Cadets Impress Visiting Commodore

This week, Shiplake College’s Combined Cadet Force was inspected by Commodore Andrew Betton OBE, who was ‘impressed’ and ‘filled with pride’ by the impressive turnout of 112 cadets.

The CCF is a unique educational partnership that operates in schools across the UK and dates back to the 1850s when a small number of schools formed units attached to Rifle Volunteer Battalions for Home Defence. Since the 1950s, the CCF has been recognised as a voluntary youth organisation and provides an opportunity for young people to exercise responsibility and leadership while gaining a bit of discipline along the way.

Here at Shiplake, 112 pupils volunteer. While the CCF is compulsory for Year 10 pupils, attendance is optional for Years 11, 12 and 13. The CCF is sponsored by The Ministry of Defence, who provide everything from uniforms to training and access to military facilities, transport and weapons and ammunition. At Shiplake, we provide our young volunteers with time within the curriculum, adult volunteers and the commitment and enthusiasm to ensure the values of The School and of the CCF are being upheld and appreciated.

Assistant Head of Co-Curricular Activities Mr Alex Hunt said

The CCF is a fantastic outlet for our pupils to gain some real world experience as to what goes on outside of the classroom. It’s great that our boys and girls can be part of this tradition and learn some leadership skills and discipline skills that they can apply to all aspects of their lives.

Earlier this year, the cadets traveled to Loch Lomond, Scotland, for a week of incredible outdoor activities. Among these activities were trekking, mountaineering and mountain biking, covering a distance of over 126km and reaching the summit of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. We wish the CCF all the best for their future adventures and endeavours.