Combined Cadet Force

Queen Elizabeth’s School is one of the few state schools to have a CCF. Established in 1992, ours is a relatively new unit and is sponsored by the Corps of Royal Engineers, with support from the Regular Army in training and administration.

The CCF, which is for boys in Years 9-13, provides a training framework in which boys can develop physical skills, such as endurance and co-ordination. Boys develop teamwork and practical leadership skills; on completing the relevant courses, many become instructors within the unit. They also learn self-reliance, which is put into practice during field training

All Year 9 pupils are eligible to apply, together with any Year 10 boys who have expressed an interest. The training offered by CCF is only beneficial to pupils with at least moderate physical fitness. Selection is therefore by a number of simple physical tests: a 1½-mile run in under 14 minutes and the best effort at 40 press-ups and 40 sit-ups, both in two minutes. Unfortunately, we are limited to a maximum intake of 30 recruits per annum.

The CCF meets on Mondays after school, with testing and assessment carried out on Saturday mornings. Year 9 recruits receive training in basic weapon-handling, field craft, camp craft and drill. Year 10 boys learn about tactics, leadership, map-reading and first aid. In Year 11, the focus is on methods of instruction and a cadet leadership course, while the Sixth Form have further instruction in all the above areas.

There are frequent opportunities to take part in activities away from the School. These include a one-day obstacle course training event, a five-day training exercise at Gibraltar Barracks, Surrey, and a field training exercise over two days at Crowborough in East Sussex. Further afield, there is the three-day ‘Adventurous Training’ course on the Isle of Wight and the eight-day Central Camp, for which the venue changes annually.