Andover College hosted several local schools, military representatives and community partners to strengthen support for children and young people from Armed Forces families through the signing of an Education Covenant for Service Children.
Representatives came together in Andover College’s Business Hub on Wednesday 30 September 2026 to formally sign the Education Covenant, reinforcing a shared commitment to ensure that service children experience no educational disadvantage because of service life. The signing marks the beginning of a continued collaboration, creating a stronger network between local education providers and the military community and reaffirming a simple but important commitment: Service life should never be a barrier to a young person’s education, wellbeing or future.
Representatives from Wellington School, The Stonehenge School, Harrow Way Community School, John Hanson School, Winton Community Academy, Danebury School, Kingdown School and Devizes School & Sixth Form College attended alongside delegates from Sparsholt College Group, the Forces Employment Charity, Army Community Support and the Armed Forces.
The Covenant recognises some of the unique circumstances that service children may encounter, including mobility, deployment and family separation. Signatories commit to working collectively to provide consistent, transparent and sustainable support, making reasonable adjustments where disadvantage exists.
By strengthening connections between schools, colleges, Armed Forces representatives and community organisations, the partnership aims to make support more consistent at every stage of a young person’s educational journey. It is also an important opportunity for education providers and the military community to share knowledge and ensure that service children receive appropriate support throughout their education.
Under the Education Covenant, participating schools and colleges will identify a Service Children Lead, strengthen staff awareness of service life and provide additional support around transitions, mobility and wellbeing where appropriate. Signatories will also create opportunities for service children to connect with each other and have their voices heard, while collectively recognising and celebrating the Armed Forces community through initiatives including the Month of the Military Child and at least one service child focused event each academic year.
The Covenant places particular importance on transition and participating institutions have committed to enhanced support for students joining during the academic year, timely sharing of relevant academic and pastoral information, named contacts or peer support, and reasonable flexibility around late starts linked to postings.
For Sparsholt College Group, the initiative builds upon the College Group’s wider commitment to the Armed Forces community having recently achieved a Silver Award through the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme for proudly supporting those who serve.
Nikki Yates, Assistant Principal at Andover College has said:
“Working closely with our Armed Forces community is incredibly important to us. Service children can experience circumstances that other students may not encounter, particularly around mobility, deployment and family separation, and education should provide consistency and support throughout those experiences.
By bringing schools, colleges, military representatives and community organisations together through this Covenant, we can share knowledge, strengthen our support and ensure Service children and their families know that there is a network around them.
“We are incredibly proud of our existing commitment to the Armed Forces community, including our Silver Employer Recognition Scheme Award, and this Covenant represents another important step in strengthening those relationships.”
Importantly, the partnership also gives Service children a voice. Each signatory will provide a safe way for young people to share feedback or raise concerns, as well as opportunities to connect with other Service children through groups, events, mentoring or shared activities.
The Covenant will be reviewed every two to three years, allowing partners to share learning, discuss challenges and continue developing effective practice as the needs of Service families evolve.
Interested to learn more about how Sparsholt College Group supports service families? Book for an open event below:
Andover: https://www.andover.ac.uk/book-open-events/
Sparsholt: https://www.sparsholt.ac.uk/opendays/