to think this Army boarding school allowance thing is a bit jammy?

[PostBellumBugsy]

I know that if you are overseas alot, you want to give your DCs continuity and that is fine BUT, if you are UK based and your wife & DCs don't even live with you, is it really fair to claim the boarding school allowance?

Met up with some old friends at the weekend & very boasty guy was there who nailed me to the floor with tales of his cushy life. He is quite high up in the army (Lt Col) and he was bragging about how the Army paid for his pied a terre in London, whilst his wife and the DCs lived out in Dorset (at her Dad's huge mansion) and the army paid whatever percentage they pay for his DCs to go to boarding school.

I'm not sure if it was just his manner but it didn't quite seem right to me. Surely that allowance is for those in the army who are deployed all over the show & who haven't spent the last 4 years in London?

Am so not armed forces bashing, as I have a great deal of respect for them and the sacrifices they make. Anyway, no doubt I'll probably be flamed, but was just curious.

Three.

That's how I ended up in boarding school at ten. Bloody Chalet School, Mallory Towers and St Clare's, damn you to hell for all the false expectations.

There (allegedly) were all sorts of rules attached to it (like I wadn't allowed to leave again when it turned out to bear no fucking resemblance to the books and was in fact miserable, cos they would have to pay back the fees if I didn't stay for three years). So he might not be using the allowance according to the regs.

My grandfather was a Lt-Col, highly decorated because he saved his men's lives in pretty much hand to hand combat, then lived in London for several years. He died on active service on the way to a peace conference (so I never met him).

But gosh, he lived in London then so clearly anything he claimed was bogus.

Three = "SO MANY"?

If you are aware of a crime, and do not report it, you can be charged as an accessory (before or after the act). That's a simple statement of law.

Fraud is a criminal offence, isn't it?

MNHQ, maybe the OP could be edited to take out the geographical details and rank, then it wouldn't be potentially identifying in the same way?

yup obviously I was deeply colluding with them. Every time I see someone speeding I am colluding too if I dont challenge them.

What Holly said.

DH is in the RAF and we have 2 DC who we chose to educate through the state system. DS1 went to 4 schools, which is very, very few for a forces' child, and DS2 who is just coming up to finishing his GCSEs has been to 5. We have been allowed to stay in our quarter and DH coomutes to his post because of the stage that DS2 is in his education.

Had DH have been in a more mobile post then we might well have used the CEA to put our DC into boarding school. Also, it was lucky where we lived the schools have been excellent at dealing with the children who move into them mid-year, they have put them into the right sets, and made the transition as smooth as possible.

CEA is a perk, but it really is a necessary one. The children of Forces' personell deserve continuity of education the same as everyone else, but if you suspect fraud then you should report it.

HollyBerryBush - I did not put the real county the family actually live in because I am not completely stupid!!!!!!!

Lurker, I didn't make any judgements - I queried the necessity of CEA for a family who live permanently in "Dorset".

If he was boasting that he was pulling the wool over the eyes of the authorities and getting away with something he shouldn't be doing, I would definitely report him. If he was just boasting that the army pay for his accommodation and the boarding school allowance, I wouldn't. He may be entitled to it. His FIL's home is not his own and it probably isn't permanent housing for the family.

Seriously HollyBerry?

BUT, if you are UK based and your wife & DCs don't even live with you, is it really fair to claim the boarding school allowance?

Sounds like a judgment to me.

If it wasn't intended as such I'm sorry.

Really - even though it is phrased as a question?

I would have thought the judgements came from those insisting I phone up and report him!