Service Children's Education (SCE) is an organisation of the United Kingdom government responsible for the education of the children of British Armed Forces families and Ministry of Defence (MoD) personnel serving outside of the United Kingdom. They provide schools and educational support services from Foundation Stage through to sixth form. They are headquartered at Trenchard Lines, Upavon, Wiltshire.
It was previously an executive agency of the MoD, but this status was removed on 31 March 2013 following the reduction of service personnel based abroad. However, it continues to operate under the SCE name as part of the MoD's Directorate Children and Young People (DCYP).
During the 1980s, the British Families Education Service (BFES) was renamed Service Children's School (SCS). In 1997 it took its current name Service Children's Education (SCE). Despite the various changes to the name and administration, it continues the mission of its predecessors: providing education for the children of British Armed Forces personnel. Former teachers who taught in SCE schools or under its previous incarnations the BFES and SCS may join the BFES/SCE Association.
Headquarters and offices
SCE are headquartered at Trenchard Lines, Upavon, Wiltshire. The business support office are co-located with that of the Children's Education and Advisory Service since August 2012.
SCE was headquartered in the Wegberg Military Complex in Wegberg, Germany, until 2012. It briefly moved to JHQ Rheindahlen, until that base closed, too, in 2013.
In addition SCE have offices in Bielefeld, Germany and Episkopi Cantonment, Cyprus.
Schools follow the English National Curriculum, administer national assessments and public examinations, and are inspected by Her Majesty's Inspectorate, via Ofsted. Teachers have recognised UK professional qualifications and the majority are recruited specially from the United Kingdom through the Civil Service.
The agency operates primary and secondary schools in Germany and Cyprus and also provides educational facilities in territories such as the Falklands and Gibraltar where there is a significant British military presence. The schools are typically grouped by garrison (including its outlying bases).
SecondaryKing's School, GüterslohMiddleJohn Buchan School, SennelagerPrimaryBlankenhagen School, GüterslohBielefeld School, BielefeldBishopspark First School, PaderbornHaig Primary School, GüterslohRobert Browning School, PaderbornSt David's Primary School, RamsteinWilliam Wordsworth First School, SennelagerSecondaryKing Richard School, DhekeliaSt. John's School, EpiskopiPrimaryAkrotiri School, RAF AkrotiriAyios Nikolaos School, Ayios Nikolaos StationEpiskopi Primary SchoolDhekelia Primary SchoolBFS Naples, ItalyHornbill School, BruneiMount Pleasant School, RAF Mount Pleasant, FalklandsSHAPE International School (British section), BelgiumSt. Christopher's Middle School, GibraltarRAF Secondary School - Khormaksar - AdenSecondary schoolsGloucester School, Hohne (closed July 2015)Kent School, Hostert, near Schwalmtal (boarding school) (closed 1993)Prince Rupert School, Rinteln (closed July 2014)King Alfred School, Plön (closed 1959)Windsor Boys' School, Hamm (boarding school)Windsor Girls' School, Hamm (boarding school)Windsor School, formerly Queen's School, Rheindahlen (closed July 2013)Primary/middle schoolsArk Primary School, JHQ Rheindahlen (closed July 2013)Bader First School, RAF BrüggenBrüggen School, Elmpt, formerly RAF Bruggen (closed July 2015)Cambridge Infant School, MünsterCheshire Middle School, RAF BruggenCharlottenburg First School (closed 1990s) – Its facilities was taken over by the newly founded Berlin British School in 1994.Derby School, Osnabrück (closed 2008)Hannover Primary SchoolHeide School, FallingbostelHemer Primary SchoolIserlohn Primary SchoolKrefeld Primary School (closed in 2002) – It is now the site of Franz-Stollwerck-Schule.Lancaster School, MindenLister Primary School, Herford (closed in July 2015)Marlborough School, OsnabrückMontgomery School, HohneMountbatten Primary School, CelleOxford Primary School, Münster (closed in 2013)Shackleton School, FallingbostelSir John Mogg Primary School, Detmold (closed July 2014)Slim School, BergenSt Andrew's Primary School, RheindahlenSt George's Primary School, RheindahlenSt Patrick's Primary School, RheindahlenSuffolk School, MindenYork Junior School, MünsterBFES Germany RAF BorgentreichSt George's School (closed 1996) – The Australian International School Hong Kong uses some of its former facilities.Gun Club Hill Primary School, Hong KongSecondary schoolsAlexandra Grammar School. Later merged into Bourne School, it is now the site of ISS International School Preston campus.Bourne SchoolGillman Secondary Modern School – later merged into Bourne School, the former compound (including Gillman Barracks) is now occupied by an art gallery, the NTU Contemporary Art Singapore (NTU CCA), and other small businesses.St John's School. In 1971, the United World College of South East Asia, then known as the Singapore International School, was established at St John's former campus; it adopted its present name in 1975.Primary schoolsAlexandra Junior SchoolChangi Junior SchoolPasir Panjang Junior SchoolSeletar Junior SchoolTengah Junior SchoolInfants schools
Tanglin Infants School, Tanglin Barracks, Dempsey RoadAlexandra Infant School