Festival of Friends: Leading the Way in Supporting Service Children

We are proud to be part of the Festival of Friends, an innovative year-long project bringing together schools, local authorities and Brunel University of London, to improve the educational and pastoral experiences of children from Armed Forces families. As a participating school, we are not simply accessing support — we are actively contributing to a regional network that shares expertise, develops staff practice and explores new ways to ensure Service children thrive. Through professional learning, collaboration with other schools and engagement with the Service Children’s Progression Alliance’s Thriving Lives Toolkit, we are evaluating and strengthening our own provision so that the unique experiences of Armed Forces families are understood, recognised and supported throughout school life.

What makes this opportunity particularly special is the way it gives our pupils a voice and opens doors beyond school. Our children will have the opportunity to take part in a university-based Pupil Voice conference, experience a Higher Education environment and discover the possibilities available to them after the age of 18. Alongside this, our school is undertaking its own improvement project, allowing us to develop sustainable changes that will have a lasting impact on our Service children and their families. We are also sharing our learning with colleagues and the wider school community, ensuring that the benefits extend far beyond the individual pupils involved. This commitment reflects our determination to provide opportunities that are ambitious, inclusive and specifically responsive to the needs of our Armed Forces families.

The project will culminate in a very special Festival of Friends celebration in summer 2027, bringing together participating children, school staff, local authority and Armed Forces welfare teams and other partners to celebrate progress and achievement. Being part of this initiative demonstrates our commitment to doing more than simply recognising the needs of Service children: we are actively helping to shape better practice, giving our pupils meaningful opportunities to influence change and connecting them with experiences that many children may not otherwise have. We are delighted to be part of a project that puts Service children at the heart of educational improvement and celebrates the unique contribution they make to our school community.