The Flight Path to Future Success

The Exeter School CCF (RAF) is proving that leadership isn’t just about grit and determination, it’s about applying logic, physics and innovation into the decision-making process. To help with this, the contingent is incorporating more Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based topics and activities into their CCF syllabus, to create a more cohesive, hands-on and real-world approach to their cadet curriculum.

Bringing It All Together

Many of the Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs) are STEM teachers at Exeter School, including Wing Commander Smale, Head of Chemistry, and Flying Officer Cunningham, who leads Mathematics within their Junior School. Within their CCF RAF section, they teach STEM activities such as codebreaking, space exploration, cyber security, the principles of flight, radio, weather systems and more. Topics like this are becoming more readily taught within the Cadet syllabus because they go beyond teaching the technical facts, allowing cadets to learn through more hands-on activities such, as building robotics, to develop team building and problem-solving skills. All of this is becoming more important in a rapidly changing, technology focused world, and STEM lessons are crucial in helping cadets prepare for higher education and future careers as they foster critical thinking and digital literacy.

Leadership Through STEM

Exeter School CCF also teach leadership skills by using STEM based activities through the use of MTa Kits, where cadets can solve complex engineering problems under pressure. This blending of technical knowledge with soft skills (such as communication, teamwork and innovative thinking) can help cadets to solve more complex problems as well as encourage listening, empathy and strategic thinking, with these vital key skills becoming more important when the cadets age out of the CCF and go on to higher education and future careers.

For many cadets, STEM activities are a natural extension of their A Levels. One Exeter School CCF cadet, who is currently studying for their A Levels in Chemistry, Maths and Physics comments “I enjoy the STEM tasks we do in CCF, they have been incredibly helpful for developing my leadership skills.” Whilst another cadet finds that being taught STEM outside the classroom is incredibly helpful, noting “working towards my Leading Cadet classification has been interesting. For example, learning about Bernoulli’s Principle helps explain how the shape of an aircraft wing generates lift and I’ve been able to learn about this through hands on tasks which has been really beneficial.”

The Path to Success

STEM is really helping to create paths to success for its CCF RAF cadets. Wing Commander Smale comments, “Cadets who left over the past year or so have gone on to study a variety of subjects for their degrees. From Physics, Electrical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Medicine, Computer Science, Maths, Veterinary Science and more at universities across the country. We are very fortunate to have such talented cadets and staff and by fusing together the RAF’s technical heritage with Exeter School’s academic strength and focus on STEM, the CCF is helping to shape a new generation of scientifically literate leaders.”