Boarding School for Military Families: What CEA Actually Covers and Why Leweston Works

If you're a service family considering boarding school, you have probably heard of the Continuity of Education Allowance but the details of how it works, what it covers, and what it means in practice for a school like Leweston are often unclear.

This is the straightforward version.

What is the Continuity of Education Allowance?

The Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) is an MOD benefit that exists specifically to give children of service personnel educational stability despite frequent postings and moves.

CEA covers up to 90% of the boarding element of school fees, subject to a maximum annual threshold set by the MOD. The family pays the remaining 10% minimum contribution. The school receives the full fee.

Eligibility requires that the parent is a serving member of the Armed Forces, has been assessed as liable to move, and meets the service length requirements set by the MOD. A CEA Coordinator at your unit can advise on your specific eligibility.

What does it mean in practice at Leweston?

Full boarding at Leweston, Leweston Full, starts at £9,446 per term for Prep rising to £12,888 in Years 9 upwards. This means that for a Year 9 pupil, with CEA covering up to 90% of the boarding element, a qualifying military family's contribution could be as low as around £1,288 per year.

That is an extraordinary figure. Full boarding at a school in 50 acres of Dorset countryside, with Modern Pentathlon, equestrian, a warm pastoral community, and no Saturday school.

We want to be transparent about this because we think too many service families either don't know the calculation, or assume that a school like Leweston is out of reach. It isn't.

Why Leweston works for service families specifically

It's not just about the numbers, though the numbers help. Several things about Leweston make it a particularly strong fit for military boarding families.

Your child will be known here. Leweston is a small school. The boarding house sits within the main school building, houseparents, teachers, and boarding staff all know the same children. When a posting takes you away, your child is held by a team who actually know them individually.

No Saturday school. When you are home, your child can be with you from Friday afternoon. We do not keep boarders on campus unnecessarily. If you are posted overseas or on exercise, a full weekend activities programme means your child is never at a loose end.

Stability through postings. Your children's education does not have to move every time you do. Leweston provides the consistent home base, the same friends, the same teachers, the same routines, while you serve wherever you're needed. Siblings are accommodated from Year 4 to Year 13.

Flexible weekend arrangements. We understand that operational commitments can change at short notice. Weekend arrangements for military boarding families are made with that reality in mind, not against it.

Modern Pentathlon. Leweston is one of a small number of schools in the UK designated as a GB Modern Pentathlon Talent and Training Hub. The sport, swimming, fencing, OCR, combined shooting and running, has deep historical ties to the British military. Children of military families often take to it naturally. If your child is a serious pentathlete, or curious about the sport, we can talk about the programme.

Nearby bases

Leweston is within practical distance of several significant MOD bases and garrisons:

• RNAS Yeovilton (Fleet Air Arm) — approximately 20 miles
• Blandford Camp (Royal Signals) — approximately 25 miles
• Bovington Camp (Royal Armoured Corps) — approximately 20 miles
• Larkhill (Royal Artillery) — approximately 35 miles
• Salisbury Plain garrisons (Tidworth, Bulford, Warminster) — approximately 35–50 miles
• Lyneham / Corsham (Defence Academy) — approximately 50 miles

We regularly work with families from all of these bases and are familiar with the CEA administration process.

How the CEA process works with Leweston

If you're eligible for CEA and interested in Leweston, the admissions process is straightforward:

1. Make an initial enquiry by phone, email or online. Tell us you're a military family and we'll make sure you're speaking to the right person.
2. Visit: we encourage all families to come and see the school and boarding house. We can accommodate visits around leave or other constraints.
3. Once a place is offered, we have a clear process and will walk you through it.

We will send you a one-page CEA at Leweston briefing document with the worked fee calculation and a contact for any questions.

What current military families say

Military boarding families who choose Leweston consistently describe two things: the warmth of the community, and the practical reliability of a school that understands their life. If you would like to speak to a current military boarding family before making a decision, we can usually arrange that.

Get in touch

Call 01963 211015 or visit leweston.co.uk to book a visit or speak to the team. 

Leweston School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in Sherborne, Dorset, for pupils aged 3 months to 18, offering Nursery, Pre-Prep, Prep, Senior and Sixth Form on a single campus.