Daily Junction.mobi portalLifestyle · September 18, 2026 · The Conversation · 5 min
Having to move home and school can mean disrupting trusted adult relationships and the loss of access to established support.
<div class="theconversation-article-body">
<span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-hall-2437872">Michael Hall</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-winchester-743">University of Winchester</a></em></span>
<p>Service children are children of current or former armed forces personnel. Being a service child can be a source of pride, resilience and determination. Yet service life brings experiences and challenges their civilian peers may not face.</p>
<p>Not all service children lead the same kinds of lives. Some <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/living-in-our-shoes-understanding-the-needs-of-uk-armed-forces-families">can experience</a> periods of <a href="https://doi.org/10.5456/WPLL.24.1.53">family separation</a> where the serving parent is away from the family home, for example on deployment or training. In the long term, this can disrupt family relationships.</p>
<p>Some may also have to move to different locations in the UK or abroad. For children, this means moving schools and building new relationships with other children and adults. </p>
<p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3734306/">Research suggests</a> that the more frequently children move schools, the lower their academic attainment may be. </p>
<p>The UK’s <a href="https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/">Armed Forces Covenant</a> states that armed forces personnel and their families should experience no detriment compared with civilians as a result of their service. For service families whose children have <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-169986">special educational needs and disabilities</a> (Send), this aspiration can feel far removed from their realities. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ssafa.org.uk/media/qida0iba/fandf-30-years-report-2020.pdf">intersection of service life with Send</a> presents a unique set of challenges. <a href="https://covenantfund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GAP-University-Evaluation-Report-October-2024.pdf">Having to move</a> home and school can mean disrupting trusted adult relationships and the loss of access to established support. Children will also need to have their support arrangements re-negotiated. </p>
<p>Family separation can mean the non-serving parent taking primary responsibility to secure the best possible support for their children. In my research with colleagues, I have heard parents describe this process as a “battle”.</p>
<p>Education, health and care plans (EHCPs) issued by a child’s previous local authority may not translate neatly into their new locality’s Send offer. <a href="https://kcmhr.org/pdf/2021_taylor-beirne_a.pdf">Delays to statutory assessments</a> of needs can mean that families relocate again before the process has even been completed. </p>
<p>Service children often join a new school during the school year, rather than at the start of term. This means schools must navigate the complex and under-resourced Send system while making immediate decisions as to how to best support the children in their care.</p>
<p>They must also help pupils adjust to a curriculum that may be sequenced differently to their previous schools, potentially resulting in gaps in learning. All the while, they retain responsibility for securing good outcomes for all pupils.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first">The government has recognised</a> the need to make Send support more responsive to the needs of children and families. Yet systemic change takes time. For children, families and schools, the challenges are happening now.</p>
<h2>Collaborative approaches</h2>
<p>An innovative approach to ameliorating these challenges has been developed by the schools serving Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, the largest British Army garrison. Called the <a href="https://covenantfund.org.uk/story/garrison-assist-project/">Garrison Assist Project (Gap)</a> and funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust Fund (specific government funding for armed forces communities), the initiative set out to make support for service children with Send more responsive and consistent across the garrison. </p>
<p>The project helped share expertise and foster communication between schools serving the garrison and its families. These included shared access to specialist training, collaboration between special educational needs coordinators, a forum for parents and carers, and a series of resources highlighting the experiences of children and families.</p>
<p><a href="https://educationstudies.org.uk/journal/ef/volume-17-1-july-2026/reflections-on-special-educational-needs-support-for-armed-forces-children-towards-a-communities-of-practice-perspective/ef-17-1-08-hall/">My evaluation of Gap</a> with my colleague, Julie Wharton, highlighted three key principles that can underpin stronger Send support. These are effective communication; high-quality teaching that responds to children’s needs; and strong relationships underpinned by trust.</p>
<p>The parents and carers we spoke with recognised and valued where schools engaged proactively and empathetically with their circumstances. Equally, <a href="https://covenantfund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GAP-University-Evaluation-Report-October-2024.pdf">school staff found that</a> opportunities to discuss with colleagues at their own and other schools helped them better understand the challenges, and share what worked.</p>
<p>Growing expertise through shared access to expert training and support is an important part of a collaborative approach. Yet training should not be regarded as a magic bullet. Maintaining open communication with families remains critical to providing empathetic and responsive support.</p>
<p>Also fundamental to good support is high-quality teaching that adapts to pupils’ needs. <a href="https://covenantfund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GAP-University-Evaluation-Report-October-2024.pdf">The service pupils we spoke with</a>, particularly older students, recognised when teaching was engaging and when teachers knew their pupils as individuals. They also recognised the value of consistent behaviour management and the promotion of respectful relationships throughout school. </p>
<p>Parents appreciated where teaching and support was consistent and responsive to their children’s needs. When teachers collaborate and share good practice, they can respond more effectively to children and families.</p>
<p>Positive, trusting relationships are the foundations of effective and responsive practice. <a href="https://covenantfund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GAP-University-Evaluation-Report-October-2024.pdf">The parents we spoke with</a> highlighted examples of where school staff had gone above and beyond expectations in supporting them, despite the complexities of the Send system. </p>
<p>However, parents can also be concerned about the potential for negative stereotyping or judgments by professionals – exacerbated by the sense of “struggling” to secure support for their children. This means schools need to demonstrate consistency and empathy in order to win the trust of families.</p>
<p>Inclusive and responsive education is not simply a policy matter; it is grounded in trust, communication and shared purpose.</p>
<p>Schools cannot resolve all of the difficulties of the Send system alone. Yet the experiences of the schools serving Catterick Garrison show the potential to strengthen support for its families. This can be an important step in living up to the spirit of the Armed Forces Covenant.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/291075/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
<p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-hall-2437872">Michael Hall</a>, Senior Lecturer in Education, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-winchester-743">University of Winchester</a></em></span></p>
<p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/children-from-armed-forces-families-have-extra-educational-challenges-especially-those-with-send-291075">original article</a>.</p> </div>