St Athan Primary awarded Gold Armed Forces Friendly School Status
St Athan Primary School has been awarded Gold Status as an Armed Forces Friendly School by Supporting Service Children in Education (SSCE) Cymru.
This news comes after the school previously gained bronze and silver awards and provided a welcome boost as pupils returned to school following a recent fire.
The accolade recognises the school’s efforts to support service children, their families and the wider armed forces community, which is prominent in the village.
Helping Entitled Persons from Afghanistan, who have assisted British Forces in that country, has been a major focus of recent work while that group stay in temporary accommodation on the nearby Ministry of Defence (MoD) base.
Cllr Eddie Williams, Armed Forces Champion, said: “I’d like to congratulate St Athan Primary school for the level of commitment it has shown to gain this award, particularly the kind way people from Afghanistan have been welcomed and supported. This and other work not only helps service children but also links the school more closely with the Armed Forces element of the community.
“I hope this announcement provides all connected with the school a welcome boost as life gets back to normal following the fire.
“This Council has a long history of welcoming children of Service Personnel to our schools. There are currently 315 pupils from this background being taught in the County and they make up 16.5 per cent of children at St Athan Primary.
“We have renewed our Armed Forces Covenant, a voluntary pledge that organisations take to demonstrate their support for the military community. Its principles ensure that those who serve, or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly and with respect.
“A dedicated Council officer is employed to operate the Authority’s Veteran’s Advice Service, providing free and impartial information, advice and support to members of the Armed Forces Community within the Vale.
“The Council also has a Gold Defence Employer Recognition Award (ERS), reflecting its work in this area.”
To achieve Gold Status schools must:
- Have previously been awarded Bronze and Silver Armed Forces Friendly School Cymru status
- Celebrate Month of the Military Child (April)
- Embed a process for listening to your Service children and creating opportunities for them to share their experiences
- Implement actions identified through the Service Children’s Progression (SCiP) Alliance Thriving Lives Toolkit, which involves developing or embedding seven principles
- Complete at least 80 per cent of activities and actions on the school checklist
St Athan Primary has worked in partnership with the Council’s Learning Links Team to develop the schools Policy for Service Children.
It has also collaborated with that team and the MoD to support parents and children from Afghanistan.
The Little Troopers group has been established for service children and recently organised activities with other pupils to celebrate Armed Forces Day.