Research by MacCullouch and Hall (2016) showed that although service children were seen to attain as well as or better than their peers from non-military families at GCSE, their participation rate in higher education was lower. Their analysis suggested it was possible that up to 4 out of 10 children who, if in the general population would go to university, did not go if they were from a military family. Later work by Atherton and Satchel (2023) discussed how Department for Education (DfS) data over the period 2017-18 to 2019-20 indicted that the gap in higher education progression between service children and non-service-non FSM children had increased to 5%.

While a service child might attain well and often display positive qualities such as open-mindedness, pride, determination, resilience and being self-possessed, particular challenges associated with being a child of current or former military service personnel may have an impact on the likelihood of their accessing and succeeding in higher education. These challenges include:

• mobility - moving between schools and experiencing delays, inadequate transition arrangements, differences in curriculum provision and disrupted friendships
• challenges to wellbeing that may also affect their experience of education - both the deployment and return of serving family members can disrupt study or lead to emotional and behavioural difficulties
• caring responsibilities - students with serving parents or carers often also take on caring responsibilities themselves, however young carers in military service families are less likely to be identified as young carers, and therefore less likely to receive support.

Since 2022 UCAS have given students the opportunity, if they wish, to indicate whether their parents or carers have a military background. In January 2024 the Office for Students included service children in their Equality of Opportunities Risk Register (EORR) and recognised the need for better understanding of the very specific and complex barriers that that they face in accessing and succeeding in higher education.

At this NERUPI event we will:

• Explore the impact of service life on Armed Forces families and raise awareness of the particular challenges that service children face
• Examine research-based information on service children's educational progression and discover how this has been used to inform higher education policy-making, including the EORR
• Hear how the Service Children’s Progression (SCiP) Alliance work to improve outcomes for children from Armed Forces families
  
• Share an example of interesting practice from a NERUPI colleague whose university is supporting service children pre-entry and on-course
• Encourage participants to identify and discuss key elements of an effective intervention strategy that might effectively support the educational progression of service children.

Event Programme

Useful links:

MacCullouch and Hall (2016) Further and Higher Progression for Service Children

Atherton and Satchell (2023) Under the Radar: Service children and higher education in England

Supporting Service Children Education in Wales (SSCE Cymru)

Forces Children Scotland

Office for Students Effective Practice and Equality of Opportunity Risk Register Student Characteristics

UCAS: Higher Education good practice briefing for students from UK Armed Forces Families (Service Children)

Why the Dandelion is the official flower of the military child