To think that senior officers in the armed forces should use state schools for their DCs

[soul2000]

I think it is wrong that many senior officers have a perk, that in effect is worth 40-50k pa in benefit in kind. There are state boarding schools, grammar schools and all types of state schools available.

Why should public sector employees, have this ludicrous benefit when there are state boarding schools, and if there was more demand more state schools could open boarding houses anyway.

I think this is a throwback to the 19th century, it is totally wrong in todays world. Today schools are having to make massive cut backs in all kind of expenditure, yet some officers DDS/DS are getting lessons in how to stage the perfect dinner party. This paid for by the struggling taxpayer who is forced to educate their DCs by comprehensive..

I went to boarding school with a forces child. Her father died whilst serving (during term time).

I hope having a core group of friends who had known her for a long time was some comfort to her at a time when her mum was, understandably, trying to hold everything together. I wouldn't have wished her situation on my worst enemy, let alone a child in a school they had only just moved to and had very few friends in. Perhaps that has skewed my perspective, but I think it's a small price for the public to pay for the job members of the forces do.

"maybe to really level the playing field all tax payers should do a 6mth tour of Afghanistan"

And be forced to move house on 6 weeks notice of new location nit of your choosing every 2 years or so, irrespective of children's age or whether eg they are half way through GCSEs.

Soul - you sound jealous, bitter and incredibly ignorant.

HTH.

YABU

And i'm not sure where you got the idea that private schools teach students how to stage the perfect dinner party?!

Shellyboobs is spot on. YABU OP have a

And have no rights while you live in that house, meditrina. Not to mention the abysmal state of a lot of the houses, the lack of insulation and incredibly shit heating systems, the mould and the damp.

Don't forget when the spouse or the kids get ill they can't just pop home from work when they are overseas. My DH is going away for four months next week, just as we've been told DS2 needs surgery, I'll manage on my own like everyone else does. We have no family living down the road.

Forces personnel are exempt from the minimum wage. That's not on a level playing field with the rest of tax payers!

Oh we Forces families have it so fecking good.

If you had done a smidgen of research, you would have come across far better in your OP. you're either a troll or just incredibly naive.

Dinner parties, how ridiculous.

I know a family that has been in south of England postings all their children's boarding school years - he's a v senior officer and has educated his son at Eton and daughter at similar 'top rank' girls school. At tax payers expense ......wrong. Just wrong.

this is my experience to Cal.
son has played rugby with several for about 5 years. All at LOCAL boarding schools on weekly basis

I'd like to vote to put those that come up with such stupid suggestions at the front line of next conflict.

Your idea stinks.

My dad left the army just before we went to secondary school as they did not want us to board. Baring in mind that I went to 6 primary schools, no wonder my sister is my best friend!

Those kids will have had years of disruption,stress and living in shitty accommodation.They will be behind where they could have been.

As I said I believe such kids deserve state funded individual tutoring to compensate.At £20 an hour not cheap.

Do you begrudge free school meals,the pupil premium or the extra money spent on traveller children?No thought not.

It can't be a frequent occurrence that so many incredibly ignorant posters are on the same thread...? soul calopene alaska

Wow. They receive a capped allowance, whether they go to eton or Llandovery college. All ranks. Justified and scrutinised. Get your heads out of the sand girls.

Cal, have you read the other posts? The rank of school chosen is pretty irrelevant to the tax payer - he will have been paying the extra cost.

It may be that he couldn't have afford Eton without any contributions to fees he was receiving, but that is totally different to him presenting the tax payer with a bill for £Xthousand and it being paid without question.

"I know a family that has been in south of England postings all their children's boarding school years - he's a v senior officer and has educated his son at Eton and daughter at similar 'top rank' girls school. At tax payers expense ......wrong. Just wrong."

a) they'll be paying a major sum in top ups. CEA ceilings don't cover even the basic fees at Eton, let alone the actual cost. Tough of course they may have bursaries as well as CEA
b) if you think the claim was fraudulent there is a hotline on which it can be reported. There are strict mobility criteria, and if you have grounds to believe these have been broken, then it should be reported. There are a few cases every year where people are prosecuted for fraud, sacked (gross misconduct) and pursued for repayment. At should happen to this individual too. Please do report.

The rates paid are Google-able. They do not cover Eton!

Cath I don't remember how many primaries I went to, too many to count.

My sister and I are quite close too.All those long summers on RAF camps in the arse end of nowhere where we knew nobody and most houses were empty.

Still remember "marching out" stress.

calopene as a high-ranking officer he will be paying the extra on top of the capped allowance to send his children to more expensive schools with his own, large salary. The cost of the school will be proportional to how much he earns, same as any other person!

I always find it hard to understand why anyone would begrudge a child's education, even if it is at private school.

It's education FFS, for children.

Even state boarding schools charge boarding fees, and the majority of them are selective anyway.

Calopene & Alaska, (and others) - you are missing a key point here which has already been repeatedly stated. The taxpayer did not pay for the Eton education, the service person received a set amount towards that education and paid the difference themselves. Whether somebody chooses Eton or a cheaper alternative makes no difference to the amount of funding received - nor does rank. Many military personnel are able to afford the more expensive options as the schools themselves often offer military discounts so it is easy to misjudge and make assumptions but a bit more homework would show many of these assumptions to be wrong.
Abuse of this allowance has been a major issue in the past with personnel claiming to meet the criteria when they don't (mainly the question of the spouse accompanying serviceman/woman whenever they move) but this has been clamped down on and many service personnel have been prosecuted for this.

tbh, i dont see why it is that controversial to suggest just paying for state boarding school? not sure why it merits being sent on a 6 month tour of duty in afghanistan for raising the idea?

Its not jealousy its just that if there is a state school that is available and
able to educate kids to the required standard. Whether that school is boarding/grammar or non selective, they should be educated in the state
system. After all the armed forces are paid by the state. They should use the state provision not just for financial reasons but for social and other reasons. I can understand how this is a emotive subject, for generations this must have been a great way to recruit people in to the armed forces.
If the amount of benefit is capped at 15kpa per child, bearing in mind that the top public schools cost 30k pa. Only the top end of officers can afford the 15k top up. The 15k pa when tax and benefit in kind is put in place, is the equivalent of a tax payer having 30-35k top up on their salary to educate their child. Good perk if you can get it.

Whether or not big savings would be made by armed forces children going to state boarding schools, is only half the reason. The other reason is that 93% of the population are educated by the state. So why dont state funded armed forces use state funded education when applicable.

Of course if someone is posted abroad, and the family go with them they should be able to go to a english/international school that would be fee paying. I have no problem with that, nor do i have a problem with Dcs who have benefited from this,continuing with their education at the same schools. Its just got to be recognised that we are living in a different world now.

My 2 sons are best friends, they have been the only other child who has always been there throughout their childhoods.

"I know a family that has been in south of England postings all their children's boarding school years - he's a v senior officer and has educated his son at Eton and daughter at similar 'top rank' girls school. At tax payers expense ......wrong. Just wrong."

Prehaps his kids are intelligent and have scholarships to cover the fees difference. Eton's fees are not higher than other boarding schools. If the boy has got a 90% bursery because he is clever/ musical then the costs to the tax payer maybe minimal.

The "south of england" is a huge area. It may be that he has had several moves of 50 miles apart.

Love Gordy's suggestion of how to level the playing field. Op, anyone is in fact entitled to this amazing perk. All you need do is sign up to the armed forces. Interested? Nope? Thought not.

I've just uprooted my family for the third time in as many years. How you can begrudge children of those who live this lifestyle places in boarding school is beyond me.