A Government-commissioned review of the military’s role in society says encouraging more state secondary school pupils to join the cadet corps would improve discipline among teenagers while helping to improve the public perception of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
400-year-old Batley Grammar School is proud of its CCF tradition, upheld since the Ministry of Defence (MOD)-sponsored cadet force was first formed in the 1950s.
Headmaster Brian Battye believes the cadet training sits well in the small, nurturing and caring environment of the grammar school.
“We are all about helping students reach their full potential, not only academically, but also as good citizens and well rounded individuals,” he said.
“Our highly-trained staff recognise that giving young people access to a wide range of extra-curricular activities is vital in building their self-esteem and general life skills. The CCF is an excellent way to teach them discipline, first aid, cooking, presentation and a number of other skills that can’t always be taught in the classroom alone.”
The uniforms, marching ability, first aid and weapon training of Batley’s 75 cadets, aged 13 to 18, have been officially inspected by Major Nigel Banks of the Army Air Corps and Colonel Brian Denney, of Rifles TA & Cadets Yorkshire. Cadets have also been given the chance to fly in one of two RAF helicopters landed on the school playing fields.
Among the contingent were 18-year-old Nick Walters and Nicholas Dodgson, who are two of only ten students from 580 schools in the north to win RAF sixth form scholarships.