Service Children

Our military connection is an essential part of the school’s distinctive character

Why our military connection is so important here at Risedale School

Risedale School has a significant proportion of service children, with over 40% of its pupils coming from military families. This connection to the military community is a vital part of the school's unique character. At Risedale, we understand the distinctive challenges faced by military pupils and their families. We are committed to addressing the academic and pastoral needs of our service pupils to ensure they do not face educational disadvantages due to their circumstances. We take pride in celebrating our service community and appreciate the valuable contributions our service pupils bring to the school.

At Risedale School, we recognise the unique challenges faced by service families as they navigate military life. Our entire staff, including both academic and pastoral teams, are committed to supporting our service pupils throughout their journey at Risedale. We appreciate that increased mobility, deployment and transitions can impact both academic attainment and emotional wellbeing. However, at Risedale, we have developed a comprehensive range of resources and support systems aimed at helping our service pupils navigate the challenges of military life while pursuing their education. Additionally, our dedicated team, which includes our School Counsellor, Service Pupil Manager, and Service Children's Advocate, are on hand and experienced in guiding service families through educational transitions.

We look forward to welcoming new service pupils into our school.

Meet our Service Pupil Manager:

Dr Sophie Ellis

Job Role: Service Pupil Manager
Email: ellis.s@risedale.org.uk

“As a former service child and pupil at Risedale School, I appreciate the unique challenges that service pupils face as they negotiate their time at school. As a mother of a service child, I also empathise with the experiences of military families as they navigate service life alongside their children's educational needs. My recent role as an academic researcher at the University of Winchester focused on understanding and improving the educational experiences of service pupils. This experience deepened my commitment to helping pupils from service backgrounds achieve their full potential.”

Service Pupil Drop-in Sessions

At Risedale School, we are committed to ensuring our Service Pupils feel heard and supported every step of the way. Dr Ellis is now hosting two dedicated drop-in sessions every week in Library 2:

Tuesday Lunchtimes: Key Stage 3
Thursday Lunchtimes: Key Stage 4

We recognise that while the global climate can sometimes feel unpredictable, the Risedale Family remains a constant, steady environment for our pupils.

Whether you need specific guidance, help navigating a challenge, or simply a friendly face to talk to, Dr Ellis is here to help and listen. We are proud to provide this space where our Service community can connect and feel at home.

Service Pupil Premium

Risedale School Service Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2025-27 (Reviewed Autumn 25)

Service Deployment Form

> > Please fill in this FORM to advise us of any parental/family deployments which may impact your child(ren)'s attitude towards learning, or to advise of any additional support you may need during the deployment period.

Self-Identification of Service Families

At Risedale, we understand the unique and distinct challenges facing military pupils and their families. We are passionate about meeting our service pupils' academic and pastoral needs so that they are not educationally disadvantaged by their status as service pupils. To provide flexible and tailored support to our service pupils, we ask families to inform us at the earliest opportunity if their child is a service pupil. We also understand that the experiences of military life differ between families. By informing Risedale that your child has:

one or more of their parents/guardians serving in the regular armed forces, including pupils with a parent/guardian who is on full commitment as part of the full-time reserve service - this includes pupils with a parent/guardian who is in the armed forces of another nation and is stationed in England.
has been recorded as a 'Service child' in any school census in the past 6 years
a parent/guardian who is a veteran who has served at any point in the child's life
a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or the War Pensions Scheme

We can better understand pupil needs and help mitigate the potential impact of mobility on pupil education. This enables us to offer tailored pastoral support, particularly during times of family separation, including deployments. Early identification of pupils from military backgrounds allows us to create an inclusive, supportive environment where our service pupils are celebrated and encouraged to achieve their potential.

For more information, please review Service Pupil Premium: What You Need to Know.

> > If you would like to share your status with us, please email our Service Pupil Manager, Dr Ellis, at ellis.s@risedale.org.uk.

Resources & Helpful Links

Building Heroes

Building Heroes is a military charity providing training leading to a gateway of construction employment opportunities.

Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS)

Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS) supports operational effectiveness through the provision of educational support to Service and eligible MOD civilian families. CEAS provides advice, support and guidance regarding the educational wellbeing of the children and young people belonging to families in all 3 services and eligible MOD civilians who are based overseas. All advice given is professional, child-centred and focuses on the best interests of the individual. The CEAS team is comprised of qualified teachers and experienced case advisors who can answer queries predominantly via email and telephone.

The most effective way to contact the CEAS team is via email: RC-DCS-HQ-CEAS@mod.gov.uk

Dandelion Military Families

Dandelion Military Families is an organisation created by Military mums with an aim of supporting other military families going through deployments and frequent moves. They have a great Instagram account and can be contacted if advice or support is needed.

Deployment Support

The Families Federations have collaborated with the Service Children In State Schools National Executive Advisory Committee to create this resource with useful links and signposting to raise awareness of the resources and organisations offering support to help children from an Armed Forces background during times of deployment.

Little Troopers

Little Troopers is a registered charity supporting all children with one or both parents serving in our British Armed Forces (regular or reserve). These children face unique daily challenges due to their parents' career choice, especially when they experience repeated separation of varying lengths of time from their serving parent(s) due to exercises and operations, plus moving home and school frequently due to service requirements.

As a charity, they ensure all Little Troopers have fundamental resources available to help ease and aid any separation period. Those initiatives are in existence to keep serving parents and children connected when miles separate.

Making sense of the emotional cycle of deployment

Deployment can be an emotional experience for all the family. Understanding the stages and feelings involved can help parents, carers and schools to support children and young people. This resource helps us to understand children’s behaviour and strategies that can help children at different stages. CLICK HERE to view.

Moving Schools - A Parents' Guide

This booklet is to help Service Parents support their child(ren) when moving from one school to another. It is recognised that there are very individual and specific issues that Service children may experience as a result of parental mobility and deployment.

Never Such Innocence

The charity, Never Such Innocence, began as a First World War commemoration project for children and young people. Inspired by this conflict, more than 11,000 young people from 47 different countries, territories and dependencies created poetry, artwork, and songs. From 2019, Never Such Innocence expanded its focus to include conflict in all forms and throughout history, up to and including the present day. To date, young people in over 125 countries have participated in their work. The organisation delivers workshops, special events and International competitions.

Scotty's Little Soldiers

Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a charity dedicated to supporting bereaved military children and young people.

Service Children's Champion (North Yorkshire)

Angela Campbell is the Service Children's Champion for North Yorkshire.

The Service Children’s Champion team was first established in 2012 and its role is to support Service Children, their families and professionals who are responsible for their care. They organise and host a range of events throughout the school year to raise awareness and to give Service Children an opportunity to come together and celebrate. The team also provides wellbeing courses and resources, facilitates Service Children Network meetings and advocates on behalf of Service Children.

Service Families Liaison Officer

Beccy Dixon is the Service Families Liaison Officer.

Beccy works collaboratively with families, the Armed Forces, schools, the Local Authority and other organisations to offer support, advice and guidance for the military community and Service Children.

You can find out more about the work that Beccy does HERE.

Service Children’s Progression (SCiP) Alliance

The Service Children’s Progression (SCiP) Alliance is a partnership of organisations focused on improving outcomes for children from Armed Forces families. It is hosted by the University of Winchester and supported by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Supporting Service Children with SEND: A Directory for Families and Professionals

A directory bringing together local SEND services and support for children from Armed Forces families in one place—making it easier for families and professionals to find the right support when it’s needed most. CLICK HERE to view.