Higham Ferrers school to launch combined cadet force

Students at a Higham Ferrers school will have the chance to join a combined cadet force (CCF) which is launching next year.

The Ferrers School, part of the Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust, is launching the force in January for 25 students, initially over the age of 13.

Through the programme, students will have opportunities to gain recognised qualifications in disciplines such as first aid, navigation skills and the chance to participate in national programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.

There are CCF contingents in more than 500 state and private secondary schools across the UK, offering youngsters a range of challenging, exciting, adventurous and educational activities.

Many of the activities that take place over the course of the year aim to enable the development of personal responsibility, leadership and self-discipline in students.

Each CCF is an educational partnership between the school and the Ministry of Defence, and a CCF may include Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army or Royal Air Force sections.

Angela Smith, principal of The Ferrers School, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this new opportunity to our students from January 2022. Not only will this programme offer our students a real sense of community, but it’s an excellent chance for them to pick up new transferable skills and build on their teamwork, confidence and leadership.

“This programme is an example of our dedication and commitment to sending our students out into the world as confident, motivated, aspirational and high achieving young people who will make a positive contribution to the local and wider community as responsible and ambitious citizens.”

Kathryn McAuley, head of communications at East Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, said: “CCF is a really valuable programme for students and our approach at East Midlands RFCA is always to stress the educational, fun and self-development aspects of cadets.

"A report by the University of Northampton found that being a member of the cadet forces can lead to students having greater academic success, improved motivation and overall, better behavioural tendencies which shows that the cadet forces can make a huge difference to improve success rates in our young people.”