Military ethos in schools is not character education but recruitment propaganda, claim Mark Thomas and Clare Short
30/06/2015
Citizenship Foundation
In a new film from the Quakers, comedian Mark Thomas and former MP Clare Short claim the Government is misusing the education system to encourage support for its wars and to promote careers in the armed forces.
British Veterans Made Some Dark Films to Protest the UK Army’s Recruitment of 16-Year-Olds
30/06/2015
Vice
An article on the context of the striking new short film from Veterans for Peace UK, Action Man: Battlefield Casualties , which presents a new range of war-traumatised action men.
Armed Forces Day and other ways of manufacturing consent
27/06/2015
ForcesWatch comment
A year ago we wrote how Armed Forces Day symbolises the creep of militarism into our civil institutions. Far from being merely a reflection of public respect, this creep is the result of a concerted effort, which can be tracked through policy initiatives and is fuelled by concern that the military are losing control of the public narrative around defence. We noted how these public displays, which are ostensibly about supporting 'the men and women who make up the Armed Forces', (including Camo Day, Reserves Day and the Poppy Appeal), act to market the military as an institution and to build a positive and uncritical narrative around it and support its recruitment needs.
A year, and another Armed Forces Day, later, we look here at how militarism continues to creep into schools and colleges and how recent developments further embed military approaches and interests within the education system.
War marketed as family entertainment
26/06/2015
Letter to The Independent (see all signatories below).
Letter to The Independent (see all signatories below)
Welsh Gov told to review the way British military recruits in Welsh schools
23/06/2015
The Welsh Government has been told to review of the way the British Armed Forces are allowed to recruit in Welsh schools.
The Daily Wales
War veterans call for rethink on recruitment of 16-year-olds
23/06/2015
The Guardian
Former professionals condemn recruitment of teenagers by ‘pushing the notion of a noble military career to children’.
Critical scrutiny of military ethos initiatives continues
10/06/2015
UCL
An example of how critical scrutiny of the Military Ethos in Schools programme is being sustained from people outside of ForcesWatch, comes from an Institute of Education conference in February 2015, where Victoria Basham, senior lecturer in Politics at Exeter University, gave a critical overview of the Department for Education's Military Ethos in Schools programme. Her talk was filmed, and can be viewed online here...
The Army offer ‘Soldiers to Schools’ as First World War Centenary ‘support’
10/06/2015
In addition to placing a soldier on each school coach visiting the First World War battlefields (as part of the government’s flagship Centenary initiative to have at least two students from every school in the country visit them), the Army have launched their own First World War teaching resources for schools, and are offering to send soldiers to schools to ‘support teaching activities’.
Army
A former cadet’s experience of the Combined Cadet Forces
09/06/2015
ForcesWatch comment
Looking back on being part of a school-based cadet unit, the author reflects that, despite the fun and experience to be gained, the benefits could be achieved with non-military activities which would not present a dangerous and risk-laden career as an enjoyable and exciting activity or expose young people to an environment where bullying and hazing are normalised.
MoD claims request for sensitive student data to aid Army recruitment an “error”
09/06/2015
'The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been blocked from obtaining highly sensitive personal data about school and college students, which had ostensibly been sought in order to help “target its messaging” around military careers...'
Schools Week ; The Daily Mail