E d u c a t i o n M a t t e r s
Education Matters There for Your Children
W
hen children move frequently from one school to another or between different educational
systems obtaining appropriate provision can be complex.
The Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS) is a tri-Service organisation funded by the MOD and provides information and advice as well as supporting parents at meetings with school, local authorities at tribunal and in other situations. No question is too small or too large for them to deal with. If they don’t know the answer to a question then they usually know someone who does.
These are just some of the areas they have dealt with recently: Moving school
Appealing for a school place Bullying Waiting lists
School exclusions Education overseas Funding for boarding schools Special educational needs Special schools
Autistic Spectrum Disorder
CEAS provides a dedicated service exclusively for Service and MOD families providing
32 Winter 2007
professional and impartial advice about all aspect of children's education both in the UK and Overseas. CEAS has full-time advisors to answer queries via telephone, e-mail or in person. CEAS provides the best advice available, free of charge, to all Service parents irrespective of rank or location.
New Staff with a focus on Special Educational Needs CEAS have employed two new Parent Partnership Officers, Sue Wright and Peter Flood. Their role is to assist parents who are experiencing difficulties with or have questions about their children’s education, with a particular focus on Special Educational Needs. They are also on hand to help parents who wish to appeal for school places for their children.
Based at CEAS Head Office in Upavon, Wiltshire, Sue and Peter can offer telephone support to parents, and, where logistics allow, will travel to visit families. They are able to offer valuable practical advice, drawing on the wealth of experience that both of them have in the world of education.
Sue comes from a teaching background, and spent twelve years working at a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) in Bedfordshire before coming to CEAS. PRUs exist to provide education for those children who, for one reason or
another, do not ‘fit’ into mainstream schools, although their focus is to get pupils back into mainstream education. Sue has worked with children with a range of SEN, including autistic spectrum disorders and behavioural issues.
Peter is well-acquainted with life in a Service family, as his father was in the Army and he served in the RAF; he also has a son who is a Royal Marine currently serving in Afghanistan. This background gives him a valuable insight into the issues faced by Service families. From the RAF Peter went into teaching, working at a boys’ school in Lincolnshire. He is also a Director of Grantham and District Mencap, an organisation which provides opportunities for adults with learning disabilities.
USEFUL SOURCES OF INFORMATION The CEAS Helpline
www.ceas.mod.uk 01980 61 8244
Department of Education and Skills
www.dfes.gov.uk
OfSTED Office for Standards in Education
www.ofsted.gov.uk 0845 6404040
Boarding School Association
www.boarding.org.uk 020 7798 1580 ACE Advsory Centre for Children
www.ace-ed.org.uk 020 7704 337 SCE Service Children’s Education
www.sceschools.com
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