Schools among first to set up cadet units to '˜instil discipline'

At last week’s Tory conference Sir Michael Fallon said he wanted people from “all backgrounds” to have the chance of being a cadet.

The latest units, including Scarborough University Techincal College (UTC), Sirius Academy North, in Hull, and Manor Church of England Academy, in York, are part of the Tory drive to increase the number of cadet units in state schools to 500 by 2020.

More than 80 pupils, aged 12 to 15, have already joined the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) troop, which launched this term at Manor Church of England Academy.

The cadets will be doing physical training, going on camps, and learning everything from putting on camouflage to how to fire a rifle.

A memorial in the school’s chapel lists Old Boys who have fallen in conflicts, including 23-year-old Marine David Hart, from Poppleton, who was killed by a bomb in Afghanistan in 2010.

Headteacher Simon Barber said: “It ties in with the school’s wider view that we should value the Armed Forces and should teach young children to value them.”

Mr Barber said it appealed to some of the youngsters who might not be attracted to other extracurricular courses, adding: “It has been really popular - the Army said they wanted a troop of 30 and 85 applied.

“It shows the young people are interested and want to be involved and love the sessions.”

At Scarborough UTC, assistant principal Mat Osburn, who is also a Lieutenant in the (CCF) Royal Naval Reserve, hopes to get a yacht or motorised cruiser, so students can learn a wide range of naval skills.

With ten years experience in the CCF he has seen youngsters “come out of their shell and grow in confidence.”

He added: “I’ve seen them turn from an isolated person in the corner of a room to the leader of the group.

“The main emphasis is on leadership and communication and self worth. These are employability skills which we are trying to push for in the UTC as well.”

The new units are focused on schools in deprived areas or places with high ethnic minority representation.

Speaking at the Albion Academy in Salford, Greater Manchester, which has a cadet unit, the Defence Secretary said: “Cadets help instil values of discipline and loyalty. They develop leadership skills and confidence.

“For too long cadet units have been the preserve of independent schools but, thanks to this Conservative Government, more children in state schools will reap the benefits.”

The new units are in schools across the UK, including the first in Wales.

The Tories said research by the University of Northampton showed that cadet forces contribute to increasing social mobility and help improve attendance and behaviour among pupils who have previously been excluded.

The new units are being established under the Ministry of Defence and Department for Education’s cadet expansion programme, which is backed by £50 million of funding from Libor fines levied on the banks.