Ofsted Recognise Need for R&R in Term Time - Deployment commitments have always meant difficulty for Service families trying to tie in R&R dates with school holidays, as schools that grant extra holidays to the families of serving personnel can risk unfavourable reflection with Ofsted inspections.  The NFF raised this point with the Department for Children, Schools and Education and are delighted to announce a revision. Click here for further information.

Win £500! – Netmums.com is running a competition for their members to win £500 to spend at TKMaxx. Netmums is a unique local parenting network offering a wealth of information on both a national and local level. If you are not already a member, click here to register and then follow the link to enter the competition. The competition is free to enter and the closing date is 11 February 2010. Good luck!

Are you looking to buy a house? – The Armed Forces Home Ownership Scheme is a pilot scheme, designed specifically to provide assistance to qualifying service personnel, to purchase a home on the open market. If you are eligible, you could borrow between 15-50% of the value of the home that you have chosen on the open market. To be eligible you must have no less than 4 years and no more than 6 years continuous service, and be unable to afford a suitable home on your own. For more details about eligibility for the scheme, click here.

New GP Practice in Portsmouth – The Guildhall Walk Healthcare Centre is a GP Practice with walk-in facilities, which is open to everyone whether they are registered at the practice or not. The centre is open every day from 8am-8pm and offers a range of services. Click here for more information.

Half Price Tickets to Hampshire Attractions - Hampshire County Council is giving a salute to members of the Armed Forces with cheap tickets to country parks and museums. The 50% discount card is available to Service personnel and their families. Click here to see the attractions participating in the offer and contact your local HIVE to claim your card.

Work Begins on New Centre for Veterans at Risk of Homelessness - The Royal British Legion and Ministry of Defence have announced a new joint initiative to help families who have lost loved ones in the Armed Forces by providing free and independent legal advice. Construction work has begun in Catterick, North Yorkshire, on a pioneering training and housing centre for veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts, who are at risk of homelessness. For further details visit the MOD website.

Tweet with Harriet Harman - Harriet Harman, the Minister for Women and Equality is on the social networking service Twitter. Ms Harman has vowed to personally respond to any messages posted on her Twitter page, so if you have any comments or questions about Service life please get in touch with her to make sure your voice is heard. Twitter is a free service that enables users to send/ receive short messages, known as tweets, receiving quick responses on the chosen topic. Click here to register for a Twitter account, or visit Harriet Harman’s page.

New Healthcare Package for Military Veterans - The Government has announced a new package of measures to support Service personnel who have received serious injuries whilst on active service. Click here to read the story on the MOD website.

Free Football Tickets for Fratton Park – Calling all football fans; we have free tickets to give away for upcoming matches at Portsmouth Football Club. We have three sets of tickets for the Portsmouth v Stoke City game on 20 February and two additional sets of tickets for Portsmouth v Blackburn Rovers on 3 April 2010. The seats are based in the Portsmouth end and are available to those connected with the Service community. Please contact us if you are interested in taking up a free set of tickets to cheer on your team! The tickets have been kindly donated by the RNRMC and a donation to the charity would be appreciated.