Bromsgrove School
We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.
The Armed Forces Covenant
An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families
The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.
Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.
This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.
Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant
1.1 We Bromsgrove School will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment
2.1 Bromsgrove School recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Discounts
We also pledge the following:
Recognising the specific challenges that children of members of the Armed Forces face in terms of both educational disruption and emotional wellbeing and supporting them in all areas of school life to enable them to thrive, using varied strategies and resources including the Service Children Thriving Lives Toolkit. Providing a ‘‘Guardian Angels’’ service during school holidays to offer accommodation to children who wish to avoid longer journeys home or need to return to school earlier to suit the family’s individual situation and their deployment. Children remain in a comfortable and familiar environment and experience minimal disruption and travel. Conducting parents consultation evenings online to allow overseas parents to have easy access to teachers to discuss their children’s progress. Holding a three day Boarder’s induction to enable boarders and their families to settle into a boarding life, and holding an Armed Forces Tea in attendance with senior staff and the Forces Liaison Officer to establish positive relationships, and promote support networks and a sense of community. Fostering relationships between Armed Forces families currently with children at the school and those who are considering Bromsgrove School for their children to enable prospective families to gain an insight in how we can support their child. Maintaining a post of Forces Liaison Officer, whose role is to support our Armed Forces children. Encouraging and enabling teaching and non-teaching staff to support the CCF as volunteers. Holding services on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday . Encouraging staff to attend such events in uniform where appropriate to demonstrate the school links with the Armed Forces. Offering advice for students contemplating a career in the military and arranging individual meetings with an Armed Forces Careers Advisor. Community outreach - including involvement at local running races by handing out water and medals. Supporting the local Royal British Legions selling poppies and attending parades. Supporting the VE day parade in the local town. Promoting the school at education fairs at military bases such as Shrivenham, Aldershot to be a visible presence for prospective military families and their children. Providing a fully remote admissions service to allow Armed Forces families an easy and seamless application process despite their high mobility. A commitment to raising funds for a school in Nepal in collaboration with a Gurkha Major who has children at Bromsgrove.
2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.