Moving to Northern Ireland
So you’ve just found out you’re posted to Northern Ireland (NI), and you don’t know what to expect when you arrive there. This web page is designed to provide you with information you may need, both prior to arriving and once you have moved to NI. If you have any other questions which are not addressed here, the AFF NI office will be happy to hear from you. Please call us on 028 9226 6875, or e-mail your enquiry to ni@aff.org.uk
The Army Families Federation can help improve the quality of life for Army families – the Northern Ireland Branch specifically helps families posted to Northern Ireland. Any Army family living in the Province can contact AFF NI about any aspect of Army life. AFF can provide advice on any problems associated with aspects of Army life including pay and allowances, housing, education, health, movements and much more. We liaise with the military on your behalf and lobby for change in Army and Government policies.
Checklist for this page
Education in Northern Ireland
Bringing your Car to Northern Ireland
Car Insurance in Northern Ireland
NHS Waiting Lists
Pre-School Funding
The NI cleaning scheme
Dogs in Northern Ireland
Travel Warrants and Northern Ireland Residency Supplement
Education in Northern Ireland
There are a number of differences between the education system in NI, and those in England, Scotland, and Wales. In NI, the academic year runs from the end of June, not the beginning of September as in England. This means therefore, that any child born in July or August will be placed in the year below the one they would be placed into in England. The only exception to this rule occurs when a child has started its first year of primary or secondary school in the UK mainland, and would face going back to nursery or primary in NI. The Department of Education for NI will, in these circumstances allow an exception.
If your child is 4 years old before the 1st September they are eligible to be admitted to primary school, as they would by law in England and Wales due to a change in legislation for service children which states ‘they may be admitted to primary school at the discretion of the school Principal’. If you encounter difficulties with this process please contact Director AFF NI or the Children’s Education Support Officer at the number below. Should you choose not to send your child to school at this time, you may find that on your return to England or Wales (and possibly overseas), you child will have to skip a whole academic year of their education.
Transfer from Primary to Post-Primary Education in Northern Ireland
NI has a system of secondary and grammar schools, known collectively as post-primary education. This means that in primary 7 (Year 6), children can sit the Common Entrance Assessment to determine whether they will be allocated a place at a grammar school. If you arrive in NI after the Common Entrance Assessment has taken place, evidence must be produced of the child’s previous school work to help determine whether the child could gain a grammar school place. Parent(s)/guardian(s) also need to complete a CEA Form SC09 (available from www.aqe.org.uk or grammar schools), along with the school work. This is a special circumstances form which should be completed by parent(s)/guardian(s) making a claim for Special Circumstances and/or Special Provisions (Special Cases) for their son or daughter. Using this form, parent(s)/guardian(s) should refer to the Admissions Criteria of the schools to which they are applying for detailed information about how Special Circumstances and Special Provisions are defined. The Admissions Criteria gives a clear indication of how each school intends to deal with these claims.
After you have read the Admissions Criteria, if you are in any doubt about the procedure or the evidence required please contact the Principal of the grammar school for advice and guidance.
Children not wishing to go to grammar school can apply to the secondary school of their choice.
For further help or advice on the Common Entrance Assessment or the CEA Form SC09, please contact AFF NI Director, Claire Braddock, on 028 9226 6875. Alternatively you can contact the Children’s Education Support Officer, Paula Armstrong, located within Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn on 028 9226 6347.
Voluntary Grammar Schools – Capitation Fee
Military personnel with children at a voluntary grammar school in NI are entitled to claim a refund of Capitation or Capital Fees whilst they are serving here. This is a sum levied on children attending grammar schools in NI. It is not a voluntary contribution and the average Capitation Fee is £50 per term.
To obtain a refund of Capitation/Capital Fees the original school invoice which has been stamped as ‘paid’ must be submitted to the address below. Please remember to include a covering letter with contact details and Service Number.
Children’s Education Support Officer
AWS NI
Building 114
38 (Irish) Bde
BFPO 825
Once authorised, AWS NI will return a completed Miscellaneous Imprest Bill Payment Authority (AF P1923) to the claimant for submission to the Imprest Holder for payment. This claim will be exempt from Self Service User under JPA.
School Funding for Armed Forces children in NI
The Department of Education in NI provides funding to schools for the education and resources for Armed Forces children in NI. With the constant moving that Armed Forces children experience it is often necessary to provide extra tuition and assessments to overcome the difficulties in inducting pupils and designing programmes to bring them to the same stage as other pupils already in the school. The funding is paid directly to the school per child to be used for this purpose.
School timings
Many families arrive in Northern Ireland unaware that younger school aged children finish school earlier than those on the mainland. Please note that:
P1 – P3 children (Reception – Year 2) finish school at 2 pm
P4 – P7 children (Year 3 – Year 6) finish school at 3 pm
Homework
All school children in Northern Ireland receive homework during term time on Monday through to Thursday. The amount given varies from 10 minutes for Primary 1 children to one and a half hours for Primary 7 children.
Bringing your Car to Northern Ireland
On arrival in Northern Ireland there is a legal requirement for you to register, tax and insure your car in the Province. The information below was disseminated from the Command Master Drivers (CMD) Office to 19 Bde Units newly arriving in NI.
1. Registering the Vehicle – There is a legal requirement to register the vehicle under the registered keeper’s address: this may be the ghost address or their MQ address. (A ‘ghost’ address is a phantom address that Service personnel use instead of their Unit address for civilian mail. It is issued by the Unit on arrival in NI.) Once registered with DVLNI, you will receive a NI Log Book. You must also inform Swansea by tearing off the slip (either sect 9 or 11) on their GB Log Book and returning it to Swansea. This will prevent you from getting letters from Swansea asking why the vehicle has not been taxed. You can still keep your mainland plates; there is no legal requirement to have NI plates.
2. Insurance – When posted to NI you need to obtain car insurance through a recognised insurance company who provides cover in NI. Not all companies provide cover for the Province, which could result in any claim being null and void should the vehicle be involved in an accident or is stolen. You must double check that your insurance company provides the appropriate cover. Insurance premiums are more expensive than on the mainland, but you can claim back the difference between the NI premium and a Central London premium (although it is now not a great amount due to increased competition of insurance providers).
3. Tax – All vehicles need to be taxed. If you change the plates on your car then your tax disc has to reflect the new registration number; you will get a new tax disc when you change the plates. If the car is still registered to a mainland address, it will have to be MOT’d and taxed on the mainland; if you do not have the chance to go back to the mainland to do so, there is no guarantee that the vehicle tax will remain in date. This will lead to on the spot fines from the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI). Cars in NI are required to have an MOT test four years from new, on the mainland it is three years - so there are advantages of registering the vehicle in NI.
Car Insurance in Northern Ireland
Some families might find that the cost of car insurance in NI is higher than the UK mainland. Larger companies demand high premiums, so it is important to shop around.
Under ‘normalisation’ car insurance does not carry the same security measures that were in place during Op Banner, when NI was an Operational Theatre. Although there may still be security factors to consider, it is possible to save money by using an NI-based insurance company, although this is entirely your choice. Companies cannot be security checked, as individuals working for them change over time, therefore common sense should be applied.
When considering the cost of insurance, you should be aware that the Army will refund the difference between a car insurance quote for NI and a quote for the same car in London SW1A 2HB. If your insurance company cannot quote for London, then Warrior (NAAFI Finance) may be able to provide a quote. Contact your pay office for advice on obtaining a car insurance rebate.
NHS waiting lists
Families with members on NHS waiting lists and who are moving to Northern Ireland are advised, where possible, to remain on NHS waiting lists in the UK mainland. On arrival in Northern Ireland families should register with a local GP and take advice on waiting list times in NI before coming off the list in mainland UK.
Waiting lists for many procedures in NI can be long, and help is available for dependants to travel back to the UK mainland for treatment. G1 Branch will consider claims for travel in cases where there is a medical need for continuity of specialist treatment, or where there are reasons why the treatment cannot be carried out in NI. An application requesting authorisation to travel at public expense should be made to your CO, outlining details of the condition, hospital, consultant, and any planned appointments. This information will be treated in the strictest confidence.
With support from the CO, your application will then be forwarded to G1 Branch, who will make a decision based on advice from Med Branch. In some cases, further medical information may be required to assist the decision making process.
Where travel is required for a child to receive treatment, one parent will also be authorised to travel. Travel costs will not impact on individual unit budgets.
Pre-school funding
Parents will receive pre-school funding for children turning three years old (from the term after their third birthday). This is administered in one of two ways:
- The supervisor/play leader of each playgroup will fill out the appropriate forms and the money will be paid directly to the playgroup.
- If the 3 year old is in a civilian playgroup, the parents are eligible to claim the fees paid only if there are no places available in the Station Pre-school and no free places available in the civilian pre-school. If this is the case there is a separate form to fill in, ‘Station Nursery and Pre-school Certificate of Eligibility’ (available from the Station Pre-school or AWS NI Branch, 38 (I) Bde). Parents will then be reimbursed at the end of each term.
The NI cleaning scheme
The NI Cleaning Scheme is specific to Northern Ireland. The free scheme has one key element:
a surface clean only is required on move out, making the handover much less stressful than the traditional march-out.
If you are in any doubt about the standard of cleaning required on move out, contact your local Housing Office who can provide written guidelines outlining the standards required.
Dogs in Northern Ireland
It is compulsory to register dogs in Northern Ireland. In order to do so, you can obtain a licence application form from the HIVE and process it in a number of ways; via the internet, through the post, or by going to your local Council offices and submitting it personally.
You can also obtain free dog soiling bags from the Lisburn and Aldergrove HIVEs and also Lisburn Community Office.
You must also notify your Pet Chipping Company of your new change of address once you have moved.
Travel Warrants and Northern Ireland Residency Supplement
Families based in Northern Ireland are still eligible for travel warrants and the Northern Ireland Residency Supplement (NIRS); they did not cease at the end of Op Banner. For details on personal allowances please contact your local Pay Office or receiving Unit Pay Office in NI.