School Bursaries for Armed Forces Families

A bursary is a financial award that helps families who could not otherwise afford full school fees. Unlike a loan, it does not need to be repaid.

Many independent schools specifically extend bursary support to Serving Personnel, Veterans, and MOD Civil Servants in recognition of the contribution made by the Armed Forces community.

According to the Independent Schools Council (ISC), around one in three pupils in member schools now receives some form of financial assistance — helping to ensure that Service children can thrive in a stable, high-quality educational environment.

Bursaries are typically offered to pupils who meet the school’s entry criteria and demonstrate both potential and suitability for the school. For Forces families, schools often take into account the unique pressures of Service life, such as mobility, deployments, and family separation.

Bursary or scholarship?

The two are often confused. Scholarships are merit-based, awarded for strength in academics, music, sport or art. They usually carry a modest fee reduction — often around 10% — and some offer recognition only. Bursaries are need-based, assessed on family income, and are where the substantial help lies.

You can hold both: a child may apply for a scholarship and a bursary separately, though normally only one scholarship at a time. Both are reassessed each year.

Independent schools play a vital role in providing stability, continuity, and opportunity for children whose parents serve. By offering bursaries, these schools help ensure that Service children are not disadvantaged by mobility or financial barriers — giving every child the chance to thrive, wherever duty takes their family.

Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA)

Helping Armed Forces Families Secure Stable Education for Their Children

The Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) is a key Ministry of Defence (MOD) benefit designed to help Service families provide their children with consistent education, despite the mobility and postings that come with Armed Forces life.

CEA helps towards the cost of boarding school fees, allowing children to remain in one school while their serving parent moves between postings in the UK or overseas. It is governed by Joint Service Publication (JSP) 752, which is regularly updated—so always refer to the latest version on the Defence intranet (DII).

Who Can Apply

From the academic year of your child’s 8th birthday, serving personnel can apply for CEA to support boarding education.
To qualify, the family must:

• Be living together at the time of application.
• Be likely to move postings within four years.
• Commit that once a school is chosen, the child will remain there for the duration of that educational stage (e.g. junior or senior school).

How to Apply

1. Contact the Education Advisory Team (EAT UK) — formerly the Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS) — to obtain a unique serial number.
2. Complete the application on JPA (Joint Personnel Administration) using that serial number.
3. Eligibility Certificate: If approved, the Pay and Allowances Casework and Complaints Cell (DBS PACCC) will issue an eligibility certificate.
4. Claiming CEA: Claims are made via JPA three times a year during the published claim “windows.”
5. Receipts: Keep all school fee receipts for MOD verification.
6. Renewal: You must renew your CEA eligibility certificate whenever circumstances change—such as changing schools, adding or withdrawing a child, or when directed by DBS PACCC.

How Armed Forces families can claim continuity of education allowance

CEA eligibility rules: who qualifies, boarding definitions, reviews and special cases

Who to Ask About What

Three organisations handle three different things, and families lose weeks by asking the wrong one.

• Unit HR / RAO: Eligibility, applications, and what the regulations mean for your circumstances. EAT (UK) does not advise on eligibility and will not interpret the rules for you.
• EAT (UK): Choosing a school, whether boarding is right for your child, special educational needs, placing a child outside their chronological year group, and obtaining your serial number. They help you make an informed decision but do not make it for you. SENA eligibility is the exception — there they decide.
• DBS PACCC: Exceptions to the rules, appeals, casework, and reviews of entitlement — submitted through your Unit HR, not directly.

EAT (UK) cannot recommend a school or comment on whether one is performing well, and does not mediate between families and schools. Choosing the school, and dealing with it, is the family’s responsibility.

Current CEA Rates (correct as at 1 April 2026)

Boarding

• CEA (Board) – Junior: £8,918 per term
• CEA (Board) – Senior: £11,130 per term

Day school

• CEA (Day) – Junior: £5,051 per term
• CEA (Day) – Senior: £6,688 per term

Special educational needs

• CEA (SENA) – boarding: £16,629 per term
• CEA (SENA) – day: £10,677 per term

Other allowances

• CEA (Guardians): £10.00 per day
• Day School Allowance (North Wales): £8,814 per term

CEA does not cover the full fee. Families must pay a minimum parental contribution for each child — 10% of fees at independent schools, 8% at state-maintained boarding schools. The allowance covers the balance, up to the maximum rates above.

Rates are reviewed annually. The figures above are taken from JSP 752, Chapter 3, Section 1 and are unchanged from 1 August 2025 to 1 April 2026. Confirm the current figures with your Unit HR or EAT (UK) before budgeting.

Additional Education Allowances

SENA (Special Educational Needs Allowance)
Families already receiving CEA can apply for CEA (SENA) if their child is identified as having special educational needs or disabilities.
EAT UK will provide the latest forms and guidance.
Email: [email protected]

CEA (Guardians) Allowance
Supports families who choose for a child to live with a guardian to attend a chosen day school during certain postings (e.g., overseas or between academic years).
This allowance covers additional living costs, not school fees.

Day School Allowance (North Wales)
Available to Service families in North Wales who require access to English-medium education, where this is otherwise only available at independent day schools.

Key Rules and Considerations

Mobility Requirements (The 50-Mile Rule)
To maintain eligibility, Service personnel must be likely to move more than 50 miles from their current posting within four years.

The 90-Day Rule
If a spouse or civil partner spends 90 days or more away from the family home within a 12-month period, eligibility for CEA and other allowances may be reviewed.
This policy is intended to help Commanding Officers determine accompanied status—not restrict spousal employment.
Where possible, families should inform Unit HR in advance if extended absences are expected.

Unaccompanied Flights for Minors
When airlines withdraw unaccompanied minor services, families should not be financially disadvantaged.
The MOD can advise on alternative, MOD-funded travel options.
Contact: [email protected]

In Summary

The CEA is one of the most important allowances available to Armed Forces families — enabling children to enjoy a stable, continuous education while parents continue their service. By combining CEA support with school bursaries and Forces discounts, families can access high-quality independent education without sacrificing stability or affordability.

• Use our searchable database of independent schools supporting Service families.
• Check each school’s bursary policy and level of Armed Forces discount.
• Review eligibility alongside MOD CEA guidelines to find the most cost-effective option please see below.

Is the school on the MOD’s database?

CEA can only be claimed against a school registered on the MOD’s schools database — referred to as the Accredited Schools Database (ASD) or the MOD Boarding School Database. It is maintained by the Education Advisory Team (UK), part of Defence Children Services.

The list is not published online, so you cannot check it yourself. Ask the school directly whether it is currently on the database, and confirm with EAT (UK) at [email protected] before you commit to anything.

Two things worth knowing: the list changes — schools that fall below expected inspection standards are removed — and inclusion is not a quality judgement, because the MOD does not inspect schools before adding them.

If You Have a Specific School in Mind

• Check our searchable database for financial assistance options.
• Look for the school’s bursary and fee policies to understand covered costs and additional charges.
• Contact the school's admissions team for further guidance.

The process is straightforward and confidential, and most schools run it alongside their normal admissions timetable.

The steps

1. Contact the school — tell them you are an Armed Forces family. Many have specific criteria, additional allowances or a Forces discount separate from the bursary scheme.
2. Request the application form — often part of registration, or available from the bursar’s office.
3. Submit financial information — payslips, bank statements, and confirmation of CEA eligibility where it applies.
4. Assessment — schools assess each case individually, weighing financial need alongside family mobility.
5. Outcome — awards are confirmed alongside the school place, and reviewed each year.

Timeline for 11+ entry

• Autumn term, Year 6: register, request the bursary form, confirm the deadline and gather financial documents.
• October to January: entrance exams and interviews, bursary application submitted, assessment begins.
• February: school place offers and bursary decisions.
• March: accept or decline the place and the award.

How schools assess you

Assessment usually runs in two stages: an initial review of your financial documents, then a closer look that may involve further documentation, credit checks and a home visit.

Schools work out a “relevant income” figure — broadly gross household income less an allowance of £2,000–£3,000 per dependent child — and also weigh savings and investments, any property owned, financial contributions from wider family such as grandparents, and discretionary spending.

Documents usually required:

• Proof of identity and address.
• Twelve months of bank statements, including savings and ISAs.
• Details of investments, assets and property.
• Evidence of income — payslips, P60s, company accounts.
• Mortgage or rental agreement.
• Financial information from both parents where they are separated or divorced.

The home visit

If your application progresses, the school may arrange a home visit or a virtual meeting — a chance for them to meet the family, understand your circumstances and settle any questions. They may ask for further documents beforehand.

Three questions Forces families ask

Does CEA count as income? Schools differ, and the answer materially affects the outcome. Some treat CEA as household income in the means test, some disregard it as a ring-fenced contribution to fees, and some assess only the fee gap remaining after CEA. Ask the bursar how they treat it before you apply.

What if assignment orders arrive mid-application? Tell the school as soon as you know — those used to Service families take it in their stride, and a move does not automatically end an application. Tell your Unit HR too, since a change of duty station affects your CEA eligibility certificate.

What if we are in SFA, or posted overseas? Ask for a virtual meeting in place of a home visit; schools with Forces experience offer this routinely. Living in Service Family Accommodation rather than owning a home is not a disadvantage in a means test — it simply means there is no property to assess.

1. Forces Bursaries (Means-Tested)

Available to families on lower incomes or those facing financial strain due to postings, deployments, or transition to civilian life.

• Awards are based on income and personal circumstances.
• Some schools offer up to 100% fee coverage for qualifying families.
• Additional help may be available for uniforms, books, travel, or school trips.

2. MOD-Linked Discounts

Many independent schools offer automatic percentage reductions for serving personnel and veterans, separate from bursary schemes.

3. Hardship or Mobility Funds

These funds support families experiencing sudden financial difficulty — for example, during unexpected postings, illness, or redundancy after leaving service.

What you are likely to pay

Fees vary by school type, location and reputation, with London, the South and boarding schools at the higher end.

• Independent day schools: around £4,000–£8,000 per term at senior level — from roughly £12,000 a year.
• Independent boarding schools: commonly £10,000–£15,000 per term — from roughly £30,000 a year.

Forces discounts and means-tested bursaries can be combined with Continuity of Education Allowance, which is what brings a boarding place within reach for most Service families. State boarding schools cost considerably less again — see the section below.

Each school has different income assessment criteria. Some set fixed income limits, while others assess applications individually.

General Guidelines:

• Families earning over £100,000 are unlikely to qualify.
• Families earning around £70,000 may receive partial fee assistance.
• Families earning under £20,000 may be eligible for a full bursary.
• Forces-specific bursaries may offer extra flexibility to account for allowances, deployments, or temporary overseas assignments.

Some schools publish income criteria or offer bursary calculators online. If not, contact the school directly.

There are around 30 state boarding schools in the UK. The education is free, funded by the government exactly as it would be at any other state school, and parents pay for boarding only, typically £4,600 to £8,500 a term.

That matters more for Service families than for anyone else. Continuity of Education Allowance pays the lesser of 90% of fees or the published rate (£11,130 a term for a senior pupil, £8,918 for a junior), and the minimum parental contribution is 8% at state-maintained schools rather than the 10% that applies at independent schools. Because state boarding fees sit well below the CEA cap, that 8% is genuinely all you pay: around £370 to £680 a term, against £3,870 a term at a £15,000-a-term independent boarding school.

There is also no VAT on state boarding fees. Since January 2025 independent school fees have carried 20% VAT; a state school charges you for board and lodging rather than for education, so state boarding fees fall outside the scope of that measure.

State boarding is not right for every family. Many of the schools are academically selective, boarding houses are small and competitive, and most take boarders only from age 11. But it is the option most Forces families have never been shown.

Read our guide to state boarding and the 8% rule, or search the directory and filter by State Boarding under school type.