Camouflaged in the education system: Why Forces children need systems that move with them

Children from Armed Forces families grow up with experiences that most of their peers and teachers will not understand firsthand.

Some have frequent moves, with new schools, new teachers and new friends every few years or more. Many children spend time away from their serving parent, due to deployment, training or ‘weekending’.

The experiences of Forces life can build adaptability and confidence, but they also come with unique needs that must be recognised by the systems around children and young people.

The Children and Young People Commissioner Scotland’s new report, Camouflaged in the education system: The experiences of children and young people from Armed Forces families, has been commissioned from us to gather the voices of children and young people.

Their message is clear: Forces children need understanding, consistency and support that follows them, rather than support that resets every time they move.

Steven Sweeney, Chief Executive Officer of Forces Children Scotland, said: “At a time when global conflict dominates the news, many children from Armed Forces families are quietly carrying worries that most of their classmates never have to think about.  Schools must be places of stability and understanding so these children are recognised, supported and able to thrive.”

Read the report
Read the executive summary

What children told us

In participation sessions across Scotland, children and young people described how the realities of Forces life affect their educational experiences.

Many spoke about:

• Disrupted learning caused by repeated school moves
• Gaps in the curriculum when switching between education systems
• Anxiety and difficulty concentrating during deployments or separation from a parent
• Support that depends on individual teachers rather than consistent school systems
• Feeling different, misunderstood or stereotyped by peers and staff

These challenges reflect the cumulative impact of transition, separation and loss, compounded by disjointed support.

Too often, children who relocate with their families fall behind academically or lose access to support they previously had.

Systemic change is needed

Across Scotland, there are professionals who care deeply about supporting Forces families. However, this report finds that the support for Forces children in the aggregate is inconsistent, reactive and dependent on individual goodwill.

Information does not always transfer between schools, so children are taught or assessed repetitively. Too often, children who relocate with their families lose access to support they previously had and become frustrated with their academic experience. And the effects of Forces life are not considered in assessment systems.

In short, children and young people from Forces families are forces to adapt to systems that were not designed with their lives in mind.

What needs to change

The report calls for a shift from fragmented responses to coordinated, rights-based systems that follow the child.

Children and young people were clear in their request for consistency, understanding and support that follows them when their family relocates.

Key recommendations include:

• Proactive support during school moves, deployment and family separation
• Whole-school approaches that foster an understanding of Forces life and promote belonging
• Greater recognition of prior learning when children move schools
• More flexible assessment systems that are sensitive to the realities of Forces life
• Stronger coordination between education, welfare services and Armed Forces systems

Underpinning all these positive changes is the principle of participation; children’s voices must shape the support designed for them.

What comes next

There are over 13,000 Forces children in Scotland’s education system, and we owe it to them to design systems that meet their needs.

When systems remain static, children are left to carry the weight of constant adjustment with ad-hoc support. When education systems recognise mobility, separation and transition, everyone knows their role and children and young people from Forces families can thrive.

Good practice already exists across Scotland, and positive change is within reach. Now we must make it consistent, coordinated and built into the system.

Read the full report and join the conversation about how to ensure every Forces child is recognised, supported and able to realise their potential.