“The teachers, they try to understand, they say they understand, but they really don’t” An exploration into the educational experiences of secondary school pupils from military families

The present study explores how service children and young people (CYP) experience education. Service CYP may experience multiple school transitions throughout their education as a result of frequent family relocations which can affect their academic attainment, emotional wellbeing and friendships. Some service CYP may also experience parental deployment with prolonged periods of separation from their deployed parent. Whilst there is a growing body of literature on the perceived experiences and support needs of service CYP in schools, qualitative research directly exploring the educational experiences of this population is scarce. To acknowledge the voice of service CYP themselves, the present study directly explores the educational experiences of seven service CYP attending secondary schools across England and Wales. Interview data was collected remotely and was analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis which led to the emergence of superordinate themes for each participant. Five overarching themes were then identified across the data set: ‘searching to belong’, ‘the impact of loss and separation’, ‘establishing a sense of self’, ‘adapting to changes’ and ‘the need for empathy and understanding’. Findings were discussed in the context of existing research and relevant psychological theory. Implications for educational professionals working with this group are explored and suggestions for future research are provided.