Oxfordshire to host interactive learning days for armed forces children
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Children of armed forces personnel, based in Oxfordshire, will be attending interactive learning and development workshops during October.
The sessions – organised by Oxfordshire County Council and charity partners – are designed to help pupils share experiences and emotions based on the often unique circumstances that come with having parents in the military.
Regular postings of mum or dad can mean frequently moving home, changing school and having to make new friends in strange surroundings. Periods of parental separation due to operational deployment and exercises can add to the challenges these children face.
Councillor John Howson, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Young People’s Services, said: “These workshops are designed to encourage service personnel children to share their lived experiences, to ensure they are both recognised and celebrated.
“I hope the interactive format will strengthen each child’s sense of identity and help them thrive at school.”
Each workshop will have a slightly different theme, explored through discussion, writing, drawing, movement and mindfulness.
The first event, taking place at RAF Benson’s youth centre on Wednesday 2 October – organised by the county council and charity Never Such Innocence – will be an arts day using song writing, poetry and speech writing, and weaving to better understand unique identities.
Around 80 secondary students will be attending from Burford School, Icknield School, UTC Oxfordshire, St Birinus School, John Mason School and Fitzharrys School.
The following day, Millenium Amenities Centre in Carterton will host an interactive workshop – run by the county council and tri-service charity Little Troopers. Presented online by TV broadcasters, Katie Thistleton and Frankie Vu, the Little Troopers workshop will explore the topics of ‘wellbeing and mindfulness’ in the context of military life.
Children will be taught helpful ways to better understand their emotions and navigate challenge and change at home when it comes to having a parent deployed or having to move home and school.
Louise Fetigan, founder of the charity Little Troopers, said: “It’s fantastic to see Oxfordshire County Council being so proactive when it comes to supporting service children in the area. Our aim as a charity is to ensure that all schools – no matter how many service children they have on roll – recognise the challenges military children face and are well-equipped to provide tailored support to these children whenever they might need it.”
The event will be attended by key stage two service children from Caldecott Primary School in Abingdon, St Kenelm’s CE Primary School near Witney, and St Peter’s CE Primary School in Alvescot, near Bampton.
The final workshop, at Oxford’s Story Museum on Friday, 4 October, will involve 50 service personnel children participating in a lively interactive session aimed at improving their English attainment and motivation skills.
Pupils will attend from Benson C of E Primary School, Burford Primary School, St Christopher’s CE Primary School (Langford), Crowmarsh Gifford CE School, and Stephen Freeman Community Primary School.
The workshops are funded by a grant to Oxfordshire County Council from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.