Forces & FCDO boarding school discounts

BOARDING CAN BE AFFORDABLE FOR FORCES & FCDO

With rising fees and hidden costs, especially since the plans for VAT to be charged on private school fees from January 2025, it can seem like a pretty daunting financial commitment to undertake for the average military family. However armed forces families, who feel boarding school is the right option for them, should not be put off by the published termly fees. There are plenty of UK schools who recognise the importance of boarding schools for military families of all ranks. There are multiple schools across the UK who are not only offering discounts but are only asking military families to pay the minimum 10% of their termly fees.

Boarding school fees can also be dramatically lowered for eligible service families by accessing the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA), which are currently being recalculated in recognition of the likely increase in school fees.

Chat with our Forces & FCDO Consultant Stacey Heartford about your termly budget so that we can assess which schools will offer you the best value for your money, along with a stable and uninterrupted education. You can call Stacey on +44 203 633 3101 or email her at stacey@panoba.co.uk. Or complete the short form below.

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Understanding CEA

CEA ANNOUNCEMENT!

Recently I’ve heard a lot of parents, not just worrying about the current cost of living crisis increasing boarding school fees, but also since Labour set out it’s plans for VAT to be charged on private school fees. However the Secretary of State has directed that the cap on the current rates is lifted, and CEA rates are recalculated; in recognition of the likely increase in school fees that will occur in January 2025.

So we are delighted to share that the MOD has announced a recalculation of CEA. This has been done to soften the impact of 20% VAT on private schools from January 2025. The recalculated rates are as follows:

CEA (Board) Senior £9,080 risen to £10,211
CEA (Board) Junior £7,489 risen to £8,730
CEA (Day) Senior £5,456 risen to £6,136
CEA (Day) Junior £4,242 risen to £4,945
CEA SENA SP £13,566 risen to £15,256
CEA SENA (Day) £8,710 risen to £9,795
CEA Guardians per day £10 
Day School Allowance North Wales £7,585 risen to £8,196.

In addition to many schools are improving their offer of discounts to military families. This is very welcome and positive news for the future of military boarding. Boarding school is still very much an affordable prospect for armed forces families of all services and ranks.

Understanding CEA’s 50 mile rule

One of the most common misconceptions about the CEA allowance is the 50 mile rule. Parents will often ask me what it’s all about and a really common myth that you have to live more than 50 miles away from your child’s school. This is absolutely not the case. There’s nothing in JSP752 about distance from your resident at work address to your child’s boarding school. The 50 mile rule is simply about justifying the need to claim the allowance by proving a service persons mobility. In order to claim the CEA the accompanied service person must prepared to move over 50 miles every 4 years.

CEA – Day Boarding advice

People often ask me if they can claim CEA day allowance at the beginning of their boarding journey. The answer is unfortunately no. In order to be eligible for CEA day your child needs to board for at least 3 consecutive terms.

CEA – Special Educational Needs Allowance (SENA) Advice

If your child has Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) you may be eligible to claim CEA SENA. The aim of the allowance is to contribute towards the additional costs associated with a specific support plan for a service child whose additional needs can’t be met within the expected resources a school has. Schools in the UK that work with children with Special Educational Needs will require a copy of a current EHC plan which details the level of care required. This will help the school to assess whether they can properly support the child. SENA is only awarded to a family who’s child meets all the criteria set out in JSP752 Ch14 Section2. Any queries regarding SENA eligibility email the EAT team directly RC-DCS-HQ-EAT@mod.gov.uk.