Service pupils and belonging

Description

Service pupils are children of current or former armed forces personnel. Their lives are often characterised by an intersection of experiences, including those arising from the fact of life in the forces. For many families, particularly Army families, mobility is an inevitable feature of Service life. Armed forces families can find themselves relocating from one part of the country to another or even internationally, as per operational requirements. For Service pupils this means transferring schools, which can entail re-building relationships with peers and teachers, re-shaping school routines and navigating discontinuity in learning. Quickly establishing a sense of belonging in their new school can therefore be a protective factor. For schools, the key challenges are how to effectively support Service pupils in settling into their new environment and how to minimise the impact of curricular discontinuity. This presentation draws on learning from an evaluation of a mobile pupil transition scheme at a large mixed state secondary school in the south west of England. Reflections from pupils, parents/carers and school staff illuminate the importance of: proactive engagement with families pre-start; a deliberately structured approach to pupil integration that supports building positive relations with staff and peers; diagnostic academic assessment to support accurate placement; classroom practice that is consistent and high-quality; and a strategic whole-school approach to managing and supporting pupil transition.

Period	7 Jul 2026
Event title	The International Education Studies Association Conference 2026: A Tapestry of Voices: Weaving Inclusivity into Education and Conferences
Event type	Conference
Location	Wolverhampton, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International