Education

Starcatchers 

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust has funded Argyll and Bute Council to work in partnership with Starcatchers, Scotland's arts and early years organisation, to bring Wee People, Big Feelings to nurseries in Helensburgh and the surrounding areas in 2024-2026 for Naval Families.

Starcatchers’ Wee People, Big Feelings project, is a programme focused on forces families with wee ones from two years old to age five and ELC practitioners using creativity to support wee ones to understand and express their feelings. The training programme includes mentoring sessions in three local nurseries and childminders with Starcatchers Artists working directly with the staff and little ones.

Supporting Forces Children from the Start: A Conversation with Early Years Scotland

Forces Children Scotland’s Judith Blair joins Early Years Scotland’s Lorna Kettles to discuss the unique challenges young children in forces families face.  From frequent moves to parental deployments, Judith highlights the importance of early years support, wellbeing programs, and co-designed resources.  She also shares a new partnership with Early Years Scotland to train professionals and provide flexible support, ensuring children and young people feel safe, valued and nurtured. 

First Steps - Forces Children Scotland and Early Years Scotland Partnership

Not every child’s early years look the same. For babies and young children in Armed Forces families, experiences like deployment, frequent moves, and separation are woven into family life from the start. This can have a real impact on a young child’s emotional wellbeing, sense of stability, and ability to form attachments.

First Steps is a partnership between Forces Children Scotland and Early Years Scotland that brings together the voices of Armed Forces families and early years professionals to co-create learning that is practical, relevant, and rooted in real life. 

Their aim is to support more confident practitioners, greater professional insight, and better outcomes for the youngest children connected to Forces life.

This resource hub brings together a range of professional learning materials, from the project and beyond. It’s a supportive, collaborative space designed to deepen your understanding and enrich your work with children aged newborn to five for Armed Forces families.

Here, you’ll find information rooted in professional expertise and lived experience, including:

• Recorded webinars and podcasts, with guests such as Dr. Marg Rogers and Dandelion Military Families

• Practical information and guidance for parents and practitioners
• Storybooks and further resources to support your practice

We recognise and value the work of other organisations in this field, so you’ll also find a selection of trusted organisations and resources to help you support children and families effectively.

Forces Children Education

Forces Children Education provides a range of resources for education staff e.g. 

• Downloadable Learning Resources
• Toolkit for Teachers
• Highlighting good practice

Google Classroom 

The Service Pupil Advisor has created an Armed Forces Info and Resources Google Classroom which is accessible for all school staff across Argyll and Bute Council. 

• Under Classwork you will find info on the following:-
• Deployment
• Moving
• Funding
• Monthly Updates
• And more 

To access this Google Classroom please contact Emer Flett, Service Pupil Advisor on emer.flett@argyll-bute.gov.uk

Forces Friday 

Forces Friday events have taken place in various schools across Helensburgh and Lomond, providing a welcoming opportunity for our Armed Forces families to come into schools, connect with partner organisations, socialise with other Armed Forces families, meet school staff and take part in a range of activities and experiences (with visits from the Royal Navy STEM Team, MOD Police and Royal Navy Police).

To date, Forces Friday events have taken place at:- 

• St Joseph’s Primary & ELC – 8th November 2024
• Colgrain Primary & ELC – 31st January 2025
• Rhu Primary – 28th February 2025
• Hermitage Primary – 28th April 2025
• Hermitage Academy – 20th June 2025
• Garelochhead Primary – 29th August 2025
• JLB Primary (including Arrochar and Parklands) – 24th October 2025
• Cardross Primary (including Luss) – 30th January 2026
• Vale of Leven Academy (For all West Dunbartonshire schools) – 27th March 2026
• St Joseph’s Primary (including Rosneath and Kilcreggan) – 24th April 2026

Naval Family Federation – Armed Forces Support and Guidance for Schools

We’re pleased to share that the Armed Forces Support and Guidance for Schools resource has been updated and is now available on the Naval Families Federation website.

This refreshed guidance provides schools with practical advice, tools, and insights to better support children and young people from Armed Forces families - particularly during periods of transition, deployment, and reintegration.

Find out more about Naval Family Federation

Forces Children Scotland - Camouflaged in the Education System: The Experiences of Children and Young People from Armed Forces Families

This powerful new report highlights the experiences of children and young people from Armed Forces families.

The ask is clear: they need understanding, consistency and support that follows them, rather than support that resets every time they move. 

The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland asked us to gather their voices - and this report shares what they had to say.

Find out more about Forces Children Scotland

Armed Forces Children’s Transitions Between Education Systems – An Educators’ Toolkit

This toolkit has been developed specifically to help educators support Armed Forces children’s transitions between different education systems.

Using this resource, educators can help children and young people from UK Armed Forces families experience positive transitions and thrive academically, socially and emotionally, wherever they move in the UK or overseas.

It was developed collaboratively by education practitioners and education policy professionals from across Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England. This involved officials from Government Departments, local authority officers, schools and Service charities from across the UK.

While the sections of the toolkit combine to form a comprehensive resource, they are also designed to be accessed independently, allowing users to select and apply the elements most relevant to their specific needs or context. Users will note that there are links to specific resources, which have been selected to complement particular transition activities.

Find out more about Armed Forces Children’s Transitions Between Education Systems

We’re pleased to share a range of training opportunities, webinars and podcasts designed to support schools in meeting the needs of children and young people from Armed Forces families.

Whether you’re a teacher, support staff member, or part of the wider school community, these sessions are a great opportunity to enhance your knowledge and confidence.

Forces Children Scotland Training Modules

Forces Children Scotland provides various training and CPD opportunities for educators, professionals or anyone else who wants to make a positive impact on the lives of forces children in Scotland e.g.

• Accredited Online Webinars
• Online Learning Modules
• Face to Face Training

The Deployment Rollercoaster Webinar 

On the 11th September 2025, Forces Children Scotland hosted an online Webinar for school and nursery staff across Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire.

The session was designed for staff with little or no prior knowledge of the challenges faced by Armed Forces children and young people. It provided practical information and resources to support staff in their day-to-day practice.

A recording of this session is  available on You Tube

Early Years Support with Dr Marg Rogers/Armed Forces Children and Young People Conversations

Here’s a recording of a special in conversation session with Dr Marg Rogers, a leading researcher in early childhood and military family life.  Dr Rogers shares her insights and responds to questions and help us build a deeper understanding of what forces life means for the youngest children and how professionals can best support them.

Supporting Forces Children from the Start: A Conversation with Early Years Scotland

Forces Children Scotland’s Judith Blair joins Early Years Scotland’s Lorna Kettles to discuss the unique challenges young children in forces families face.  From frequent moves to parental deployments, Judith highlights the importance of early years support, wellbeing programs, and co-designed resources.  She also shares a new partnership with Early Years Scotland to train professionals and provide flexible support, ensuring children and young people feel safe, valued and nurtured. 

Forces Children Scotland – Your Mind Matters

Many children and young people told us being in an Armed Forces or Veteran family can lead to unique challenges when it comes to mental health and wellbeing.

They also said civilian friends, teachers and decision makers don’t understand how the lives they lead can impact how they can feel on a day to day basis. 

We spoke to some students at Hermitage Academy, Helensburgh and here’s what they had to say:-

The best things about being from a force’s family, as well as some of the unique challenges they face

What it’s like when a parent is deployed

What should civilian friends, teachers and decision makers know to better support you?

Thanks to funding from The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Service Pupil Support Programme (2025 – 2027) children and young people from serving Armed Forces families (regular and reserve) can benefit from extra support in our Helensburgh and Lomond schools and during the school holidays as follows:-

Woodlandwise Forest School

Outdoor learning sessions delivered in schools over an eight-week period, providing children and young people from Armed Forces families with opportunities to develop resilience, improve wellbeing, build confidence, and strengthen their connection with nature through engaging, hands-on activities.

The Exchange Wellbeing Sessions 

Targeted small-group wellbeing sessions delivered in schools over an eight-week period to support the emotional wellbeing, confidence, and resilience of children and young people from Armed Forces families, helping them to build positive coping strategies and thrive both in school and beyond.

Since the project began in April 2025, Armed Forces children and young people attending the following schools have had the opportunity to benefit:-

Woodlandwise Forest School

• Hermitage Academy
• Colgrain Primary
• Kilcreggan Primary
• Rosneath Primary
• JLB Primary
• Hermitage Primary
• Rhu Primary

The Exchange Wellbeing Sessions

• Hermitage Primary
• Cardross Primary
• Parklands School
• St Joseph’s Primary
• Hermitage Academy
• Colgrain Primary
• Garelochhead Primary

From August 2026 – June 2027 sessions will take place in the following schools

Woodlandwise Forest School

• Rhu Primary
• Luss Primary
• Cardross Primary
• St Joseph’s Primary
• Garelochhead Primary

The Exchange Wellbeing Sessions

• Kilcreggan Primary
• JLB Primary
• Hermitage Academy
• Rhu Primary
• Hermitage Primary
• Luss Primary
• Colgrain Primary

Holiday Sessions

Both organisations will deliver sessions across the two-year period (2025 – 2027) during school holidays e.g. February break, Easter holidays, Summer holidays and October break providing ongoing opportunities for children and young people from Armed Forces families to access additional support out of school time.

In addition to wellbeing activities, The Exchange also offers literacy and numeracy support during its school holiday sessions, providing children and young people with opportunities to build confidence and strengthen key skills in a supportive and engaging environment.

If you would like to find out more about these sessions, or be notified when bookings open, please complete the register your interest form

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The Service Pupil Advisor produces a Monthly Newsletter to keep schools, nurseries, and Armed Forces families up to date with the support, activities, and events taking place across Helensburgh & Lomond. The newsletter highlights what's happening in schools, celebrates achievements, and shares information about upcoming opportunities and available support.

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