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 The CCF Annual Review 2012
The school has its own Combined Cadet Force with a Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force Section.
Documentation exists indicating that a small element was in existence as early as 1894, although way back then it was known as the Queen Victoria's Volunteers. The War Office approval to officially form an Officer Training Corps (OTC) was signed in 1902. Since the advent of coeducation in the 1970s the CCF has grown and continued to thrive. The contribution which the CCF plays is as an important part of the general education offered at Hereford Cathedral School.
The emphasis is on helping our pupils to acquire skills such as confidence, self reliance and team work. The CCF encourages boys and girls to use their initiative and to develop management and leadership skills. Weekly CCF afternoons and termly Field Days are part of the curriculum with students often taking charge with teachers and staff in attendance for overall supervision and guidance only. These activities are supplemented by regular camps and training activities during the holidays in all parts of the UK and elsewhere in Europe. These activities extend and challenge the individual and help to increase their own self-esteem.
The Combined Cadet Force operates on Friday afternoon's after school and is compulsory for pupils in the Year 10 and subsequently optional from there on in. A small termly sub is paid for voluntary cadets. Compulsory year 10 cadets do not pay a monthly sub until they opt in after year 10, although boots will have to be purchased. Many Sixth Formers continue with the Corps and take positions of responsibility thus developing their own leadership and management potential. It is a popular and vibrant element of the extra-curricular provision at Hereford Cathedral School.
The Combined Cadet Force offers opportunities for pupils to attain qualifications for example in flying, gliding, canoeing, climbing, parachuting, formal leadership training, and participate in orienteering competitions at all levels - uniquely - Hereford Cathedral School has taken both the Boys' and Girls' UK Cadets Orienteering titles. Many pupils take advantage of camps and facilities provided by the various branches of the Armed Forces. Indeed a few will consider careers in these after university. However, the main purpose of the CCF is fostering a good education, slowly nurturing leadership skills and grooming pupils towards good citizenship.
CCF camps are arranged during most holiday periods and expeditions have taken place in a variety of locations abroad. For example the Pyrenees, Cyprus, Germany, Switzerland, Keyna and Tibet to name but a few. Since 1998 Hereford Cathedral School has also had a formal link with Shree Sharada School in the Annapurna Mountain Range of Nepal. Trekking in Nepal is an annual event and is open to those in Year 12 (LVl).
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