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Parliament considers military visits to schools petition

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Members of Holyrood’s Public Petitions Committee asked for views at an initial hearing in September. Local authorities, the Scottish Government, the MoD and others then submitted responses.

The Scottish Youth Parliament and Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner, Tam Baillie, were particularly supportive of the petition.

The SYP found that the majority of young people consulted ‘agreed that guidance should be developed’ and also ‘felt that there should be public monitoring of visits to schools’.

Mr Baillie said: ‘There should be clear national guidance about the content of such visits and when and where they are to be conducted’.

All the responses, including the reply from ForcesWatch and Quakers in Scotland (1), can be found here:

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/armedforcesvisitstoschools

(See Petitioner Letter of 11 November for our final response).

A 2014 ForcesWatch report highlighted how over four-fifths of state secondary schools in Scotland were visited by the armed forces during a two year period. (2)

In some areas every school was visited, and some as many as 20 times or more over a two year period. Many of the visits were explicitly about careers in the armed forces.

The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament Education and Culture Committee to hold an inquiry into armed forces visits, and for the Scottish Government and local authorities to:

  • Produce guidance for local authorities and schools on how visits by the armed forces should be conducted.
… Read more

More media coverage of our petition to the Scottish Parliament

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The Herald, 20 November 2016

SCOTLAND’S children and young people’s commissioner has said young people from deprived backgrounds should not be targeted by the military for recruitment and that visits by the Armed Forces to schools should be more tightly regulated, as MSPs prepare to consider proposed restrictions.

Tam Baillie also called for an outright ban on the recruitment of under 18s to the military, something which under existing Ministry of Defence (MoD) rules can only take place with parental consent and away from school grounds.

The MoD claims that military representatives only go into schools to give presentations, citizenship talks, hold meetings with staff, participate in career events, practice interviews and hold activities with the students, such as science and maths challenges, as well as indoor or outdoor exercises.

Holyrood’s public petitions committee could make a decision this Thursday on taking forward a proposal from military recruitment watchdog Forces Watch and Quakers in Scotland that would to see the Armed Forces subjected to more scrutiny when entering classrooms.

The moves began following a Sunday Herald investigation early this year which revealed Tory plans to create military cadet units in state schools in Scotland’s most deprived areas. The idea was attacked by a senior SNP source as an attempt to recruit vulnerable children as British Army ‘cannon fodder’.… Read more

Pushing ahead with cadets in schools

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The Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, choose the Conservative Party conference to announce the next phase of the Cadet Expansion Programme with 25 new cadet units being set up in state schools.

He made a high profile visit to a new cadet unit at a Birmingham school which was involved in the ‘trojan horse’ allegations. Rockwood Academy is pairing the cadet unit with another inititative – a curriculum-based counter extremism programme. The particular example of a new cadet unit illustrates how they are seen as measures to counter extremism and promote ‘British values’, along with ‘military ethos’.

Read our critique of the Cadet Expansion Programme, first published in The Morning Star, 18/10/16.

Also see:

Michael Fallon launches army cadets scheme at ‘Trojan horse’ school (The Guardian, 4/10/16)

A night on the frontline with Michael Fallon’s school cadet corps (The Guardian, 7/10/16)

This TV report from BBC Midlands shows the ‘parading unit’ at Rockwood Academy doing drill and handling weapons. It states that the unit comprised of 12 year olds will be using live ammuniition within a year. The Defence Secretary Michael Fallons tries to reassure that this is ‘not about recruitment’.

This article from Schools Week (with ForcesWatch comment) reports that FOI data shows that a year after the announcement of an extra £50m funding, only 5 new cadet units have opened, calling into question the target of 500 units in state schools by 2020.… Read more

Under-18s in army ‘face greater injury, death and mental health risks’

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Recruiting children aged 16 and 17 into the British army places them at greater risk of death, injury and long-term mental health problems than those recruited as adults, according to a new report.

Public health charity uses damning report to call for minimum recruitment age to be raised to 18

Recruiting children aged 16 and 17 into the British army places them at greater risk of death, injury and long-term mental health problems than those recruited as adults, according to a new report.

The public health charity Medact uses its report, published on Tuesday, to call for the minimum recruitment age to be raised to 18.

“Minimum age laws exist to protect children from smoking, drinking, driving and watching violent films,” said Dr David McCoy, director of Medact. “It’s time for the UK to fall in step with the vast majority of countries and raise the minimum recruitment age to 18.”

The UK is the only country in Europe, and only permanent member of the UN security council, to still allow recruitment from age 16. A nationwide poll in 2014 found that 77% of the general public support a rise in the recruitment age to 18.

The army’s policy of recruiting children has been strongly criticised by multiple UN and UK parliamentary bodies, child rights organisationsand human rights groups.… Read more

Media coverage of our petition to the Scottish Parliament

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On Thursday 15 September, ForcesWatch and Quakers in Scotland went to the Scottish Parliament to give evidence to the Public Petitions Committee about armed forces visits to schools.

On Thursday 15 September, ForcesWatch and Quakers in Scotland went to the Scottish Parliament to give evidence to the Public Petitions Committee about armed forces visits to schools. Read more about the petition here. The session can be watched or read and was covered by:

STV News online: Army recruitment ‘targeting deprived pupils’, Holyrood hears

Common Space: Campaigners welcome parliament progress on military recruitment in schools

The Herald: Campaign to monitor military in schools takes step forward

BBC Online: Concerns raised over school Army visits

The National: Armed forces’ school visits to be reviewed amid fears disadvantaged pupils are being targeted


From the BBC:

Concerns raised over school Army visits

Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner is to be asked for his view on members of the armed forces visiting schools.

It comes after MSPs heard claims that the military was targeting pupils from deprived areas for recruitment.

Religious group Quakers in Scotland and military recruitment watchdog Forces Watch raised the issue with the Public Petitions Committee.

Their submission said the MoD had asked Education Scotland for school deprivation data last year.… Read more

Petition on Military Visits to Scotland’s Schools being heard in Parliament

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A petition calling for increased transparency and scrutiny of armed forces visits to schools in Scotland comes before Holyrood this Thursday 15 September.

The Scottish Government is being urged to investigate the way the armed forces operate in secondary schools, after the Welsh Assembly agreed to take similar steps in 2015.

According to available data the military make a disproportionate number of visits to schools and colleges in Scotland, compared to England.

A 2014 ForcesWatch report highlighted how over four-fifths of state secondary schools in Scotland were visited by the armed forces during a two year period. (1)

In some areas every school was visited, and some as many as 20 times or more over a two year period. About one third of the visits were explicitly about careers in the armed forces, while other visits will also have had a careers related element.

The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament Education and Culture Committee to hold an inquiry into armed forces visits, and for the Scottish Government and local authorities to:

  • Produce guidance for local authorities and schools on how visits by the armed forces should be conducted, taking account of the unique nature of armed forces careers, and ensuring political balance.
… Read more

Who goes there? Campaigners fight to keep military away from UK schools

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Britain is the only EU country to enlist 16-year-olds into the armed services and, say objectors, it starts with access to the classroom.

Britain is the only EU country to enlist 16-year-olds into the armed services and, say objectors, it starts with access to the classroom.

It’s just after 9.30am and a group of year 9 pupils are flinging themselves across a 30m inflatable assault course installed on a playing field at Marlborough science academy in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

“Come on, push through, be positive!” shout the army personnel in charge, as pupils leap on to the military version of a bouncy castle. They are being timed: at 17 seconds from start to finish, Lorna Norris, 14, is the fastest girl. She looks pleased as she and the rest of the group head over to the next set of “command tasks”, aimed at testing their leadership, teamwork and planning skills.

Marlborough science academy is one of thousands of UK schools to invite in the military. Today, as part of an Insight Into Industry event, the army and other organisations – including the fire and rescue service, Marks & Spencer, and Hertfordshire University – are giving students an insider’s view of their work.… Read more

Concern over activities for school children at Farnborough arms fair

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ForcesWatch is raising ‘serious concerns’ about aspects of the Farnborough International Air Show designed to engage children and young people in careers and ‘exciting’ activities.

The ‘air show’ – held every two years in Hampshire – is taking place this coming weekend. Associated events this week include a major arms fair, civil aerospace exhibition and hosting of military delegations from some of the world’s most repressive regimes (2).

Most of the world’s major arms companies also have a presence exhibiting a range of weaponry including drones and missile systems. There are over 60 exhibiting companies involved in the production of missile systems alone (3).

The UK Government has a clear strategy of promoting the arms trade at Farnborough through the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO). This arm of the civil service organises private meetings and briefing events to help promote UK weaponry and hosts overseas military delegations, including, in 2014, from Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia (4). Government ministers also attend.

Events on Futures Day (Friday 15 July) are aimed at students in schools, universities and youth associations aged between 11-21. The day affords weapons manufacturers unique PR opportunities, including showcasing arms to children (5).… Read more

£2m ‘character education’ grant goes to military-style projects

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A third of a £6 million funding pot aimed at building character in school pupils will be targeted at military-style projects, prompting criticism from campaigners.

The government has said that up to £2 million of its character education grant funding will this year pay for projects that have a “military ethos approach to develop character”.

According to the Forces Watch campaign group, the latest announcement takes the total amount spent or earmarked by the government for projects aimed at instilling a military ethos in schools since 2012 to almost £90 million.

Applications for this year have just closed, with schools having to wait until September to find out if they have been successful in their bids for between £50,000 and £750,000. The fund is separate to the department’s annual character education awards.

Forces Watch, which scrutinises army recruitment practices, said the grant allocation was the latest in a series of big pay-outs related to military-style education, citing the £10 million Troops to Teachers recruitment scheme and £14 million already spent on the cadet expansion scheme, which received another £50 million last year.

Emma Sangster, co-ordinator of the organisation, questioned the logic of the Department for Education’s approach when last year’s character awards had demonstrated a “wealth of other approaches”.… Read more

Where did Osborne’s £50m school cadet forces grant go?

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The impact of a £50 million grant to boost the number of school cadet forces cannot be scrutinised because the government will not release details – although there are few signs of the 100 units a year needed to meet the ambitious target.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said, despite not being able to tell Schools Week how many schools signed up for cadet units in the past year, it still was “on track” to meet its target of 500 in state schools by 2020.

In his budget last summer, chancellor George Osborne said £50 million – raised through fines levied on banks – would increase military programmes in schools five-fold through the Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP). This time last year, there were units in just 100 schools.

However, this week the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) would not provide figures for the number of units in state schools set up in the past 12 months.

Its website says there are 300 units in schools, but this includes independent schools, which make up the vast majority of units. This time last year, the figure on the website was 275.

Figures released by the MOD in April do show, however, there has been a decrease in the number of cadets overall.… Read more