Holmer C of E Academy
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 Holmer C of E Academy 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 Holmer C of E Academy 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 Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
- Armed Forces Charities
We also pledge the following:
Promoting the Armed Forces: promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation, to our staff, families, pupils, community, suppliers, contractors and wider public. Actively working with the Army Engagement team promoting career opportunities from an earlier age. Service families: supporting the employment of Service spouses and partners; A direct point of contact Mrs Anderson / Mrs Keating - who have a forces back-grounds and understand the unique experiences that Forces life can bring; providing flexibility in granting leave for exceptional circumstances of Service families and their children before, during and after a partners deployment; Supporting families in transition from their previous school to enable transition to be supported and seamless through offering families tours virtually or in person, supporting with school uniform and other transition arrangements. Supporting new families to integrate into the school community through networking and social opportunities to meet others within the school community. Service Pupils : Support for children in our Holmers Little Troopers club Wednesdays ,open to All service pupils 3.15pm 4.15pm Bespoke pastoral support for children who may need it from time to time- space to talk, with those who understand ; Mrs Anderson who is ELSA trained ( emotional literacy support assistant) Access to a selection of books about life in a Service Family. A school who works to the best practice guidance shared by Service Children’s Progression Alliance (SCiP Alliance) and ‘Little Troopers’ charity. Veterans: Veteran Employment; Work with Career Transition Partnership on Veteran employment opportunities; Offer Work Placement and opportunities to volunteer; A Mentoring scheme of veterans to help new employees direct from the forces; Guaranteed interview scheme from service leavers that can demonstrate that they satisfy the required qualification criteria Reserves: supporting our employees who are members of the Reserve Forces; granting additional unpaid leave for annual Reserve Forces training; supporting any mobilisations and deployment; Cadet Organisations: supporting our employees who are volunteer leaders in military cadet organisations, granting additional leave to attend annual training camps and courses; recognising the benefits of employing cadets/ex-cadets within the workforce. National Events: supporting April - Month of the military child , Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal Day and Remembrance activities; Armed Forces Charities: supporting Armed Forces charities with fundraising and supporting staff who volunteer to assist;
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.