HEADTEACHERS, council leaders and the military came together for an international conference to share ideas and best practice for achieving the best education for service children in Wiltshire.

The Wiltshire Council-run event was attended by more than 20 local schools alongside representatives from Germany and Cyprus schools, the Ministry of Defence, educational providers and other local authorities.

The event comes as Wiltshire prepares to welcome 4,300 service personnel and their families (approximately 3,300 dependants) to the county by 2019.

A head and deputy from a school in Cyprus, rated outstanding by Ofsted, shared their expertise in working with pupils from military backgrounds and what can be done to best support them while they are at school.

The event included input from schools, local authorities and support agencies with a wealth of knowledge and skills supporting service pupils. There were workshops focusing on bereavement counselling, support funding, maths intervention projects, Fischer Family Trust information to help schools evaluate how well children are progressing, and army rebasing plans.

Headteacher Claire Beazley of Clarendon Infant School said: “I felt the conference gave me a good opportunity to stop and think specifically about the ways we work in school to ensure the provision for service children is as effective as it can be.”