Service pupils
Information about how to access support for students who are service children, including useful links.
Who is a ‘service pupil’ or ‘service child’?
The Service Children’s Progression (SCiP) Alliance defines a service child as:
‘a person whose parent or carer serves in the Regular Armed Forces, or as a Reservist, or has done at any point during the first 25 years of that person’s life’.
Although the SCiP Alliance uses the term ‘service child’ in its definition, other terms may be used, such as ‘service pupil’ and ‘young person from an Armed Forces family’. Study Higher primarily uses the term ‘service pupil’.
Contextual Information
Across England there are nearly 80,000 service pupils, with 81% of secondary schools having at least one student in receipt of Service Pupil Premium (SPP) (government funding for schools to provide additional support for service pupils). Within the Study Higher region (Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Swindon) there are 5753 service pupils in total, of which 2140 are secondary school students.
Young people from Armed Forces families are underrepresented in higher education (HE) in England compared to the national average, and research suggests that this gap has increased in recent years.
Due to the nature of military family life, service pupils have a variety of experiences and needs that are influenced by multiple factors, such as mobility and deployment. These factors can have an impact on young people in various ways, for example on their attainment, wellbeing and engagement with school, in addition to HE progression.
Overall, Study Higher works to support the many service pupils within its region and tackle the HE participation gap.
Study Higher events for service pupils
In 2021, Study Higher started its Future Focus programme to specifically support service pupils. We organise higher education (HE) campus visits and events for service pupils within the Study Higher region that give impartial information about future options and an experience of HE. Please see details of our upcoming events below (more details to be confirmed for the 2024/25 academic year).
Arts and Humanities Day
When: Thursday 21st November 2023
Where: Oxford Brookes University, Harcourt Hill campus
Year group: 9 and 10
Agenda:
- Interactive workshops in the arts and humanities, including a creative translation session with the University of Oxford
- Speed-interviewing with professionals and students in the arts and humanities
How to register your school:
Please contact Rosanna Mills at: r.mills@brookes.ac.uk
The impact of Future Focus in 2023/24
In 2023/24, Study Higher organised three campus events for service pupils through the Future Focus programme, addressing the unique experiences of young people from Armed Forces families and supporting higher education progression. Since 2021 we have worked with 109 service pupils in years 9-11 and facilitated eight events with different higher education institutions providing young people with the opportunity to explore different progression pathways.
Please see our 2023/24 impact report below.
Feedback for Future Focus 2023-24
Really engaged and the students who thought they wouldn’t enjoy it, joined in and gave it a go.
Teacher Feedback
It was great hearing from everyone. They made me feel better about not being certain about what I want to do.
Service Pupil Feedback
Learnt more [about] different STEM opportunities available for me in the future and the support I can get in HE.
Service Pupil Feedback
Helped me better understand myself and others and helped me with social skills and working as a team.
Service Pupil Feedback
Increased my knowledge of higher education and helped me make up my mind what I want to do in years to come.
Service Pupil Feedback
It's interesting and makes students realise that university isn't just for 'clever' people.
Teacher Feedback
It helped with taking responsibility of myself loads more.
Service Pupil Feedback
The people involved were really friendly and approachable. It was an engaging event with motivational people. I feel better about maybe applying to a university.
Service Pupil Feedback
Applying to do a degree at college or university:
If you are a service pupil who is thinking of applying for a degree, or you are supporting a service pupil, you might find this information useful. We have highlighted some key information about UCAS, personal statements and UCAS’ ‘tick the box’, which informs HE providers of a young person’s service pupil status.
Support from HEIs for service pupils
The guidance document below details the support available that is offered across the country for students from Armed Forces families who are considering university/higher education level study.