Education overseas for service children
The education provision for service children overseas can be categorised as Defence Children Services (DCS) Schools and Settings or non MOD schools locations.
Moving overseas
There are lots of things parents need to consider when taking their children overseas.
Before accepting an overseas assignment, we encourage all parents to contact the Overseas Education and Supportability team on RC-DCS-HQ-OES@mod.gov.uk for advice and guidance.
As the MOD send personnel to a range of locations overseas, it is important for parents to understand what education is available in areas to which they intend to move and whether there is any information specific to that location they need to consider. For example, many countries do not have the same qualification structures (GCSE, A-Level) as the UK and this should be taken into account.
The availability of support for children with additional needs is another important factor and, for this reason, all children must go through an assessment of educational supportability before moving overseas.
DCS schools and settings
The MOD provides schools and early years settings in key locations overseas and these are run by Defence Children Services (DCS). DCS schools and settings provide education to the dependent children of service personnel and MOD-entitled civilians, entitled contractors and fee payers. DCS schools and settings are predominantly overseas, with one school in Scotland. For information and guidance specifically for Queen Victoria School in Scotland, please see Education in the UK.
The diverse locations of our schools and the dedication of our staff ensure pupils engage in a rich and fulfilling curriculum whilst overseas. DCS schools and settings overseas mirror the English education system including Ofsted inspections, assessments and examinations. This enables pupils to transition from our overseas schools and settings to UK based schools and nurseries with the minimum amount of disruption. We work closely with UK schools and local authorities to ensure information is shared to support the varying needs of pupils.
Locations where there are no DCS schools or early years settings
Supporting children’s education in isolated detachment (ISODET) areas
There are many locations around the world where service personnel and their families may be posted, which are not served by a DCS school. Children’s education in these locations can either be provided by local state schools or by schools from the independent or international school sector.
As stated in JSP 342 v5.2 Chapter 4, in countries where the first language is English, children accompanying their parents on assignments are expected to attend local state provided schooling, unless this is deemed inappropriate (either at an individual student level or more broadly incompatible with the UK education system). There are significant benefits associated with a student being immersed in the local education system, however there are occasions where the local education system is deemed inappropriate for the needs of students from the UK.
The decision whether a local state provided school system is appropriate is either made through the completion by the Global Education team in Armed Forces Families and Safeguarding (AFFS) of an Educational Suitability Review (ESR) or through casework. This is submitted to AFFS by parents following conversations with their receiving command requesting schooling provided by the international or independent sector.
It is parents’ responsibility to research and find a school place in areas where there are no DCS schools or early years settings. The MOD do not approve schools overseas. If the assignment is to an overseas area not supported by a DCS school/setting, service personnel should liaise with the gaining command and/or the current role incumbent. They may have advice on schools in the area and/or provide details of where service children have attended in the past.
It is important for parents to note:
The impact of different education systems:
- Parents will need to fully research the local educational provision in the location of the overseas assignment and ensure they are content that the provision on offer is suitable for their child’s needs. Many schools overseas will follow a different curriculum to schools in the UK. Therefore, it is important that parents are aware of any curriculum differences. Year group ages may also vary as well as school starting ages.
The impact of transitional phases of education during and after an assignment:
- This may include moves from early years provision to primary school, primary school to secondary school or secondary to post-16 education. Parents will also need to consider the educational impact of transition back to the English education system (or devolved administration equivalent) at the end of assignment. This includes transfer into a critical stage of education (such as GCSE) course which may include public examinations.
For further guidance and advice, contact the OES team directly on RC-DCS-HQ-OES@mod.gov.uk
Educational Supportability
What is ‘Confirmation of Educational Supportability’ and why is it required?
All children aged 0 to 18 years of age require confirmation of educational supportability before accompanying their parent on an overseas assignment. Defence Children Services’ (DCS) educational supportability assessment is part of the overarching MOD Assessment of Supportability Overseas (MASO) process. To gain confirmation of educational supportability, a child must be supportable in the overseas location.
Confirmation of educational supportability is required:
- so the overseas Command and school/setting are able to consider whether appropriate support and educational provision is available to meet the individual needs of all children;
- so schools and settings have early knowledge of a child’s needs, to prepare for, and ensure, a smooth transition;
- so parents have the chance to consider the variability of provision in overseas locations, to make informed choices and not be disadvantaged as the result of an overseas assignment.
If a child is not accompanying parents on an overseas assignment and is accessing educational provision in the UK, confirmation of educational supportability is not required. For example, if a child is at boarding school in the UK or residing with a guardian.
Confirmation of educational supportability also forms part of the overall overseas assignment procedures co-ordinated through the Families Section and/or DBS. They will seek evidence that ‘Confirmation of Educational Supportability’ has been given prior to completing all necessary arrangements. Parents are encouraged to engage with the process at the earliest possible time to avoid unnecessary delays to assignments.
In most locations, it is important to have a confirmed school place before an assessment of supportability can take place. This is so that provision in the receiving country can be considered. In some locations, such as the USA, a school place will not be offered before families arrive in location. In these circumstances, parents are advised to contact the OES team directly on RC-DCS-HQ-OES@mod.gov.uk
If a child will be attending a DCS school/setting, parents should make contact with the school directly and follow their admissions process (including the educational supportability assessment). Further information can be found on each DCS school/setting’s website.
For areas not supported by DCS school or early years settings, parents should contact the the OES team directly on RC-DCS-HQ-OES@mod.gov.uk
How to start the Education Supportability Assessment process
Once parents have chosen a school (where this is possible), the first step is to complete . Individual forms need to be completed for each accompanying child aged 0 to 18 years.
For school age children (5 to 18), parents will also need to request that their child’s current school complete the .
For non-school age children (0 to 5), you will need to request that your child’s current provision (child minder, nursery or early years setting) complete the .
For full details of what to do with the forms and where to send them, please refer to the , provided by the OES team.
Elective Home Education (EHE): If parents are currently home educating or wish to do so in the overseas assignment location, they are required to make contact with the OES team on RC-DCS-HQ-OES@mod.gov.uk, who will arrange an EHE advisory discussion with an Education Adviser.
What sort of information will be considered as part of the Educational Supportability Assessment?
We will look at all the information provided by your child’s current school to make an informed assessment of educational supportability. This may include, but is not limited to, assessment records, school reports, information about any additional needs your child has, safeguarding records and any reports from external agencies involved with your child, for example speech therapy or occupational therapy.
Further information may be requested directly by the DCS school/setting or OES team depending on the child’s individual needs and their current stage of education. What additional information is required will be determined once and , or (or equivalent) and all accompanying documents have been received. The DCS school/setting or OES team may contact parents or the current school to gather additional information, as needed.
All this information helps us to build a rounded picture of the support a child may need in the overseas location. It also helps the overseas command to ascertain whether additional agencies, such as social care or medical professionals, need to be involved in the wider supportability assessment.
The DCS school/setting or OES team will also look at the impact on the child if a service person’s posting coincides with a Critical Stage of their Education (e.g., GCSE or A-Level). How this will impact on their opportunity to complete internationally recognised qualifications needs to be considered carefully. It is very challenging to transfer schools mid-way through an examination programme due to differences in qualifications and curriculums and can have an impact on whether a child will be able to gain the qualifications they will need in later life.
The MOD assumes responsibility for entitled family members when moving overseas and needs to ensure best safeguarding practice is followed, where possible. If a school holds safeguarding records for a child, DCS may facilitate the transfer of these records, where appropriate, to the new school.
How far in advance of an assignment can the process for gaining confirmation of educational supportability start?
Confirmation of educational supportability will be issued no more than 6 months prior to an assignment. Children’s additional needs may change significantly within this timeframe, which may impact their educational supportability. If there are exceptional circumstances, please contact the DCS school/setting or OES team directly.
How long does the Educational Supportability Assessment take?
Confirmation of educational supportability can take up to 12 weeks in total, depending on individual circumstances.
When parents engage in the process early, with the required information fully completed and submitted, ‘Confirmation of Educational Supportability’ should take no longer than 3 weeks for the majority of children.
For children requiring a more in-depth assessment, this may take up to an additional 9 weeks.
The MOD Assessment of Supportability Overseas (MASO)
Beyond UK borders, different countries, states and regions may have their own regulations governing both EHE and SEND provision. This may mean that the level of provision available in Local Authorities or UK schools is not always as readily available in all overseas locations.
Therefore, a MOD Assessment of Supportability Overseas (MASO) may be required in exceptional circumstances. For example, if a child:
- has a specialist level of needs.
- has involvement from other agencies e.g., health or social care.
- has an Educational Health Care Plan (or equivalent).
- is or potentially will be accessing Elective Home Education (EHE).
MASOs are raised through the OES team and involve multi-agency Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). These SMEs give advice to the overseas command about what provision a child will need and whether this is available in location. For additional information about MASOs please see the .
Why would a MASO be required?
Beyond UK borders, different countries, states and regions may have their own regulations governing both EHE and SEND provision. This may mean that the level of provision available in Local Authorities or UK schools is not always as readily available in all overseas Local Commands and areas.
DCS schools and settings
The MOD provides schools and early years settings in key locations overseas and these are run by Defence Children Services (DCS). DCS schools and settings provide education to the dependent children of service personnel and MOD entitled civilians, entitled contractors and fee payers. DCS schools and settings are predominantly overseas, with one school in Scotland. For information and guidance specifically for Queen Victoria School in Scotland, please see Education in the UK.
The diverse locations of our schools and the dedication of our staff ensure pupils engage in a rich and fulfilling curriculum whilst overseas. DCS schools and settings overseas mirrors the English education system including Ofsted inspections, assessments and examinations. This enables pupils to transition from our overseas schools and settings to UK based schools and nurseries with the minimum amount of disruption. We work closely with UK schools and local authorities to ensure information is shared to support the varying needs of pupils.
DCS schools and early years settings by location
Germany
Ramstein
St David’s Primary School (3 to 11 years)
Sennelager
Attenborough Primary School (2 to 11 years)
Cyprus
Akrotiri
Akrotiri Early Years Setting (0 to 3 years) (no website)
Akrotiri Primary School (3 to 11 years)
Ayios Nikolaos
Ayios Nikolaos Early Years Setting (0 to 3 years) (no website)
Dhekelia
Dhekelia Early Years Setting (0 to 3 years) (no website)
Queen Berengaria School (3 to 11 years)
King Richard Secondary School (11 to 19 years)
Episkopi
Episkopi Early Years Setting (0 to 3 years) (no website)
Episkopi Primary School (3 to 11 years)
St John’s Secondary School (11 to 19 years)
Brunei
Seria
Treetops Early Years Setting (0 to 3 years) (no website)
Hornbill Primary School) (3 to 11 years)
Italy
Naples
BFS Naples Primary School (3 to 11 years)
Belgium
Mons
SHAPE Primary School (3 to 11 years)
Falkland Islands
Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant Primary School (2 to 11 years)
Gibraltar
Helm Point
Sunflowers Early Years Setting (0 to 3 years) (no website)
St Christopher’s Early Years Foundation Stage (3 to 5 years)
The Netherlands
Brunssum
AFNORTH Primary School (3 to 11 years)
Canada
Alberta
Ralston School (3 to 5 years)
Ralston School is not a DCS school, DCS teachers are embedded within the school and teach children that are aged 3 by the 1st of September, up to 5 by 31st of December. They follow the Alberta Program of study, enhancing learning with elements from the EYFS and Year 1 curriculum, when the Alberta outcomes have been met.
Educational suitability reviews by location
To access the latest educational suitability reviews for any of the following locations, please contact the relevant overseas Command. Please note these are not a list of approved or recommended schools but are available as a starting point for parents’ own research..
- Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Brussels, Belgium
- Belize City and Belmopan, Belize
- Bandar Seri-Begawan, Brunei
- Ralston, Cochrane, Medicine Hat and Redcliffe, Alberta, Canada
- Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario, Canada
- Nicosia, Cyprus
- Nanyuki and Nairobi, Kenya
- Riyadh, Dharan, Tabuk and Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Izmir, Turkey
- Enterprise, Montgomery and Huntsville, Alabama, USA
- Edwards Airforce Base, California, USA
- El Paso (Fort Bliss), Texas, USA
- San Diego, California, USA
- Destin, Pensacola, Okaloosa, Fort Walton Beach (Eglin Air Force Base), Florida, USA
- Clarke County, Las Vegas (Creech Air Force Base), Nevada, USA
- Fairfax County, Washington DC, Virginia, USA
- Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
DCS schools complaints procedure
The MOD’s complaints policy against MOD schools and further information on how to complain can be found at MOD schools complaints procedure.
DCS schools privacy notice
Our privacy notice on how we use pupil information, can be found on the .
Updates to this page
Published 3 October 2018Last updated 4 April 2023 + show all updates
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Updated information on the MOD Assessment of Supportability Overseas, and added 'Educational Supportability Assessment Request (OES form 101)', 'Overseas Education and Supportability form 102', 'Overseas Education and Supportability form 103', 'Overseas Education and Supportability Form 104' and 'MOD Assessment of Supportability Overseas (MASO) information leaflet'.
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Amended the page to reflect recent departmental changes.
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Updated: MOD schools privacy notice.
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Updated the: MOD Assessment of Supportability Overseas (MASO) section.
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Addition of: update on the Education Overseas Supportability (EOS) Form 2021.
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Added MOD Schools Privacy Notice.
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Added a link to JSP 770.
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Updated the text and added links to JSP 342.
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Added entry for Attenborough Early Years and updated broken link.
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Added an notice regarding the new DCYP COVID-19 webpage.
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Added a link to the MOD schools complaints procedure.
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Updated the page after a content review.
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First published.