The Department for Education introduced the Service Pupil Premium in April 2011 in recognition of the specific challenges children from service families face and as part of the commitment to delivering the armed forces covenant.

 State schools, academies and free schools in England, which have children of service families in school years Reception to Year 11, can receive the SPP funding. It is designed to assist the school in providing the additional support that these children may need and is currently worth £350 per service child who meets the eligibility criteria:

• one parent is serving in the regular armed forces (including pupils with a parent who is on full commitment as part of the full-time reserve)

• they have been registered as a ‘service child’ on the January school census at any point since 2016

• death of a parent whilst serving in the armed forces and the pupil receives a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or the War Pensions Scheme

Children have to be flagged as service children ahead of the autumn school census deadline. Service parents need to make the school aware of their status by talking to the head teacher or school admin staff.

FIND OUT MORE: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-service-pupil-premium/service-pupil-premium-what-you-need-to-know