RAF Shawbury HIVE

27/08/2025

Wake Up Wednesday
🎒 📅Back to school! This week’s guide shares 10 top tips to support children with the transition back into school life 🧠💬
Download your FREE copy here > > https://vist.ly/44pvk

26/08/2025

The Gov.uk website has been updated with new information in the ‘Free Early Years Childcare entitlement for children aged 9 months to school starting age (including 15 or 30 hours’ free childcare)’ and ‘Overseas Nursery Authority (ONA)’ section.

To review the revised information please go to: Guidance for Service personnel and their families on child welfare policies https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-service-personnel-and-their-families-on-child-welfare-policies?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-single-page&utm_source=a24a0d30-ba45-4800-91fb-9d0504b43ec9&utm_content=immediately&fbclid=IwY2xjawMaU2lleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF5OEJrc3RKbUkyNzYwTzZnAR7NALPB97l2iHNysqiujadb4bD4stsqsDvTL0wR-yXDQLxy4GmpctwvKxicyw_aem_6eE6AKyzBOKS8n-8SpPKeA

GOV.UK - The best place to find government services and information.

21/08/2025

Surveys will close on September 5th – share your experience of growing up in a military family 👇

20/08/2025

Recruit for Spouses
Does this sound like something you’d benefit from? 😊
Register on the RFS portal https://portal.recruitforspouses.co.uk or email [email protected]

19/08/2025

The Duke of York's Royal Military School Celebrates Exceptional A Level and BTEC Results
Students at The Duke of York’s Royal Military School are celebrating another year of exceptional results in their A Level and BTEC examinations. This year, the average A Level grade achieved by students was a B, while BTEC students also performed impressively.
Principal Alex Foreman praised the hard work and determination of students and staff, stating: "Our unique school continues to deliver outstanding outcomes for our students, academically and personally. Our Dukies are supported by exceptional teachers and pastoral staff, and they flourish in a setting that encourages them to aim high and develop the skills required to succeed. Our students have shown remarkable determination and commitment, and we are incredibly proud of all they have achieved. They are inspiring young people, and I am confident they will step into the next stage of their lives with confidence and purpose."
This year’s cohort is heading on to an exciting range of next steps. Among the outstanding individual success stories: Mayowa Aiyere A*, A, A going to read Law at Warwick; Olivia Ofili Distinction*, A, A to read Accounting and Finance at Warwick; Ulhana Shevtsiv Distinction, Distinction, A* to read Global Design and Engineering at the Engineering and Design Institute; Imogen Thorne A, A, A to read Politics and Language at Southampton; Archie Hussey Distinction, Distinction, Distinction degree apprenticeship in Construction Management with BW Workplace Experts; Seyi Ferreira A, A, B to read Chemical Engineering at Newcastle.
At The Duke of York’s Royal Military School students benefit from small class sizes, exceptional education, and outstanding opportunities, ensuring they leave not only with superb qualifications but also with the leadership, independence, and confidence needed for their futures.
The school celebrates the success of all its leavers and looks forward to seeing the impact they will make in the world beyond school.
For more information, visit www.doyrms.com
The Duke of York’s Royal Military School was established in 1803 by the then Duke of York to care for the orphans of soldiers and moved, in 1909, to its present 150 acre site in the Kent countryside. As a boarding school, it offers a high quality continuity of education and pastoral care and is popular with parents serving in the Armed Forces. Since becoming an academy in 2010 and opening its doors to all students.
Successful old Dukies of the School include: James Jones, former Bishop of Liverpool; Simon Daglish founder of the Walking with the Wounded Charity and Deputy Managing Director, Commercial, of ITV; and the late Maurice Colclough, British Lions and England International Rugby Union player.
Press enquiries
For more information, images and interviews, please contact: Holly Applebee
Email: [email protected]

19/08/2025

As the Overseas Survey draws to a close on 30 August 2025, MOD are making one final call to hear from Armed Forces families living overseas. These insights are vital in shaping the support, services, and policies that matter most to them.
Whether it’s childcare, education, employment or military life in general—their voice makes a difference https://surveys.mod.uk/index.php/458476?lang=en (link to survey).
Also a reminder to everyone that, for anyone who hasn’t had a chance to take part yet, there’s still time. It only takes a few minutes, and feedback is invaluable.
MOD would like to say a big thank you to everyone who’s already shared their experiences. Their contribution will help the MOD to build a clearer, stronger picture of life overseas.
Every response counts.

18/08/2025

Defence Discount Service
Make the most of your well-earned time off by tucking into some of our increased food and drink discounts🍽️
https://www.defencediscountservice.co.uk/

14/08/2025

Give Us Time - last minute break in Essex
Give Us Time offers respite breaks to UK military families, partnering with donors to provide them with the chance to spend time together and to reaffirm their family bonds and strengthen relationships
They have a last minute break available at Dovercourt Holiday Park, near Harwich, Essex, for up to 6 people for 1 – 5 September.
Full details of the holiday park are here https://www.parkholidays.com/our-parks/essex/dovercourt/caravan-holidays
Or to find out more about the charity 👉 https://giveustime.org.uk/

12/08/2025

RAF Benevolent Fund - Lighting Reach Portal
Lightning Reach is a free online portal that connects you to financial support from various sources, quickly and securely - all in one place.
RAF case study available - https://www.lightningreach.org/support-military

12/08/2025

🏘The next Pinnacle virtual outreach day will take place on Wednesday 13th August.📅 👇

11/08/2025

📃SFA Consumer Charter – greater freedoms for families
Service Personnel and families deserve homes that reflect your unique needs and lifestyles. Outdated, lengthy policies are unhelpful in fostering a sense of belonging where you can make a house feel like your home. This is particularly important given the transient nature of military life, which we know can be disruptive.
DIO is committed to transforming this experience. By modernising our policies, we’re empowering families with greater freedom to personalise and enhance your homes. Defence Secretary Rt Hon John Healey MP announced the latest improvements https://www.gov.uk/.../pets-for-heroes-new-measures-to..., which include an update to policies making it easier for you to own pets and run businesses from home. In the future, you will also have more freedom to personalise and decorate your homes, the details of which will be confirmed in due course.
🐕🐈SFA pet policy:
We know that pets are a big part of family life. Previously, families with pets were required to seek written permission through the National Service Centre (NSC) before acquiring or bringing existing pets into SFA. Under the revised policy, effective from 9 August 2025, pet owners do not need approval. Instead, you simply need to notify the NSC that you have a pet via an e-form.
Permission will only be required if the number or type of pets exceeds the permissible criteria outlined in the Pet Notification Form on the Pinnacle website 👉https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/in-home-requests/
💻Business from home policy:
Following a review of this policy, applications to run a business from an SFA home were reinstated in May. We have now revised the approvals process, effective from 9 August 2025, giving DIO single authority to make decisions on applications, as opposed to individual units. This will ensure approvals are consistent throughout the UK.
For any queries related to these policy updates or for questions about your SFA, you can contact your local housing officer https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/your-housing.../or call the Pinnacle National Service Centre 0800 031 8628.
Providing families with floor plans
As part of the SFA Consumer Charter, we are committed to providing improved, clearer information for families ahead of moves, including photographs and floor plans of all homes when a family applies for housing.
Currently we are aware that a number of SFA properties do not have an up-to-date floor plan. If you reside in one of these identified properties, you will be contacted by a letter from Pinnacle in the coming weeks to inform you about an appointment, for a surveyor to attend your property to carry out a floorplan survey. This should take no longer than one hour.
If your home is identified for a floor plan survey, we greatly appreciate your cooperation in providing access to your property for these surveys to take place, for the benefit of future Service families.
For any queries please contact your local housing officer or call the Pinnacle National Service Centre 0800 031 8628.
Personal CCTV reminder
Personal CCTV footage captured from your homes (including video doorbells) is for the use of protecting your property only, and not for publishing externally. Helpful guidance on how to use domestic CCTV responsibly and legally can be found on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/.../domestic-cctv-using-cctv-systems...
FAMCAS results show steady improvements
In July, the results of the 2025 Tri-Service Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FAMCAS) https://www.gov.uk/.../tri-service-families-continuous... showed a steady increase of satisfaction with accommodation services, including:
51% satisfied with the overall standard of SFA/SSFA, (an increase from 47% in 2024).
36% satisfied with the response rate for repairs, (an increase of 10% since last year).
33% satisfied with the quality of repairs, an increase from 26% in 2024.
This is an encouraging sign that Service families are starting to experience the improvements that DIO and its suppliers are making, and we will continue to work to improve the SFA experience for you.
UK SFA investment plans 2025/26
Following the Strategic Defence Review which announced more than £1.5 billion of additional funding to improve accommodation for Personnel and families, we are now able to share our investment plans for UK SFA in 2025/26.
Read more here about the investment that is planned above maintenance funding.

08/08/2025

Get Safe Online: Parents Leaflet
Get Safe Online has produced a new leaflet, which provides some practical ways to help your child explore the internet with confidence and care this summer holiday.
Take a look at the advice on the Get Safe Online website: Are you in touch with what your kids do online? - Get Safe Online 👇
https://www.getsafeonline.org/safehappykidsonline/
The leaflet can be read and downloaded from this link: July25_Parents_Leaflet.pdf 👇
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