2025 Highlights
This past year has been an exceptional one for Stowe School CCF, with our training programme growing in both scope and ambition! Highlights have included:
- Field days and exercises that challenge cadets to apply their training in realistic environments. These experiences remain a central pillar of our calendar as they give cadets the chance to test their decision-making skills, teamwork and initiative.
- Leadership opportunities for our senior cadets who are taking on an increasingly active role in helping to plan and deliver training. Watching our cadets transition from participants to leaders is one of the most rewarding aspects of CCF life.
- Inter-school camps, where cadets proudly represent Stowe School and get to experience the camaraderie that defines the wider cadet community.
As always, across our contingent our aim remains constant – to offer every cadet the chance to challenge themselves, progress and feel pride and a sense of achievement in what they’re doing.
Celebrating Cadet Excellence
Over the years, our cadets have accomplished remarkable things, with some of our highlights (and proudest moments) including:
- Stowe School CCF cadets earning national and regional recognition for leadership and service, with four of the past six Lord Lieutenant Cadets coming from our contingent.
- Former cadets who have gone to successful military careers in both the regular and reserves – taking with them the confidence and discipline first fostered in our CCF.
- Cadets who have gained prestigious qualifications (for example the ILM Leadership Award), helping them to stand out as capable leaders even before they leave school.
- Countless individual cadet success stories – from those who have overcome personal challenges to discovering new passions, or cadets who have confidently stepped into roles they once thought beyond their reach.
However, pride within our contingent isn’t limited to trophies or promotions. Often, it is the quieter moments – those moments were a cadet leads their section for the first time, or the junior cadet who conquers their nerves on exercise, or the time when a team pulls together despite setbacks – these are the moments that best capture the incredible spirit of our CCF.
Life After the CCF: Further Education, Careers and Personal Development
Perhaps the greatest testament to the value of a CCF is the impact it has on cadets long after they leave school and the contingent.
Many of our former cadets have gone on to pursue military careers – whether this is through the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, University Officer Training Corps Units or via direct entry into the services. Among our alumni, over 50 of them are currently serving in either the Army, Royal Navy or Royal Air Force.
Back in December 2025, one of our former Royal Navy CCF cadets, Midshipman Dens, passed out of Britannia Royal Naval College to commission as a Naval Officer, with HM The King and the First Sea Lord in attendance!
Other cadets have found their calling in successful careers within engineering, medicine, law, business and public service. Whilst their careers are often different and varied, all of our cadets have taken with them the skillset that they developed in the CCF: leadership, resilience, communication, integrity and the confidence to tackle challenges head-on.
Time and again, our CCF alumni tell us that the lessons they learnt through the CCF – whether this was on a windswept hillside, during a camp inspection or whilst leading their peers – have stayed with them throughout university and into professional life.
Looking Ahead to the Future
As our contingent looks to the future, one thing remains certain – we are committed to offering cadets transformative experiences to everyone who joins. Our vision is to continue to expand opportunities and strengthen partnerships whilst ensuring that every cadet that leaves Stowe School CCF, leaves with memories of adventure and the character and skillset to lead, serve and thrive in whichever path they choose.
The heart of our contingent is our cadets. Their energy, ambition, humour and sense of purpose is incredible, and they are the ones who will carry our traditions forward.
As adult volunteers, as long as we can continue to challenge, support and inspire our cadets then the future of our contingent will remain as bright as our past.”
Thank you to Major Andrew Arnold for sharing such a wonderful update, we can’t wait to see what the rest of 2026 brings for your contingent!
