Our offer to the Armed Forces community
We have one of the highest populations of veterans in London and we are committed to supporting the Armed Forces community.
Re-integration and employment
If you have left the Armed Forces within the last five years, you and your spouse are guaranteed an interview for a job we have advertised if you meet the minimum criteria set out in the job description and person specification. See our current vacancies page.
If you are a member of our staff and a reservist or cadet force volunteer, we offer a flexible leave policy to help with military commitments, including an additional ten days of paid annual leave to attend training.
We also offer free English and Maths courses to current and former Armed Forces staff. View the courses offered through Lewisham’s Adult Education Service.
These are some of the measures which have helped us to earn a Gold Award through the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme.
Housing
You can apply for council housing if you are serving or have left the Armed Forces within the last five years, or if you are required to leave your property after your partner has died through service. You can also apply if you suffer from serious injury, illness or disability attributable to reserve forces service.
In addition, we offer some accommodation through the Veterans Nomination Scheme.
Health and wellbeing
We are commissioning additional spaces for therapy for former forces personnel who have returned from service in the last five years through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Service.
School admissions
We prioritise school place applications for the children of full-time service personnel under the exceptional medical or social criteria of Lewisham’s School Admissions Policy.
If your child is in Key Stage 1, where specific law about class size applies, they can be placed as an exception, in line with the School Admissions Code.