Army children struggle to cope while Dad's in Afghanistan

Published on Tuesday 1 February 2011 15:24

THE Armed Forces are building up a database of every schoolchild of service parents in Scotland in a bid to ensure they receive adequate support.

Ministry of Defence chiefs say children of personnel serving in the RAF, Army or Royal Navy can face poor results and bullying as well as frequent family moves around the UK or abroad.

They are now conducting the first survey in Scotland to alert local authorities to how many "service children" are in each school so appropriate support can be offered.

At Colinton Primary, near Redford Barracks in Edinburgh, 90 per cent of the roll is made up of service children, while Leuchars Primary in Fife has 85 per cent RAF children. Many schools have no service children, while others have merely a handful.

However, there is currently no accurate figure for the number of children from the families of the approximately 7,000 service personnel in Scotland.

Major David Harvey, who is responsible for engaging with local education authorities within 51 (Scottish) Brigade area, is compiling the survey. He said schools have to consider the effect when a parent goes on operations, such as 3 Rifles leaving for Kenya earlier this month.

He said: "When a parent is on operation, you get a good percentage of children who are affected and their education will take a dent and it will hold them back slightly.

"Most other children do not have the worry whether dad will be injured or killed.

"We have an approximate figure, but don't know exactly how many service children attend schools in Scotland. Our aim is to find out.

"When a dad is sent to Afghanistan, some kids will go to school and will be depressed, some will go quiet, some will go aggressive.

That stress has probably been passed on from mum.

"We have to make sure schools recognise that a pupil's parent is away - most parents will tell the school, but some don't want the school to know because of a perceived stigma."

Major Harvey said that the rapid flow of information, particularly via mobile phones, means an additional stress for children of service personnel when they hear someone has been killed in Afghanistan.

He said: "We are still learning to comprehend what a service child is going through, especially if dad is a combat soldier on the ground."

A report from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Children's Fund last year said service children feel the effect of war more acutely than the average civilian family.

Carolyn MacLeod, manager of Education Project Scotland with the Royal Caledonian Schools Trust, said there needed to be "more awareness" in Scotland, among the armed forces and teachers and other professionals, about the challenges facing military families.

James MacBain, chief executive of the trust, said: "We are fully supportive of 51 Brigade's undertaking of this excellent survey. It will heighten awareness within national and local government and among the civilian and military organisations of the support these children require."