Around a third of our pupils come from families with a service background, predominantly based at nearby RAF Benson. As such, we take part in and observe events throughout the school year in recognition of this-  including some year groups taking part in ‘Camo’ Day at RAF Benson, observing and learning about Remembrance in November and covering what the Armed forces do for us in PSHE lessons.

We understand that service children are unique and face additional challenges and, in recognition of this, have started a new pastoral support group – ‘Dream Team’ (as named by the children!). Its aim is to give pupils from service families space and time to talk and take part in activities that:

Promote pride in their service background, boost their self-esteem and well-being, and give them a voice about how the school continues to work with and support service families in the future.

The group is fun and informal and supports the children with a range of challenges linked to life as a ‘military child’, including:

Parental deployments, ‘weekending’, upcoming postings away from RAF Benson and arriving new to Ewelme.

It also provides opportunities for the older children to offer advice and support to their younger peers and develop relationships that can be built on at other times around the school.