Going off to Boarding school as eight year old girls

Greyduster

Allira I was referring to American former service personnel not ours.

Ah, ok. Understood.

I did think some of the things the teachers or nurse were saying to the homesick child were a bit off:
- that she should try and forget her mum, put her to the back of her mind
- that it would be upsetting for her mum to hear her tears on the phone, so she needed to act brave

The little girl was 8 years old for goodness sake! I'm sorry but there's no way I would have tried to comfort her in that stiff upper lip way.

I was an army child but our parents kept us with them. We went to many schools and our early education certainly suffered. There were no older children around because they were at boarding school back home. My father left the army when I was 10 and my brothers 11 and we all passed the 11+ and caught up.
It’s the parents’ choice, they don’t have to leave their little children at boarding school.

NotSpaghetti

I suppose the thread is about boarding school for very/quite young children. The forces thing is only one aspect I'd think. Obviously big if you are in the forces though.

I didn't think the video was about a forces family.
Just an observation.

Apologies.

I was interested, I know nothing of UK forces. I looked the number is only 186,000 out of a population of 68.35million, of course few would know anything of such a small number of people (2/10%).

Dad flew in the war, as did mum's and his brothers, only he lived through. My family don't talk much about the war.

Thank you for explaining.

I know someone whose parents were missionaries in Africa. In order to devote their lives to their work, they left their children at a boarding school when the youngest was THREE!

watermeadow

I was an army child but our parents kept us with them. We went to many schools and our early education certainly suffered. There were no older children around because they were at boarding school back home. My father left the army when I was 10 and my brothers 11 and we all passed the 11+ and caught up.
It’s the parents’ choice, they don’t have to leave their little children at boarding school.

A bit avoiding the issue, the majority of forces children go to boarding school at 11.

You are correct MOnica I was in Germany at 11 and had to go to boarding school because at that time there were no forces secondary schools accessible.

If a forces' child is doing say A Levels, and the father is posted elsewhere, I assume they can still retain their services home for as long as it takes to complete their studies?

M0nica

watermeadow

I was an army child but our parents kept us with them. We went to many schools and our early education certainly suffered. There were no older children around because they were at boarding school back home. My father left the army when I was 10 and my brothers 11 and we all passed the 11+ and caught up.
It’s the parents’ choice, they don’t have to leave their little children at boarding school.

A bit avoiding the issue, the majority of forces children go to boarding school at 11.

That is a generalisation,though.

Families of Army or RAF personnel are more likely to be able to accompany the serviceman or woman than Royal Naval personnel.
^The Naval Service experiences more family separation than
the Army or RAF.^

Therefore children of Royal Naval personnel are more likely to remain in the UK and children attend local schools.

escaped

If a forces' child is doing say A Levels, and the father is posted elsewhere, I assume they can still retain their services home for as long as it takes to complete their studies?

From what I have seen from local Army families, when the regiment gets a posting overseas, the whole family goes. That is because the regiment will be living in service quarters on the same base. Army personnel tend to stay with the same regiment for their career.
A friend whose husband was an officer in Royal Engineers used to say "When we were in the Royal Engineers" as it was a way of life for the whole family.

Whereas with RN personnel, those in married quarters will be living alongside those with husbands (or wives) on different ships or working in the local base. Or some may have bought their own homes as their husband or wife will return to the home port after a deployment.
The children are therefore more likely to attend local schools.

M0nica

watermeadow

I was an army child but our parents kept us with them. We went to many schools and our early education certainly suffered. There were no older children around because they were at boarding school back home. My father left the army when I was 10 and my brothers 11 and we all passed the 11+ and caught up.
It’s the parents’ choice, they don’t have to leave their little children at boarding school.

A bit avoiding the issue, the majority of forces children go to boarding school at 11.

I meant to quote Monica

Ignore that! Sorry, I had one eye on the news, terrible wildfires in USA.

Thank you Allira, especially the differences between the services.

Terrible 🥲

escaped

If a forces' child is doing say A Levels, and the father is posted elsewhere, I assume they can still retain their services home for as long as it takes to complete their studies?

You can assume, but in my childhood that did not apply. Several children I knew ended up being 'boarded' with friend's families, while they compketed their education.

In my family, my father finished a posting in Malaya in April, with my sister and I due to do O levels and A levels respectively that summer. The problems my parents would have faced finding a school doing the same board exams and exactly the same syllabus - many subjects, like Engish and History have course options would have been close to insurmountable.

As it was our parents discussed the whole issue with us when the posting came up and gave us the choice as whether we stayed in England and boarded or came with them and risked our education. They would go with whatever decsions we made. We both chose to stay in England at boarding school.

That seemed the sensible choice in your case to let the children decide, M0nica, though any upheaval within the family can be very disruptive, even small ones. It must be a dilemna for parents.
(Not forces related, but ... maybe that's why Rishi decided to call an election at the end of the academic year, so the return to school would run more smoothly in all ways for MPs!!?)

As it was our parents discussed the whole issue with us when the posting came up and gave us the choice as whether we stayed in England and boarded or came with them and risked our education.

That's fine as long as the children are fully able to comprehend what they are being asked. At 5 and 7, we were not really capable of that comprehension. My mother dismisses my sister's resentment of her experiences as she maintains she "asked us" if it was what we wanted. 🙄