Service Children's Education (SCE) is an organisation of the United Kingdom government responsible for the education of the children of British Armed Forces families and Ministry of Defence (MoD) personnel serving outside of the United Kingdom. They provide schools and educational support services from Foundation Stage through to sixth form. They are headquartered at Trenchard Lines, Upavon, Wiltshire.
It was previously an executive agency of the MoD, but this status was removed on 31 March 2013 following the reduction of service personnel based abroad. However, it continues to operate under the SCE name as part of the MoD's Directorate Children and Young People (DCYP).
History
During the 1980s, the British Families Education Service (BFES) was renamed Service Children's School (SCS). In 1997 it took its current name Service Children's Education (SCE). Despite the various changes to the name and administration, it continues the mission of its predecessors: providing education for the children of British Armed Forces personnel. Former teachers who taught in SCE schools or under its previous incarnations the BFES and SCS may join the BFES/SCE Association.
Management
Headquarters and offices
SCE are headquartered at Trenchard Lines, Upavon, Wiltshire. The business support office are co-located with that of the Children's Education and Advisory Service since August 2012.
SCE was headquartered in the Wegberg Military Complex in Wegberg, Germany, until 2012. It briefly moved to JHQ Rheindahlen, until that base closed, too, in 2013.
In addition SCE have offices in Bielefeld, Germany and Episkopi Cantonment, Cyprus.
Curriculum
Schools follow the English National Curriculum, administer national assessments and public examinations, and are inspected by Her Majesty's Inspectorate, via Ofsted. Teachers have recognised UK professional qualifications and the majority are recruited specially from the United Kingdom through the Civil Service.
Schools
The agency operates primary and secondary schools in Europe and Asia and also provides educational facilities in territories such as the Falklands and Gibraltar where there is a significant British military presence. The schools are typically grouped by garrison (including its outlying bases).
Schools are:
Belgium
SHAPE Primary School (British section), Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Belgium
Brunei
Treetops Early Years Setting and Hornbill Primary School (Seria)
Cyprus
King Richard Secondary School, Dhekelia
St. John's Secondary School, Episkopi
Akrotiri Early Years Setting and Akrotiri Primary School, RAF Akrotiri
Ayios Nikolaos Early Years Setting and Ayios Nikolaos Primary School, Ayios Nikolaos Station Dhekelia Early Years Setting and Dhekelia Primary School Episkopi Early Years Setting and Episkopi Primary School
Falkland Islands
Mount Pleasant Primary School, RAF Mount Pleasant, Falklands
Germany
Attenborough Early Years and Attenborough Primary School (Sennelager) St David’s Primary School (Ramstein)
Gibraltar
Sunflowers Early Years Setting and St Christopher’s Early Years Foundation Stage
Italy
BFS Naples Primary School , Italy
Netherlands
AFNORTH Primary School (Brunssum)
Former Schools
Germany
Secondary schools
Cornwall School, Dortmund
Edinburgh School, Münster
Gloucester School, Hohne (closed July 2015) Havel School, RAF Gatow, Berlin. Closed 1994. Was also the primary school until the building of Gatow First school in 1977 Kent School, Hostert, near Schwalmtal (boarding school) (closed 1993) King Alfred School, Plön (closed 1959) King's School, Gütersloh (closed 2019) Prince Rupert School, Rinteln (closed July 2014) Windsor Boys' School, Hamm (boarding school) (closed 1983) Windsor Girls' School, Hamm (boarding school) Windsor School, formerly Queen's School, Rheindahlen (closed July 2013) Virtual Tour of the Windsor School / Windsor Boys School Hamm, Germany