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Written question asked by James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 10 February 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 February 2026. It was answered by Louise Sandher-Jones (Labour) on Monday, 16 February 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


Officers: Private Education

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of officers who pass the selection board are privately educated.

Answer

Officer training in the UK Armed Forces is accessible to any UK citizen who meets the academic, aptitude, physical and medical requirements, irrespective of the candidate’s social background or type of education.

Of the intake to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (Army) who are due to commission on 10 April 2026, 37% were independently educated. No other information in scope of these questions is held by the single Services.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
112423
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Private education Recruitment Officers
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk