Service Children's Education Executive Agency

Monday 25th March 2013 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr Mark Francois)]

I wish to inform the House that with effect from 31 March 2013, Service Children’s Education (SCE) will cease to have the status of an Executive agency within the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

SCE was formed as an Executive agency within MOD in 1996, following the merger of the Service Children’s Schools (North West Europe) Defence Agency and the Service Children’s Education Authority. The SCE mission statement is to provide a coherent and co-ordinated education service that delivers high standards of education from foundation stage to age 19 for dependent children residing with MOD personnel serving outside the UK. There are currently 33 SCE schools worldwide providing education for approximately 9,500 children.

The concept of SCE operating as a self-contained business unit has been diluted by recent changes to the defence operating model, in particular the centralisation of MOD corporate services. These changes, coupled with tighter manpower controls being applied to the agency, in common with all areas of the MOD, have meant that the efficient and effective delivery of agency objectives is now much more dependent on decisions taken elsewhere within the MOD. Moreover, the SCE operating context is changing significantly. The draw down of British Forces from Germany will see the number of SCE schools reduce, on current numbers, to 12. Managing this transformation without compromising educational standards, either in those schools that are closing or those that remain, will require sound policy decisions rooted in educational realities and informed directly by the needs of children and service families. The continued separation of policy making from delivery, as required by the agency constrict is therefore no longer helpful.

The SCE title will remain, so that the sense of a shared identity is retained by schools. The change will have no impact on teaching staff. Some rationalisation between the MOD and the SCE headquarters element will be possible. Initial savings are estimated to be in the region of £180,000 per year.