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Forces sweethearts

If you have a family member in the Royal Navy, RAF or army, find support from other Mumsnetters here.

SCE Schools

25 replies

geekgirl78 · 09/02/2010 20:55

Hello - sorry to gatecrash this forum - but I wondered if I could pick your collective brains.

I'm a teacher and have been just applied for a job with SCE that's been recently advertised. The post is in Gutersloh(sp?). It sounds fantastic and I'm very keen. I wondered if any of you have much information about the area? Apparently I'd be posted within the camp there and would be living in MoD housing. What could I expect in terms of a community, facilities etc? This is a whole new world to me!

Any information would be gratefully received!

GG

OP posts:
madwomanintheattic · 09/02/2010 23:23

is it at PRB or Mansergh? can't remember where the school is. left a while ago, but enjoyed it v much. we lived in a hiring v close to mansergh which was lovely (houses generally much bigger re cellars etc)
mansergh a smaller camp, prb much bigger with the usual facilities re gym etc. gutersloh a nice town, used to be some nice restaurants!

are you already an sce teacher? just curious

(are you ready for army brats? )

luciemule · 10/02/2010 14:20

You should, if I remember, have full Officer's Mess membership which means you'll be invited to Mess do's and suchlike.
Have you logged onto here
for more information..

madwomanintheattic · 10/02/2010 14:28

yes, def off's mess membership. the mess at mansergh (i think 26ra still there) used to be quite good. prb much bigger and more impersonal as a result (but obv plenty of people around!)

bielefeld not far away for a slightly bigger shopping experience, but gut quite, well, good lol. have you got tinies? there are obv nursery facilities on camp, but they tend to be maxed out so worth contacting them early if you get the job.

luciemule · 10/02/2010 14:32

You would also, I think, be able to take advantage of any tax-free shopping (Ikea)/fuel coupons etc as military personnel do.

luciemule · 10/02/2010 14:34

I wouldn't worry either about 'army brats' - I hate saying that 'cause they're my chilren but I, and many of my friends, have found that army children are often better behaved and more able to socially interact/adapt than non-forces children.
Think your pay will be better than in the UK no?

madwomanintheattic · 10/02/2010 14:52

oh yes, social adaptation. mine are much more adaptable than (civvie brats) lol.

was just a joke, really, honest.

usually slightly higher levels of sn/ sen, (usually denied by brass lol). worth knowing that new regulations now mean that forces children have to be formally recognised as such for the number on roll. it's been quite difficult to formulate any theory on mobility/ effects on education as no-one knew what the numbers were. so now (think from last september) schools were required to know who/ how many on roll.

not overly useful for an sce job lol, as they all will be but worth looking up the detail so that you can express a real insight into forces children at your interview lol. assume you are familiar with the workings of ceas as a whole? (not wanting to do sucking eggs thing - apols if have...)

luciemule · 10/02/2010 14:55

Oh yes - have you checked out the CEAS website?
If you need any examples about forces children and their behaviour whilst parents away on op tour etc for your interview - just ask on here and you'll get some useful answers.

madwomanintheattic · 10/02/2010 16:05

dd1 is in g5 and in her fifth school - mobility and deployment of one or more parents obviously key factors... (as is military parents taking their kids out of school during term time for holidays lol) - other o'seas postings (not sce schools) mean pupils will have been learning totally different curriculum/ may have been in different year groups etc. may be similar range of abilities but different reasons for them lol...

if you sign up with sce, does that not mean they can effectively 'post' you anywhere in the world they need you? (a friend who is a forces wife has experienced some difficulties in getting into the sce system lol - our local school has an sce vacancy, but because she isn't already registered with sce she can't apply - don't know the ins and outs... but curious lol)

geekgirl78 · 10/02/2010 22:20

Wow! Thank you so much for all the great info. It's very, very useful.

No - I don't work for SCE at the moment. I've recently applied for a post with them. It looks really great - so I thought I'd apply. I just wanted to get a better idea of what to expect.

Thank you for suggesting the CEAG website - I'll definitely have a look. I currently work at a school where we have quite a few SN and mid-term transfer students (we're an academy - so take all-comers) - so I have some idea about the broader issues but was also aware that mobility is a particular issue in the forces. As parents (not that I'm swotting for any possible interview or anything) - what do you think that schools could do to minimise this? Is there anything you have found really great in the past?

Thanks again - it's very much appreciated,

GG

OP posts:
geekgirl78 · 10/02/2010 22:21

Whoops - sorry - meant CEAS. Tired tonight...,

OP posts:
luciemule · 10/02/2010 22:36

When DD was 5/6 (now 8) was at Ilchester primary (lots of naval/army children), they did this thing for children who had deployed parents where they took each child one at a time and got them to draw a picture and then they and the child took them to the office (and made it seem really special and copied it into an e-bluey to email. I thought this made a huge difference and made them feel really included.
Whoops just re-read and your question referred to mobility.
Start again...... in both of the primaries (forces areas) DD went to, when they arrived, each child was 'looked after' by another child and this really made a difference. This helper did everything with them so they felt really secure and able to ask questions. They kind of shadowed them for lunch, assembly, in class, putting away, putting on coats at home time etc. I'm sure civvie schools do the same but I know this made a huge difference to my child who was feeling very insecure about being moved.
When she left, the class teacher got everyone to make a lvoely card and put everybody's face photo inside a heart on the front.
I think, with any primary school, it's important to involve parents in sharing assemblies/xmas fairs etc, so the children see everybody helping together and having fun together.

madwomanintheattic · 11/02/2010 04:44

ok - with sn/ sen, they are really going to have to get a grip of passporting instead of statements. sce schools in germany effectively are their own lea so stat assessment in situ is possible. obv issues with moving sn/sen if statemented as new la usually choose to re-assess, which means starting at the bottom of waiting lists etc (unless you are dead canny) . i would be suggesting that (sce) schools where sn/sen esp statemented pupils are moving on, get really involved with smoothing this process for families. it's above and beyond, generally, but at the very least families should be walked through how to make transitions easier and referred to aff sn rep who can provide lots of useful guidance. (also worth you checking out the aff website...) as far in advance as you can!!!

even for non-sn kids, this is crucial. we always miss application deadlines for schools, are always told we can't apply for a school place until we have a new address, and tbh finding children schools is one of the most stressful parts of moving (and i do have a child with a statement lol - although it's not recognised here as we are an iso-det - so she will have to be re-assessed if/ when we go back to uk).

second the buddy system. generally speaking, 50% of the school will change every year, in every year group. that's a lot of change lol! some parents will let you know months in advance, some will disappear overnight, some will appear overnight (lol). you will have therefore 50% of parents telling you that johnny did that last year, or conversely, johnny has never been taught that. you might want to develop the hide of a rhino

there has been lots of research on deployment effects - sometimes schools have really good systems of dealing, some don't. if it's a unit deployment, the schools are usually fairly good (ideas as described above) but the unit themselves often lays on additional welfare type stuff which the school should be aware of. for lone deployments it's trickier, you need to be very up on whose family is approaching a period of separation/ who's away/ who's coming back etc.

oh, and last but not least (this is very important ) never put a four year old on the wrong school bus to get home on his first ever day at school... (an sce classic)

his mother will be at school to greet you personally the very next morning, and will not be any calmer than she was the night before when everyone else's kid got off the bus and hers didn't...

oh, and you should also probably know that sce teachers are usually called 'screechers'... and are generally expected to marry someone from the officer's mess at the first available opportunity...

luciemule · 11/02/2010 09:46

LOL Madwoman - and get drunk in the Mess at every given opportunity!

Ditto the bit Madwoman said about lone deployments - you're kind of out there on a limb so I think home/school relationships is extremley important.

For a really good example of an 'Outstanding' SCE primary school, check out
www.bishopspark.ik.org/p_newcover.ikml

This school has an outstanding Ofsted report for 2009 and I was taken aback at how fab it all looked. I'm now persuading DH for a posting to Paderborn

jcscot · 11/02/2010 18:57

"...and get drunk in the Mess at every given opportunity!"

Unless it's a formal night - not the done thing.

luciemule · 11/02/2010 19:04

okay - so I did put a LOL next to it and I was being specific to one place and a few people I knew jscot. It's so hard on MN to get the meaning/jokiness of what you're writing when it's typed and not spoken. I obviously wasn't referring to all teachers in all SCE schools!

luciemule · 11/02/2010 20:36

That last post when I re-read it sounded blunt but I honestly didn't mean it to be.

geekgirl78 · 11/02/2010 20:39

"Screetchers"?! Blimey - think I might be a bit long in the tooth for all that...,

Thank you for the further insights - it's very handy. The school I've applied to has about a 40% turnover of students every year, which is massive. It does look like a really lovely, well resourced school. I've got all fingers and toes crossed now, waiting to hear!

May I ask a couple of practical questions? What is accomodation likely to be like? I have no idea what to expect. Also - and this is probably really silly - but what exactly is a mess? This is all very new to me.

Thanks again for all the info - it's been very useful.

GG

OP posts:
luciemule · 11/02/2010 20:47

Hi GG - The Officer's Mess is usually a lovely old building where dinners/formal gatherings etc are held for officers and their guests and also where single, unaccompanied officers live - imagine a university halls of res only nicer. They get, if they choose, three square, rather yummy meals a day and a kitchenette for washing clothes/microwave etc.
Most regiments have ladies dinner nights/men only dinner nights and teachers would/might be asked to go to them every now and again.

If you go as a married teacher, you'll be entitled to a flat/house if you have kids or if you're single, you can live in the Mess if you want (that's what I was referring to in other post about drunk teachers - spending there evenings drinking/socialising with other male and female single officers.
Your accommodation would be totally free (better than officer's which isn't - not that I'm bitter)and you'll be (so DH thinks) on London-weighted pay.
Sounds good hey?
Hope you get the job.
ps - you will need evening/cocktail dresses for dinners/parties etc in the Mess. Most mess' have a no denim code for dining in although some have made this more slack in recent years.

luciemule · 11/02/2010 20:49

Ooh - forgot to say - a good friend (officer's wife)taught in SCE primaries for years in Germany and loved every minute of it. In fact, they're now back there with their two little girls and loving it.
We want to go back at some point in the next few years - it's great fun and an experience that most people never know.

littleweed · 11/02/2010 20:55

single teachers are all housed in a block of flats about 2 -3 miles away from the school but are assocaite members of the officers mess & quite often invited to functions.you need to be super aware of your behaviuor at all times as generally at functions you my well be mixing with teh parents/ frineds of those you teach & believ me it all gets noticed and reported back. it can be like living in a goldfish bowl... i was a sce teacher for a long time, a long time ago, and did a stint in gutersloh.

elzones · 01/07/2010 23:12

Hello another gate crasher - does anyone know anyone currently living in Gutersloh with small children? I have 3 under 2 & 1/2 (before you say it yes we are totally mad!)and am about to move out there, with DH leaving for 4 wks in Canada a few days after we arrive!!!!! Am despirate to find some friends for me & my little girls, we'll be on the Mansergh patch. We also love staying busy ith music groups/ gym club etc is there much going on?

luciemule · 02/07/2010 10:10

Try asking on the married quarters r us page of facebook too elzones - I think more people would see it than on here. Lucky you - off to germany- have you been before? It's fab and wish we could go back but that's not very likely now

elzones · 02/07/2010 21:03

Thx for that just dont know where to start at the mo!! No never been posted to Germany, just visited when I was little!
;-)

luciemule · 02/07/2010 21:53

Have you looked at the HIVE pages for utersloh? You can email and get an info pack in advance of moving so you're all prepped on arrival.

luciemule · 02/07/2010 21:54

whoops missed (G)utersloh

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