Golden Years

BFES was established by the British Government with the first schools opening in war-torn Germany in November 1946 under the direction of John Trevelyan CBE.

In the late 1960s teachers and officers employed under the auspices of the three Service Education Corps (Army, Navy & Royal Air Force) were brought together under the umbrella organisation Service Children's Education Authority (SCEA). SCEA was headed by a military Controller (Colonel or equivalent) who changed every two years. In North-West Europe, schools were operated by Service Children's Schools (SCS-NWE).  In 1996 SCEA and SCS-NWE  combined as Service Children's Education (SCE). In the 1980s the organisation had schools and offices in 127 locations world-wide.  Some three-quarters of these were in West Germany.

An SCE Training Day

These were the 'golden years', considered by both staff and children as being influential in their lives.  Teachers brought to schools across the world from the UK enjoyed a new, different lifestyle from that in UK, one that embraced learning and encouraged the making of friends between colleagues and locals alike. Inset training was offered to all teachers and so the best opportunities for education could be offered to all children. 

An extensive archive of BFES, SCEA, SCS & SCE material is maintained with the services of professional archivists at the Institute of Education, part of University of London.  School log-books, where they have been salvaged, are held at the National Army Museum in Chelsea. 

Check out "locations" on this website to read about individual schools.