CEA

[1980chick]

I am holding out to hear what happens with Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) in the Strategic Defence Review. Dread to think what's going to happen........any insider knowledge?

Rumours are always rife at times like these. One rumour I have heard is that CEA will only start at 11 and that prep school won't normally be included. This is possibly not a saving in all cases as many international schools are more expensive that prep level CEA!!!
It will be interesting to see what happens!

Rumours re the Junior CEA have been rife for years. We have been claiming junior CEA for 4 years now and have another 2 years to go (more than 1 child) on the Junior rate.

I am not worried they will take it away from those already claiming (although they could)but do wonder whether they will stop it at junior level for new applicants or set stricter claiming rules.

I think they have already started to clamp down (although I am aware of a few people who still seem to take the pee imo). They seem to be alot hotter in the past year or 2 in proving your mobility. I think if you are in situ for more than 4 years they question your need to claim.

If they do stop CEA all together at junior rate I think it will be the demise of alot of prep boarding schools (not that - that should be an issue for the MOD) but we researched very thoroughly ALOT of boarding schools before going down this route and it seems alot of the schools we looked at had 50% plus boarders from military families.
In my daughters dorm of 12 girls only 3 are non military. Obviously it anyones guess as to who is actually claiming CEA - but I assume most, if not all are.

Will be interesting to see what happens, but I am not overly worried. I am more worried about job security and stupidly dangerous cutbacks to already over stretched man power!

What is it that worries you? Do you already have DC at BS or are you hoping to claim in the near future?

And those that aren't Forces families are FCO or OGD!

I think there'll be tougher policing of mobility criteria and a freeze on ceilings.

Some military family do pick up the prep fees themselves, we certainly did as we weekended.

There perhaps needs to be greater policing of mobility criteria; though they may have problems in International postings in querying the need for either International school fees (day) or boarding fees to be paid if they question you being in one place for more than 4 years. It is possible to get three consecutive postings in some CAP jobs in the same area, but at different organisations.

DH is beanstealing at the moment, in part so DCs stay at one school in the primary years. We might want to choose boarding later, so I hope the option will still exist.

I've heard coffee-housing about the possibility of using the free schools policy to open more state boarding schools (possibly with a strong military ethos), and then imposing these on families.

Nothing wrong with state boarding - one of the best sixth form colleges in the country does it. I'm hoping to send ds back to UK for sixth form and would hope he can go there as I did. Far cheaper than the fees the MoD currently pays for his international school.

I know there's nothing wrong with state boarding! A very welcome part of the current range of options.

But I do think there could be a lot wrong with removing choice and brigading all children, regardless of temperament into DOYRMS-a-like free schools. But as I said, it was only coffee-housing I heard and have no reason to think this is even close to policy.... Unless anyone here knows different.

If it's state schools then they would have to open it to local kids as well so you would get a mix. I don't think that there would be an appetite for a DOY type school. Even RHS Holbrook is now open to civvies, so the numbers boarding must be falling.

I'm more worried about redundancies, especially as the Forces have no legal entitlement to redundancy pay. I suppose the gratuity and pension are supposed to be enough!

DOYRMS has just announced it's opening up to non-military, and I was wondering both who else might want to go there, and whether they are intending to seek a change of status.

Mum72,Have had two at boarding prep for 3 years. Wondering if I should consider settling down when they turn 13 which is in 2012.

Either that, or get a foreign posting.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/8026132/Armed-Forces-chiefs-to-lose-manor-houses-and-servants-in-defence-cuts.html - bit about making it harder to get CEA in here.

I would presume grandfather rights would protect those already claiming.

the rumour from our boarding school is that they cannot afford to take CEA away at any level as they have consulted with all the schools and found there would be an awful lot of independent schools going under, which would then have knock on effects across the board

I wonder what else will go instead then? I think that perhaps the rules do need to be tightened, and mobile should mean mobile. Alternatively, they could then tax the benefit.