Childcare, Playgroups, Schools
Finding out about childcare, playgroups and schools in your new posting area can be daunting. Follow the links provided to seek advice and assistance:
Preschool Care
For playgroups and childcare visit Sure Start
UK State Schools
For school locations within the UK try Gov.uk
For visit Ofsted Insection Reports on schools in the UK
Boarding Schools in the UK
See our separate section on boarding schools.
Independent Schools
For independent schools in the UK there is The Independent Schools Guide
Please note that Affiliated Independent Schools are not inspected under the Ofsted umbrella but instead by the Independent Schools Inspectorate where you can view the Inspection Report of the school of your choice.
Overseas Schools
For schools overseas, visit the Service Children’s Education (SCE) website
Childcare Vouchers
Childcare Vouchers are available to Service personnel. The vouchers can save £1,000s in childcare costs by allowing you to pay for childcare from your income before it is taxed and are available for children up to the age of 15. The scheme will not impact on your Service pension.
The most comprehensive, up-to-date and targeted information on childcare vouchers for Serving personnel is on the MOD website. For further reading there is general advice on childcare vouchers from Martin Lewis' on his website. the RAF Community pages on the MoD website also has information as does Sodexo who are the providers of childcare vouchers for Service personnel is and they provide their own detailed information.
There were also two news stories carried on our website