Armed Forces community:

  • A certificate/trophy
  • A bronze/silver/gold Armed Forces Friendly Schools Cymru digital logo, which can be used on the school website and email signatures.

Schools may also be invited to participate in local and/or regional celebration events with SSCE Cymru, the Armed Forces and local authority Armed Forces Champions.

Your Armed Forces Friendly Schools Cymru status will be valid for two years from the date that your audit is submitted once approved by the SSCE Cymru team.

Armed Forces Friendly Schools Cymru

Bronze

We are incredibly pleased to award BRONZE Armed Forces Friendly School Cymru status to the following schools:

  • Mount Street Juniors School - Powys
  • Llantwit Major High School - Vale of Glamorgan
  • Llwynypia Primary School - Rhondda Cynon Taf
  • Cyfarthfa High School - Merthyr Tydfil
  • Waldo Williams Primary School - Pembrokeshire
  • Ysgol Caergeiliog - Isle of Anglesey
  • Ysgol Harri Tudur - Pembrokeshire
  • Llanfair Primary School - Vale of Glamorgan
  • Golden Grove School - Pembrokeshire
  • Pembroke Dock Community School - Pembrokeshire
  • Ysgol Y Felin - Carmarthenshire
  • Llanwern High School - Newport
  • Tyn Y Wern Primary - Caerphilly
  • Pontarddulais Primary School - Swansea
  • Rydal Penrhos - Conwy
  • Ysgol Eirias - Conwy
  • St John Baptist Church in Wales High School - Rhondda Cynon Taf
  • Pencoed Primary - Bridgend
  • Ysgol y Ddraig - Vale of Glamorgan
  • Ysgol y Tywyn - Isle of Anglesey
  • Brecon High School - Powys
  • Raglan VC Primary School - Monmouthshire
  • St Gerard's School Trust - Gwynedd

Silver

We are incredibly pleased to award SILVER Armed Forces Friendly School Cymru status to the following schools:

  • Cwmclydach Primary School - Rhondda Cynon Taf
  • Prendergast CP School - Pembrokeshire
  • Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog - Denbighshire
  • Ysgol Cwm Brombil - Neath Port Talbot
  • Ysgol Bae Baglan - Neath Port Talbot

Gold

We are incredibly pleased to award GOLD Armed Forces Friendly School Cymru status to the following schools:

  • Mount Street Infants School - Powys
  • Ysgol Pen y Bryn - Conwy
  • Haverfordwest High VC School - Pembrokeshire
  • Baglan Primary School - Neath Port Talbot
  • St Athan Primary School - Vale of Glamorgan

Service children’s quotes

"As soon as we get used to a house, you get moved - I’ve been to four schools and moved six times."

Aiden

"I lived in Nepal, then we went to Brunei, then Malaysia."

Ashim

"In my eyes, you have hundreds of friends in different places."

Chloe

"I’m used to moving now and mixing with the children... I’ve done it so many times, it’s just a normal thing now."

Chloe

"It's ok talking over skype and that, but sometimes you just want a hug when Dad is away."

Georgia

"He signed off last week, so he will be done by the end of this year. He’s done 24 years. I find that better because he will be around a lot. He likes watching us playing rugby, so he will get to see us more."

Lewis

"I’ve enjoyed going around to lots of places around the world, it's adventurous and exciting."

Harry

"In my eyes, you have hundreds of friends in different places."

Ieuan

"My mum got a chalk board and it says how many sleeps on it with chalk, every minute it’s getting closer for him coming home."

Mia

"I don’t want him to get promoted... I want him to get promoted but I don’t want to leave."

Oliver

"I might be going to boarding school so that I don’t change schools every few years."

Ryan

"I've been to seven different schools; I’ve not stayed put in one school long enough."

Shana

"He has been away for six months and he is back for two weeks, then he goes away again."

Sianed

"My parents were in the Army. My mum is a like a nurse and my dad went to the war in Afghanistan. I actually didn’t really know what he was doing so I was like, ‘Cool Dad, go there,’ but then I found out and thought, 'Thank God he came back alive.'"

Sanjog

"I’m going to a new place entirely. They don’t know anything about me and that’s a big restart and that’s really good for me."

Piaras

"I moved to Wales because my dad was posted in the Army. I thought I would get bullied and I was shy when you meet new people, but I made some friends."

Dan

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