Information for Service Families
Children of Service Families
We believe that looking after our service families is a special and important job. We fully recognise that military life can present all sorts of additional challenges for service families, and we aim to identify and support our service children both as individuals and as a group and help them thrive in our nurturing school, whilst embracing each child’s unique experiences as personal assets that can help them become more confident, adaptable and resilient adults.
Dear Service Families,
A very warm welcome to our school community.
My name is Charlotte Romp, and I am Assistant Headteacher, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and Service Pupil Champion at the school. As a military wife myself, I understand both the opportunities and the challenges that military life can bring for children and families. Moving schools, settling into a new area, and building new connections can feel overwhelming at times, and we are committed to ensuring that every military family feels welcomed, supported, and valued from the moment they join us.
Our aim is to make transitions as smooth as possible for both children and parents. We recognise that military life can involve periods of change, separation, and uncertainty, and we work closely with families to ensure that children feel secure, included, and able to thrive both academically and socially.
If you would like further information about the military community within the school, or simply wish to connect with another military family, I would also like to introduce Vikki Sadd. Vikki is a military wife, mother, a school governor, and a valued volunteer within our community. She is very happy to offer informal support, share experiences, and help new families settle in.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions, concerns, or if there is anything we can do to support your child or family as you settle into school life. We are here to help and look forward to working in partnership with you.
With warmest wishes,
Charlotte
Before joining our school
Before a pupil’s first day at school, there will be an opportunity for us to show you and your family around our school and introduce the teachers who will be teaching your child / children. If the timing of your move means that this is not possible, then please let us know so that we can arrange contact with either myself or the admin team another way, for example by a phone call, virtual meeting or perhaps email.
Emotional Support
At Honington Primary School we can have a number of parents deployed at any one time. We recognise our role in helping to support our children through any anxiety or worries that they have. If a parent is due for deployment, we ask our families to please let us know in advance; this is because we work with our families to understand how a child is feeling and use this information to develop the right support structure for them. We are very lucky to employ a Pastoral Support Worker, Mrs Jes Harding, who is a trained ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) and can support our children in a number of individualised ways.
Leaving us
We believe supporting a child who is leaving is just as important as supporting a child who has just joined. We ensure that all relevant records are transferred to the new school and teachers will often make contact with the new school/teacher, to talk about your child and how they learn best. If a child is particularly anxious about moving to a new school, additional support can be put into place with Mrs Harding, and they might discuss concerns and even research the new school, so the child knows what to expect and feels prepared.