An online forum on Educating Service Children run by the House of Commons Defence Committee

Teachers

We would like to hear from teachers who work, or have worked, in Service schools abroad, or with Service children in UK schools, and from other educationalists.

  • Does the mobility of Service children cause particular issues?
  • Are there problems with information moving between schools?
  • Are there curriculum issues, particularly for those moving between different parts of the UK?
  • What are the positive aspects of working within a garrison community?
  • What has been your experience of teaching the children of Service personnel? Are there particular issues, and what needs to be done to address these?

previous discussion

Moving from Scotland to 'SCE-land'

Posted by deshart on 11/05/2006 - 15:40

In answer to the question from Robert Key, the difference between the Scottish and SCE systems did cause problems both in terms of syllabuses followed but also in more basic issues such as which year should a student be placed.

The system in Scotland is so different than that in SCE the arrival of a battalion previously stationed in Scotland was quite challenging. A different start time to the school year meant some students were in the wrong year group compared to their English system colleagues.

As a science teacher we had problems as there is no compulsion to study all three sciences to 16 as there is in the English system. We have no links with the Scottish Examination System so the incoming students had to adjust to our curriculum.

Some Year 9 students arrived a couple of weeks before the National Curriculum Tests (compulsory in our ‘English’ system) and had to be taught 3 years of Chemistry or Physics in order to cope with the tests.

If whole battalion moves are to continue between Scots based units and areas where the education is provided by SCE schools then issues like this need to be addressed in the interests of the children.

The problems were complex, but with hard work by the students and teachers the challenges were overcome. The battalion recently returned to Edinburgh on posting and most parents and children seemed to have benefited from their stay in Cyprus.

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