Boarding School – First Steps and Considerations

1. Contact CEAS (01980 618244).  They hold the Accredited Schools Database (ASD), a list of schools for which Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA, formerly Boarding School Allowance) is admissable. If you want to receive the allowance, the school you choose must be on this list.
2. CEAS will also provide you with a mobility certificate. Accompanied service is the overriding principle for CEA; it cannot be claimed if you later decide to serve married unaccompanied.
3. When choosing a school, bear in mind its location. How far is it from family? How far is it from train stations/airports? While children at boarding school are entitled to three return trips per school year (School Children’s Visits), travel between school and airport is only refunded at the rate of the rebated rail fare for that journey (i.e. a travel warrant), so parents who prefer their children to make the journey by taxi will not be refunded the full fare. When half term visits are taken into account as well, this can become expensive.
4. Affordability – even with CEA, extra costs must be taken into account. These can include travel (see point 3), uniform, extra-curricular activities, school trips…  Parents must also contribute 10% of a school’s termly fees as a condition of receiving CEA.
5. Will your child/children complete a stage of education while at boarding school? If not, or you choose to withdraw them before a stage of education is completed, you may become liable to repaying the CEA already received. If you know that you or your spouse will be leaving the Army before a stage of education is completed, you need to consider whether you can continue to pay the fees yourself, as entitlement to CEA ceases the term after a Service parent has left the Army.

A stage of education is defined as follows:

1. Primary, junior or preparatory school (8-11/13);
2. Secondary or senior school (11/13-16);
3. A-level or academic equivalent (16-18/19).

Affordable boarding at State Boarding Schools © AFF Families Journal 2004
A group of schools actively seeking Forces children, plus affordable boarding education combined with a quality education - too good to be true, or a secret to be uncovered? Sandra Hutchinson reports! 

So keen are these popular schools to attract Service families that the State Boarding Schools Association invited me to their annual Conference to ensure their message reached us! For those who haven’t uncovered one of the best-kept secrets in education, here are a few tit-bits to whet the appetite. There are 32 state boarding schools spread throughout Britain with a further seven in Northern Ireland. Each has its own identity and is run independently of the others. Most schools are for children aged 11-18, though there is one 13-18 selective school,  Cranbrook;  two others offer Primary Boarding: the Royal Alexandra and Albert School, and St Brigid’s (girls only); and one, Peter Symonds, is a dedicated sixth form college. 

There are specialist comprehensive schools such as Brymore, an agricultural comprehensive for boys; and Hockerill Anglo-European College, where every pupil studies at least two languages to GCSE and the International Baccalaureate post 16 (rather than A-levels). Some, like the ever-popular Ripon and Lancaster Grammar schools, are academically selective but others are comprehensives with a wide-ranging intake. A few, Sexey’s for example, are predominantly boarding with only a handful of day places; others like Keswick have only a small number of boarders but nevertheless consider boarders to be an integral and invaluable part of the school. Academically, SBSA schools have reputations to be proud of -  indeed two schools, Skegness Grammar and Reading School, topped this year’s value-added league tables, with five  SBSA schools in the top 50.  72% of GCSE pupils at the schools achieved five or more A-C grades.

Averages fees at State Boarding schools are in the order of £2000 per term, well within the Boarding School Allowance (though parents still have to make a minimum 10% contribution.)  Fees are kept to a minimum because the education of the child is free, so parents pay only for boarding and associated extras. Although class sizes are on the whole larger than in the independent sector, they are generally smaller than in many mainstream state schools. Some of the schools have links with charitable trusts and foundations, enabling them to provide facilities not usually associated with state schools.

Undoubtedly State Boarding Schools are a popular choice, so if you are considering this option, plan ahead. Apply in good time - preferably at least a year prior to the year of entry for your child. Schools publish admissions arrangements and usually boarding places are allocated ahead of day places. There are limited opportunities to place children into State Boarding Schools out-with the standard entry points (usually 11 or 13) and although schools will generally be full, places do occur from time to time so always ask – you’ve certainly nothing to lose.

If you want to find out more, visit the State Boarding Schools Association website at www.sbsa.org.uk or those of the individual schools, and send for a prospectus; if you like what you see, arrange a visit. Remember, even if you have your heart set on a particular school, visit more than one and that way you’ll have something to compare against. 

There are other low cost options to consider, such as Queen Victoria School in Scotland and the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover. Finally, don’t rule out the independent sector; many offer discounts, bursaries and scholarships, so do ask.

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Boarding School fees – an ever-increasing burden? By Sandra Hutchinson

For many Army children a boarding school education is an unavoidable necessity, and the MOD pays Boarding School Allowance (BSA) to assist parents in creating a stable education for their children, despite their many moves. Parents are free to select a boarding school from the Accredited Schools Database (ASD) (held by Regimental Administration Offices and SCE (UK)), and many families choose a school near to relatives who can provide the required guardianship if the family is posted overseas. 

BSA is meant to produce no more than 75% of fees, and parents are expected to contribute up to 25%, with a minimum contribution of 10%. However, a boarding education will never be an inexpensive option. Many parents may find they end up paying considerably more than 25% of the fees, particularly if their chosen school’s fees increase by more than the average of the schools on which BSA is calculated. This year it is anticipated that most boarding schools will increase their fees by around 10%, with increases in National Insurance and staffing costs being passed on directly to parents. As a rule of thumb, if fees go up by 10%, then BSA will only go up by 75% of that 10%. For example, if fees of £4000 go up 10% or £400, then BSA would increase by £300, leaving parents to pay another £100 per term. It should be understood that an increase in BSA costs the MOD more than the actual increase. BSA attracts a tax liability which is met centrally by the MOD and which effectively increases the cost of BSA by up to 80% in the UK.

An area of growing concern among Army families is the perception that BSA is not keeping pace with fees charged. As a result, school fees are an ever-increasing burden, especially in the 13+ (senior) age range, where the number of schools with affordable fees is limited. For many Service personnel the reality is that boarding may not be an affordable option. Some schools will provide additional assistance by way of bursaries or scholarships, but many senior and some junior schools have no difficulty filling places and so do not need to offer incentives to attract Forces children. It is not uncommon for the more popular senior schools to be full three years prior to a child’s year of entry and to request a hefty deposit 18 months in advance. If this sounds daunting, there are other options such as the STABIS (state boarding) schools, the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover or, for those with Scottish links, Queen Victoria School Dunblane. However, the location of these may not be ideal, and as places are limited, there may simply not be a space for your child. (NB whilst STABIS schools attract BSA, attendance at the Duke of York’s School or Queen Victoria School does not).

If you are finding boarding fees an ever-increasing burden, or feel you simply cannot afford to send your child to boarding school, or have any other views on the matter, AFF would like to hear from you.