Pembrokeshire County Council's Education Welfare Service, in partnership with SSCE Cymru, has launched Wales' first Service Pupil Promise (SPP). Locally, it is recognised as the Military Pupil Promise, reflecting the preference of Pembrokeshire’s military connected children. The project saw almost 70 military connected children come together at the SPP event to help develop the promise, giving them a direct voice in shaping how schools and the local authority support them.
During the event the Military children had the opportunity to reflect on the impact of Service life, share their experiences and views, consider how their schools support and celebrate them whilst also identifying what more could be done to improve provision for Military children. They enjoyed a range of creative and reflective tasks culminating in the creation of individual school pledges e.g. “We promise to look out for each other while our parents look after our country.”
This event, bringing schools, families and community partners together, has strengthened understanding of the unique challenges faced by Military pupils, while promoting consistency, belonging, and emotional wellbeing in education so to ensure every Military child feels valued and supported to achieve their full potential.
Through this project, the local authority demonstrates its dedication to inclusion, equity, and the wellbeing of all children, recognising that supporting service families strengthens the whole community.
Kelly Hamid – Education Welfare Service Manager at Pembrokeshire County Council shared;
"Developing the Service Pupil Promise is about recognising and celebrating the unique experiences of our service children, while ensuring they feel fully understood, supported and valued within our schools and community. For us as a local authority, it’s not just a pledge, it’s a commitment to listening, learning, and working together so that every Service pupil can thrive, no matter where their journey takes them. I would like to thank the children, schools, partners and officers who contributed their time, voices and enthusiasm to this project and helped make the launch such a meaningful and collaborative event."
"Being a military child is hard, but it also gets you a lot of new experiences that I wouldn't have experienced otherwise".
Esme-Jane
"For military children they [Mount Street Junior School] do a club called Little Troopers, they've done a Remembrance service, purple up day. We celebrate Holi and Dawali".
Arushi
"My Mum is my parent that is in the Armed Forces. She is a reservist. So when I was younger it was a lot worse, she travelled around a lot. I've lived in the same house my whole life, but she has moved around me. I was in a constant cycle of saying goodbye".
Emma
"My Dad, he's in the Army and he works in the Engineers and he goes away on week days and comes back on weekends"
Emily
"Dad often goes away. It is a bit worrying not knowing where your Dad is going. It does worry me and my sister. Yeah, you just never know when he's coming home".
Joe
"In June or July, my Dad is going away quite far. He's in the Army, he's a chef. Having your Dad gone is so sad."
Josie
"I've lived in many places. So, I was born in Cyprus, after that I've been to Germany, then I went to this place called Stafford. Then another place which is Wales."
Dominic
"I've moved seven times in fourteen years."
Lilia
"Now we've got a forever home. I never have to worry about leaving or how long until I am leaving. I feel like I belong here a lot more, that's always great."
Oliver
"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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