§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Defence how a decision is made on the suitability of a school for children of service personnel whose fees are paid in part or in full by Her Majesty's services; and what arrangements are made to ensure the continuing suitability of any such school.
§ Mr. LeeThe onus for deciding which school a service man's child should attend rests firmly on the parent. Among the factors that he should consider are that the school chosen is within his means, that it can provide continuity of education for a stage of education ie primary/secondary and that satisfactory arrangement exist for the child's welfare wherever he might be serving. He can obtain advice and assistance in making the choice from his local education officer who will usually recommend that he visits the chosen school before his child is entered. However the school chosen must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom Department of Education and additionally the school authority or local education authority must manage, control and wholly maintain the facilities for the board and accommodation of the child.
Records are maintained of boarding schools attended by children of service parents and schools are visited periodically by officers of the Service Childrens Education Authority. Any cases of dissatisfaction with a particular school registered by individual parents are investigated by SCEA who may refer the matter to the appropriate United Kingdom Department of education.