The Royal British Legion has welcomed the Welsh Government’s decision to extend the Supporting Service Children in Wales fund.
The Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, has confirmed she has set aside £250,000 again for the 2019/20 academic year.
The Supporting Service Children in Wales Fund was set up in 2018 for schools to apply for funding for projects to assist schools with children of Armed Forces personnel and provided funding to 27 projects across Wales.
Originally the fund was set up in Wales because the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Education Support Fund (ESF), which also provides grants for schools with Service children, had been reduced and is now in its final year.
Kirsty Williams said: “I’m committed to equity of access to education for all children and young people and I recognise the particular challenges that face certain groups of learners, such as Service children.
“The Supporting Service Children in Wales Fund has been extremely successful, so I’m pleased to be able to continue this funding for another year, which has supported many interesting and innovative projects for Service children in schools across Wales.”
The continuation of this fund is fantastic news.Ant MetcalfeArea Manager for the Royal British Legion in Wales
Ant Metcalfe, Area Manager for the Royal British Legion in Wales, added: “We know that the children of Armed Forces personnel can face particular challenges such as frequent school moves or the emotional uncertainty that comes with having a parent deployed, so it is right that schools try to find ways to better support those children.
“We have already seen some fantastic successful bids in the fund’s first year and I look forward to seeing how this money is used to assist Service children in Wales going forward.”
View the list of schools that benefited from the fund in 2018/19.
