Base guide

RAF Fairford

2 min read

  • 5 sections
  • 4 sources
On this page
  1. Schools: no DoDEA school
  2. Before you fly
  3. Questions to ask your sponsor
  4. Pets, driving and legal help
  5. Plan school first

RAF Fairford, in England, is home to the 420th Air Base Squadron, one of the seven squadrons of the 422nd Air Base Group headquartered at RAF Croughton, according to the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS page for RAF Croughton and RAF Fairford. MilitaryINSTALLATIONS covers Fairford on the same pages as Croughton, so much of what a family needs to know is shared with the RAF Croughton guide. The 501st Combat Support Wing, the 422nd’s parent wing, describes its mission as including “the maintenance and operation of a bomber forward operating location”, per the RAF Alconbury MilitaryINSTALLATIONS page.

Schools: no DoDEA school

“Since there is no DODEA school at RAF Croughton, RAF Fairford, or RAF Welford School age children attend school off the installation”, the Croughton and Fairford education page says. Children in pre-K through 12th grade can attend a private British school, a local British state school, or be home schooled; all three can be funded through the Non-DoD Schools Program. The School Liaison Office handles applications: +44-1280-70-8097.

Before you fly

The shared MilitaryINSTALLATIONS overview says all members PCSing to the United Kingdom must travel in civilian attire. It warns that U.S. cordless devices that do not meet EU specifications, such as cordless landline phones and baby monitors, are illegal in the UK, and that renting can require the first month’s rent (500 to 2,500 pounds, it said in October 2026) in advance plus a deposit equal to a month’s rent.

Questions to ask your sponsor

The MilitaryINSTALLATIONS pages describe Croughton’s housing office, lodging and driving brief by name. Before you arrive at Fairford, ask your sponsor:

  • Which housing office handles your in-processing and Overseas Housing Allowance, and the deadline to report to it.
  • Where you will stay on arrival, and whether pet-friendly lodging is available.
  • Where and when you take the UK local conditions brief and theory test, and which Pass and Registration office registers your vehicle.
  • Which clinic serves Fairford families, and how emergencies are handled.

Great Britain’s pet entry rules from GOV.UK, including the banned-breed list, are in the RAF Lakenheath guide. UK vehicle registration and MOT rules are summarized in the RAF Croughton guide. Legal assistance for Fairford comes from the 501st Combat Support Wing Legal Office, which lists RAF Fairford among the installations it supports; appointments are by email, as described in the RAF Alconbury guide.

Plan school first

With no DoDEA school at Fairford, contact the School Liaison Office before your family travels to choose a British school or home schooling and to start the Non-DoD Schools Program paperwork.

Sources

installations.militaryonesource.mil