Support for Military Families - Introduction of CEA 10% from September 2026
Published by Canford School on Tuesday 7th of April 2026
Canford has a long and valued tradition of welcoming military families, who are very much part of the fabric of our boarding community. We understand the demands of service life, and the importance of providing continuity, stability and a strong sense of belonging for young people.
With this in mind, and following careful consideration, we are pleased to confirm that from September 2026, Canford will move to a Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) 10% model.
Under this approach, families will pay 10% of the full boarding fee, with the remainder covered through CEA (up to the statutory maximum) and additional support from the School. This replaces any current arrangements with a combination of bursary, scholarship and military discounts.
This change brings Canford into line with a number of leading boarding schools and helps ensure that we can continue to welcome and support military families. We hope it will provide greater clarity and reassurance around fee planning, while enabling pupils to benefit from the consistency and community that full boarding offers.
Headmaster, Chris Wheeler said: Military families contribute enormously to life at Canford. The values of service, resilience and adaptability that they bring are deeply aligned with the spirit of the School, and we are proud of the role we play in supporting them. Equally, we value the support of our military families.
FCDO families will continue to benefit from an automatic 10% discount. As arrangements may differ, we encourage FCDO families to get in touch with the Admissions or Finance teams who will be able to discuss individual circumstances.
HM Forces families are attracted to Canford by the full boarding model, where on average at least 80% of boarders are in school each weekend. A number of our staff being ex-military is also reassurance for families.
If you would like to talk through how this change may apply to your family, or are considering Canford for a future entry point, do let us know.
Contact us:
Our next Open Morning will take place on Saturday 25th April for families wishing to find out more about Canford, including visiting all academic, co-curricular facilities and houses.
