Pembrokeshire County Council’s Education Welfare Service, in partnership with SSCE Cymru, has launched a pioneering initiative recognising, supporting and celebrating children from Armed Forces families.
This initiative sees the formation of the first Military Pupil Promise in Wales, which encompasses military families across the local authority.
The project saw almost 70 service children come together to help develop the promise, giving them a direct voice in shaping how schools and the local authority support them.
It aims to strengthen understanding of the unique challenges faced by service pupils, such as frequent moves and parental deployments, while promoting consistency, belonging, and emotional wellbeing in education.
The children shared that it is important to them for their peers, and teachers, understand what life is like for military children.
Developing a clear local Military Pupil Promise brings schools, families and community partners together to ensure every service child feels valued and supported to achieve their full potential.
This initiative also reinforces the local authority’s ongoing commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, ensuring that those who serve, or have served, and their families are treated fairly and receive the support they deserve.
The Military Pupil Promise includes raising awareness, training for school staff and connecting schools through a Pembrokeshire Military Children Champion network to share best ideas.
As the first of its kind in Wales, the Military Pupil Promise sets a strong example of best practice, and the local authority hopes that other councils across Wales will follow suit, working collectively to build a national culture of understanding, respect and support for service pupils and their families.
“Developing the Service Pupil Promise is about recognising and celebrating the unique experiences of our service children, while ensuring they feel fully understood, supported and valued within our schools and community.
“For us as a local authority, it’s not just a pledge, it’s a commitment to listening, learning, and working together so that every service pupil can thrive, no matter where their journey takes them,” said Kelly Hamid – Education Welfare Service Manager.
