SCHOOL PUPILS WITH parents who are serving in the armed forces are perhaps more common in Moray than most parts of the country.
Such youngsters face particular problems not in the least having their education interrupted on a regular basis – and often under different educational systems.
These issues and many more have been recognised through a theatrical production that has been touring over 30 schools throughout Scotland in an effort to help children to cope with these demands.
The production, commissioned by the Royal Caledonian Education Trust (RCET), has a lead character whose father serves in the forces, and a plot that features his struggles with changes and adjustments from one school to another.
Primary 2 to 4 children at Lossiemouth’s Hythehill and St Gerardine’s primary schools as well as Mosstowie Primary have already been treated to a performance of the play, performed the Hopscotch Theatre Company from Glasgow.
RCET Chief Executive James McBain pointed out that service parents can be away on deployments for as much as 200 days each year – and that causes anxiety for their children. He said: “Adjusting to new communities and schools as well as living with the day-to-day realities of deployment can prove particularly challenging for some children.
“It can be a potential barrier to their learning – relating Kevin’s narrative to their own lives, we hope that pupils will feel more comfortable with sharing their own experiences within their school communities.”