Choosing the school for your child is not easy at the best of times. No schools are alike and it can be a stressful experience sorting through all the websites and brochures to find a school that suits your child’s academic ambitions, personality and interests. There is an added pressure that many armed forces families experience due to the balance of providing a stable, secure and constant home within a highly mobile environment.
Children of military families often face unique educational challenges due to frequent relocations and parental deployments. Ensuring continuity and stability in their education is crucial for their academic and personal development.
Options for Schooling
- State Schools: Many military children attend state schools near their base. These schools often have experience supporting military families and offer stability despite relocations. Service Pupil Premium (SPP) funding supports schools in England with children whose parents serve in the armed forces, helping to provide additional pastoral care and academic support.
- Boarding Schools: For stability during frequent moves, some families choose boarding schools. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) offers the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to help towards the cost. In some locations, particularly overseas, MOD schools provide British-style education, ensuring continuity with the UK curriculum.
- Home Education: For families who prefer continuity of education or are stationed in remote locations, online education is a viable option. Online schooling can provide a structured curriculum regardless of location, along with an international network of friends.
Highgrove Online School is a great solution for academically ambitious pupils who are close to their families and don’t like the idea of boarding. The curriculum is based on that of a top independent school, with a full programme of extra-curricular clubs and elective courses alongside expert GCSE and A level teaching. The teaching team have a track record of success, and have supported pupils into top universities in the UK and internationally, including Oxford and Cambridge in the UK and Ivy league universities in the US.
Here are some reasons why online schooling can be particularly effective for armed forces families:
- Flexibility and Stability
Online schools offer flexible schedules that can adapt to the frequent relocations of military families, ensuring consistent education regardless of geographical location. For example, at Highgrove Online School pupils can join classes timetabled in the mornings or afternoons UK time, or choose bespoke individual tuition if they prefer.
- Continuity in Education
With online schooling, children can maintain continuity in their education without the disruption caused by moving between different school systems. Highgrove Online School has a strong team of teachers and founders who have been working together for many years and offer a welcome and stable environment for pupils to study from GCSEs through to A levels (with students in lower secondary school years accepted on a one-to-one basis).
- Customised Learning Experience
Our pupils all meet weekly with a Learning Coach who helps them develop a personalised learning plan that caters to their needs. This helps all of our pupils stay on track with their studies, but is especially beneficial for children who might require extra support or have more complex needs. Our SENDCo works with pupils with thinking or learning differences to ensure their needs are met and that any exam accommodations required are in place. There are also a range of opportunities for gifted and talented children to shine. With a track record of pupils winning world class competitions and getting accepted to Oxford and other top universities, there is a support structure for everyone.
- Access to Quality Education
Not many learning approaches come close to our flipped learning model when it comes to high value-added results. By joining Highgrove Online School your child will be taught by experienced educators in a hard-working environment alongside other academically ambitious children, ensuring that military children receive a top-tier education akin to that of a selective private school.
- Community and Support
International online schools such as Highgrove Education offer a friendship network that spans continents, ensuring military children are never too far from their fellow students wherever the family might be posted. It’s not unusual for pupils to take study holidays visiting each other during term time to study together and spend time with new friends. Online schools like Highgrove have strong support systems, in place, including academic advisors and counsellors, helping students manage the unique challenges of military life.
Military families have access to diverse educational options to ensure their children receive a consistent and supportive education, and no single option will be a best fit for all. Some children love boarding while others hate being away from their families; some students cope well with regular changes of school while others benefit from the continuity of online education. By talking through the options with your child and considering the best fit for them, parents can help their children navigate the unique challenges of military life successfully.
In the past online schooling wasn’t available and some families are cautious about trying something that they haven’t experienced themselves. However, online schooling can provide military families with the flexibility, continuity, and quality education necessary to support their children’s academic success amidst the challenges of military life, and is definitely worth consideration as one of the options for secondary education.
