JSP 752 deals with allowances entitlements, with chapter ten dealing with School Children’s Visits and chapter fourteen deals with educational allowances.
It is updated quarterly, so make sure that you have a copy of the most up to date version when referring to it.
From the academic year of your child’s 8th birthday, there is an option for serving personnel to consider applying for an allowance to help with boarding school fees. This allowance is called the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA).
Regulations state that if the serving person wants to claim this allowance, your family must:
When making an initial claim you will need to contact the Education Advisory Team UK (EAT UK) first. They will issue you with a serial number unique to you. You’ll need to fill in the paperwork on Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) and when completed, if you are eligible, you will be issued with an eligibility certificate. There are a few considerations and many regulations to abide by.
The following is an overview of what the CEA process involves.
You must renew your CEA eligibility certificate (CEA EC) every time anything changes including when withdrawing from CEA for one child but continuing for another, when changing school, when your certificate expires and at any other time when directed by JSP 752 or the CEA Governance and Assurance Team.
It is worth noting that:
Seeking Advice? You can contact the CEA Advice Team (DBSAFVS-MilOps-PACCC-CEAAdvice@mod.gov.uk). The PACCC CEA Advisory Team is a dedicated group of Subject Matter Experts supporting Service Personnel, their families, and Unit HR with navigating the complexities of CEA (Continuity of Education Allowances).
CEA cases can involve unique or nuanced circumstances, and interpreting policy is not always straightforward. The CEA Advisory Team provides direct access to specialist advice to help address more complex issues and ensure consistent guidance across the CEA decision‑making process. Their role includes:
When submitting a query, please include sufficient information – particularly number, rank, name and unit – to enable the team to provide accurate and timely advice.
Got a question or wish to discuss this in more detail? Contact the AFF Money & Allowances team at moneysupport@aff.org.uk
Back to topAFF fully supports the choice of accompanied Service for Army families.
When choosing to accompany the serving person, we recognise the impact this may have on the whole family, including the disruption and uncertainty of their children’s education.
One of the ways the MOD supports a continuous education is through the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA), which is available for all eligible, mobile serving personnel. It is a capped allowance and has risen very little in the last few years.
AFF is often invited to comment on the CEA reviews that regularly take place. This has resulted in ensuring that the lower paid serving personnel are not prevented from using the allowance despite regular increases in fees by schools and it also ensures that your views and experiences are considered in the decision making. This is ongoing work.
Whilst we recognise the fiscal quandary for the MOD to keep up with the spiralling cost of private education, for continuity of education to work, there is a necessity to sign up for the long term. State Boarding Schools are not the only solution as these schools are often full and there are simply not enough places across the UK.
If you have any comments or queries about CEA, email AFF’s Money & Allowances team at moneysupport@aff.org.uk
CEA Board – Junior: £9,184
CEA Board – Senior: £11,586
The serving person can access more information on Joint Personnel Administration (JPA).
Back to topSENA is the CEA Special Educational Needs Allowance. This can be claimed by Service families if a child, who is already in receipt of CEA, is then found to have Special Educational Needs (SEN). You’ll need to contact the Education Advisory Team UK (EAT) (UK) in the first instance.
CEA (SENA) may be available should your child have identified Special Educational Needs and/or disability (SEND). You should contact EAT (UK) who will be able to give you up to date information and the appropriate forms to pass on to your child’s boarding school.
The email for EAT (UK) is: RC-DCS-HQ-EAT@mod.gov.uk
Back to topSometimes, postings don’t coincide with school years and it can become tricky especially when your child is at a day school and studying for examinations. It’s also an issue if the posting is abroad and a similar curriculum isn’t offered.
The aim of this allowance is to financially assist families who choose for their child to stay with a guardian so that the child may attend a particular day school continuously.
The allowance is intended to cover the additional costs of living away from your home such as postage, telephone calls and stationery. The allowance is not intended to cover school fees.
Speak to your unit admin team in the first instance or contact the CEA Advice Team (DBSAFVS-MilOps-PACCC-CEAAdvice@mod.gov.uk)
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This allowance is to support families who live in North Wales to have access to education in English.
Teaching in English is often only available at independent day schools and therefore this allowance is a contribution towards the fees.
Currently this is for all children of statutory school age.
If you have experience of this, please contact moneysupport@aff.org.uk
Back to topIf you are in receipt of CEA for a child completing GCSEs and then continue to claim for the into 6th form, there is no requirement for you to do anything in addition to the usual CEA rules. If you are looking to make an initial claim for CEA as your child enters 6th form this usually will not be supported. However if you believe you have circumstances that should be considered you can submit casework to the PACCC, JSP 752 Ch 4 Sect 4 explains how to do this.
Back to topIf your child attends a secondary/senior school which includes a sixth form, then the child will be expected to continue at that school to maintain continuity of education.
If you do have extenuating circumstances for wanting to change schools during a stage of education, please seek more advice on acceptable reasons for changing schools from your unit admin team and through the relevant policy guidance (JSP 752 Chapter 14 Part 1 Annex D).
If a Service person’s (SP) spouse/civil partner spends 90 or more days away from the Resident at Work Address (RWA), either consecutive or aggregated during a 12-month period, their eligibility for certain expenses and allowances, such as Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) will be reviewed.
It has often been seen as unfair by Army families because of the perceived restriction on spousal employment. AFF has been working with the chain of command and has received further advice that may help families understand the policy better.
The advice is that the 90-day policy is actually guidance to COs to help determine accompanied status, not to hamper spousal employment. Where the SP thinks that their spouse/civil partner’s absence is likely to exceed the 90 days, they should advise their Unit HR.
The 90 days’ absence should not be regarded as an ‘allowance’, but rather as a degree of flexibility to accompanied status. The key is whether the absence is reasonable. For instance, in cases where the spouse/civil partner’s employment takes them away for short periods from the family home, if they routinely return to what can be reasonably considered the family home, then their accompanied status should remain unaffected. Conversely, if they establish another residence where the majority of their possessions are stored, then the accompanied status will be questioned.
You can read the full clarification from the Army’s allowances team below:
The guidance on accompanied status in respect of CEA can be found in JSP752, (Annex A to Section 1 of Chapter 2). If a Service person’s spouse/civil partner spends 90 or more days away from the Residence at Work Address, either consecutive or aggregated during a 12-month period, their eligibility for certain expenses and allowances, such as Local Overseas Allowance (LOA) and/or CEA will be reviewed. It is for the Commanding Officer to conduct a review of the Service person’s accompanied status in accordance with JSP752. The 90-day policy is guidance to COs to help determine accompanied status, not to hamper spousal employment. Where the Service person thinks that their spouse/civil partner’s absence is likely to exceed the 90 days, or in any case of doubt, they should advise their Unit HR immediately. The CO will take all of the facts into account in determining whether accompanied status has been achieved or not. Clearly, the fewer the number of days the spouse/civil partner is absent from the family home, then the more the SP is able to claim that they are properly accompanied.
Following a review, if the CO is unable to determine the SP’s accompanied status then casework should be submitted the DBS PACCC for a decision. Similarly, if the SP is not content with the outcome of the CO’s review of their accompanied status they may also submit casework to the Defence Business Service Pay and Allowances Casework and Complaints Cell (DBS PACCC). The relevant guidance can be found in JSP752, Chapter 2, Section 1, Annex A; JSP 752
This clarification is good news for spouses. Please let us know if you have any concerns about this and we would be happy to pass them on to the right people. You can contact us at moneysupport@aff.org.uk
Back to topSome airlines have recently withdrawn their unaccompanied minors service. It’s important to note that families should not be financially disadvantaged by this decision taken by airlines.
Revised guidance from the MOD states that it’s a parent’s responsibility to research airline provision for unaccompanied minors to their specific location as each airline has different age restrictions. It’s the MOD’s responsibility to advise on alternative MOD-funded travel options.
The Service person should in the first instance contact the MOD Families Section UKSTRATCOM-DefSp-DSCOM-FamSec@mod.gov.uk when there are no airlines offering an unaccompanied minors service to or from an overseas location or to the closest airport in the UK.
If families still have concerns or questions, please contact moneysupport@aff.org.uk
Back to topRecent engagement with stakeholders across Defence has highlighted continuing uncertainty amongst Service Personnel (SP), families, Unit HR staff and the Chain of Command regarding the respective roles of the Defence Children’s Services (DCS) Education Advisory Team (UK) (EAT(UK)), the CEA Advisory Team, Unit Human Resources (HR) and Defence Business Services (DBS) People and Allowances Casework and Complaints Cell (PACCC). This confusion can result in enquiries being directed to the wrong organisation, delays in resolving issues and inconsistency in the advice received. This letter clarifies the responsibilities of each organisation and provides direction on the appropriate route for seeking advice and assistance.
All queries relating to the CEA claim process or eligibility should, in the first instance, be directed to Unit HR. They are the first point of contact for all CEA claim enquiries and are responsible for providing first line advice, supporting claim submission, maintaining local governance arrangements and assisting SP in complying with CEA requirements. Where an issue cannot be resolved locally, Unit HR are to direct or escalate the matter through the appropriate administrative channel
SP must contact Education Advisory Team (UK) – GOV.UK for advice and guidance on education related matters, including Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) statutory plans such as Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), Co-ordinated Support Plans (CSPs), Individual Development Plans (IDPs), and Statements of SEND. EAT(UK) also provides advice on the suitability of boarding school education for a child. As part of this support, EAT(UK) will provide an initial CEA Boarding School Considerations Pack and a copy of the MOD Boarding School Database (BSD).
The CEA Advisory Team (DBSAFVS-MilOps-PACCC-CEAAdvice@mod.gov.uk) provides specialist advice and guidance to SP, their families, and Unit HR staff on all aspects of CEA policy contained within Chapter 14 to Ref A. The team acts as a point of contact for SP, and their families where access to Unit HR is not immediately available. This ensures timely support and direction to the appropriate points of contact (POC) when specialist assistance is required. They will direct the Unit HR staff to the relevant policy owners or subject matter experts where necessary. Where enquiries identify a potential compliance issue or matter requiring further scrutiny, the team will escalate the case to SO2 Governance for investigation, advice, and appropriate action.