The Ministry of Defence has welcomed the findings of a recent academic study highlighting the positive impact of school-based Cadet Forces, and confirmed plans to expand Combined Cadet Forces (CCFs) in state schools as part of a broader effort to improve youth development and opportunity.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Lord Stevens of Birmingham on 28 May 2025, Minister of State for Defence Lord Coaker affirmed the Government’s support for the March 2025 report The Impact and Value of School-Based Cadet Forces in the UK, authored by the Institute of Social Innovation and Impact at the University of Northampton.
“We very much welcome the excellent research by the University of Northampton on the impact and value of school-based Cadet Forces in the UK, a study commissioned by the Ministry of Defence,” said Lord Coaker.
He went on to describe the report as “compelling reading for anyone interested in the development of young people,” noting that it contains “many useful insights for school leaders to help support their efforts to seek wider opportunities for all their pupils.”
The Government’s response links the expansion of cadet forces to its broader policy goal of social mobility. “Breaking down barriers to opportunity is a core Government mission,” Coaker added.
The University of Northampton study found that participation in cadet programmes has a measurable impact on young people’s personal growth, boosting qualities such as self-confidence, resilience, teamwork, and leadership.
Lord Coaker reiterated that the Ministry of Defence wants to extend this opportunity to more pupils, stating: “Given these and many other benefits, we want more young people to be able to become cadets.”
To that end, the Government is currently reviewing ways to increase the size and scope of the Cadet Forces, aligning this effort with the ongoing Strategic Defence Review. Lord Coaker confirmed: “We have been engaging widely to consider how best to deliver these aims.”
The Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP), a joint initiative between the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education, has already yielded significant results. “The CEP has already seen a significant rise in the number of state schools with Combined Cadet Forces and we continue to invest in this growth,” Coaker said.
Can only be a good move👍
Very positive move. Air Cadets was the best thing I ever got involved in in my youth. Lots of brilliant activities and opportunities a regular teenager wouldn’t come close to, glider and powered flying, shooting, map reading, Duke of Edinburgh, Annual Camps on operational bases, rubbing shoulders with ground crew and air crew alike.
Should be compulsory, I did 4 years in sea cadets, it was great. Literally shooting machine guns when I was 13. 😀
Shooting machine guns is something that definitely will not be happening. Very strict rules in what children can get involved in.
I thought live fire was restricted to sixth form – but my recollections are from the dark ages…..?
Plenty of other fun stuff to do to develop discipline and leadership skills and develop self and safety awareness through exposure to controlled risks.
Also I thought Cadets only fired up to L98 (and since even the L98 is manually cocked (A1)/semi automatic only (A2) I’d be shocked if we allowed cadets to fire GPMG/LMG.
Definitely good getting youngsters used to firing the L98 though. I suppose they’ll have to be replaced with Ruger .22’s of some description when the L85 leaves service.
It’s pretty much to comply with OPAC. A UN led convention to prevent child soldiers. Which as signatories we do not deploy under 18 to conflict areas. Although using an exemption clause we did to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Also we do not teach military skills to under 16. Visits to primary schools are all but impossible by the UK military. Aspects like the bands and medical staff or okay. So music and first aid. At no point is any attempt to recruit be it direct or subliminal. Indeed most units only approach secondary schools if invited. Then only speaking directly to over fourteen.
For the CCF it leaves a lot of individual skills all useful in military life but also to wider society. Plus those involved develop quicker and have wider skill sets than their peers.
Excellent move: with the new ‘Home Guard’ and hopefully the return of the Sure Start program these are the schemes we need to rebuild the nation from the bottom up.
A good move in so many ways. Hopefully it will be backed with persistence and purpose.
Again it comes to money. You can have all the good ideas you want but to make them work they have to be funded. The current CCF are underfunded. Many with poor or dilapidated buildings. Plus you need staff to volunteer. I say a call out a few weeks ago for staff in Yarmouth. Traditional garrison areas and their environs have no problem however elsewhere it’s more patchy.
The issue always was having someone who was properly ex service who commanded respect.
The head of our CCF was a total joke who’d never done any proper military service. There were two teachers one ex navy officer and the other ex RAF who commanded tremendous respect but didn’t want to be involved because of the clown.
A lot of state schools will struggle as they have very left wing leadership. But oddly support for UKR is near universal in schools.
And when they leave school, entry into one of the military forces of their choice for a year would make men out of them. I appreciate the cost, but strong political will would find it and we waste money in this country like it’s water. Children are our future!
I attended CCF when I was at a private school.
I suppose as the current government are hell bent on destroying the private education sector having a CCF in the state sector is a sensible move. P
You just need to take one look at the Prevent strategy and why young people are radicalised to see why this is an excellent idea.
– identity
– purpose
– part of something bigger
– need to display symbols of belonging
More acceptable to the public than Sunak’s national service plan.
I’d also suggest having some graduation at the end with a certificate of attaining a certain level, to be recognised by employers on par with acedemic qualifications. Perhaps making it a T-Level?
Would encourage wider participation and ensure such service had higher regard by the public than being a glorified scouts. Emphasise the skills learned; discipline, teamwork, problem-solving, etc so that it’s seen as more than marching around and blindly following orders.
Nice but by the time I left the air cadets it was so neutered in what they did that made them attractive and different from scouts or sporting clubs, field craft, rifle drill, shooting (even. 22s!) and flying were seldom a thing and opportunities to go to airfield and bases few and far between.
It was a shadow of its former self, and with further contraction of the services, funds and the immense red tape when it comes to working with kids means I fear for what it can do to attract.
People forget that the Cadet Expansion Programe was launched in 2012! On 12/12/12.