A Wirral school has committed to support current and ex-service personnel after signing the Armed Forces Covenant.

Prenton Prep School signed up to covenant described as "a simple and impactful way of supporting ex-service personnel as they navigate reintegration into civilian life".

The school is part of Forfar Education, founded in 2016, which also runs Cameron Vale in Chelsea, Horris Hill in Hampshire, The Gleddings in Halifax, Brackenfield School in Harrogate, Park School in Bournemouth and Argyle House School in Sunderland.

John Forsyth, chief executive and Founder of Forfar Education, served as an officer in the British Army between 2000 and 2007.

He described the Armed Forces Covenant as "a simple and impactful way of supporting ex-service personnel as they navigate reintegration into civilian life."

In addition to supporting service leavers and veterans, Forfar is leading the way in providing support for current and former members of the military at their schools.

John Forsyth explained: "The government provides the military with a school allowance for a small section of the serving population.

"Previously called the Boarding School Allowance, it is now referred to as Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This is to enable those who move frequently as a result of their service in the military to have a stable place for their children to be educated.

"However, this allocation only goes to a very small percentage of serving military and does not rise at the pace school fees rise.

"It is the CEA that most independent schools support with an additional bursary to cover some of the top-up amount required by military parents. The vast majority of independent schools make no provision for those who do not have CEA. Our aim at Forfar is to support not just those with CEA, but open that support to all those with young families currently serving – as they have chosen a life of service and we believe that this support is justified and owed as a result.”

"We also wish to support veterans of the services, many of whom have spent a decade or so in the military serving their country and then left to start or bring up a family. Again, we feel that more should be done here.

"Across the group, we aim to teach not just great academics but also resilience and confidence via team sports and outdoor learning, which again appeals to many military parents.

"Our goal is to establish ourselves both as an employer known for its open-door, welcoming policies in regard to those seeking work after leaving the forces and also to be a company that supports where we can, all our serving military and veterans, and we wish to lead the way here so that support of our Armed Forces personnel and veterans becomes normalised across the independent school sector."