Royal Navy
On Wednesday 4 October, the Royal Navy section embarked on an educational excursion to Chatham Historic Dockyards. This visit unfolded into a day of maritime exploration and learning, offering insights into the UK’s remarkable naval history.
The day included a tour of the diesel-electric submarine, HMS Ocelot. An Oberon-class submarine equipped with a stealthy diesel-electric engine, HMS Ocelot served as a perfect surveillance vessel during its operational days. Its voyages, many of which remain shrouded in secrecy, spanned over 90,000 miles, covering diverse regions across the world’s oceans. Notably, this included missions during the Cold War in the Arctic, Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean, and Baltic Seas.
The contingent also explored the C-Type Destroyer, HMS Cavalier, a vessel launched in 1944 with a rich service history. Serving in various vital theatres such as the Arctic, Western Approaches, and the British Pacific Fleet, HMS Cavalier showcased its prowess before finally retiring at Chatham in 1972. A highlight of the day was the engaging model boat building competition, set against the backdrop of a wave tank, complemented by a rocket construction and firing workshop.
Cadets took part in a range of other activities, including a traditional rope-making workshop held in the Ropery, Europe’s longest brick building. The day also featured an air-powered rocket exercise and an engaging boat building task, further enhancing the hands-on experience for the cadets.
Throughout the trip, the students exhibited exemplary behaviour and enthusiasm, fully immersing themselves in the day’s activities. Their active participation and keen interest enriched the overall experience, showcasing their genuine curiosity for maritime history.
Mr Nick Smith
RAF
On Wednesday 4 October the RAF students embarked on a memorable day trip to the picturesque Kent countryside. We began our journey from Epsom College promptly at 9am, with our students eager to explore the day’s adventures. The weather forecast was promising, and anticipation filled the air as we set out for our destination.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by the stunning natural beauty of the countryside. The day’s activities kicked off with an adrenaline-pumping obstacle course challenge. Our students displayed remarkable teamwork, resilience, and determination as they navigated through a series of thrilling obstacles.
Next, our cadets faced leadership tasks that tested their problem-solving skills and cooperation. Crossing a canal by using their survival raft and building a buggy required a lot of planning, preparation, execution and teamwork. Our students had the opportunity to apply their creativity and engineering skills to construct buggies. Once completed, they raced their creations, showcasing their competitive spirit and ability to bring an idea to life.
No doubt, Quad biking was the most popular activity of this trip, it added an element of adventure and fun to our day. After a safety briefing and operational training our students roared through the Kentish countryside, exploring the natural beauty of this thrilling terrain.
One of the most challenging activities of the day was crossing a simulated minefield. It required precision, communication, and trust within the team. Our cadets demonstrated great composure and resourcefulness, successfully navigating their route.
We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the instructors from Arena Pursuits. Their professionalism, support, and expertise were instrumental in making our day trip a grand success. They ensured the safety of our students and facilitated each activity with enthusiasm and skill.
The day concluded at 5:15 PM when we returned to Epsom College, tired but brimming with unforgettable memories. This day trip to the Kentish Countryside was not only an opportunity for outdoor adventures but also a platform for personal growth, teamwork, and leadership development.
I am very proud of our students, who behaved impeccably throughout the day and earned admiration for their respectful and responsible conduct. I would also like to thank Ms Allen, Mr Jackson and Mr Marsh for their invaluable support throughout this day trip.
Mr Singh
Army
Upper Fourth
The cadets completed a series of reconnaissance and concealment tasks, communicating using only hand signals and working on crawling through the underbrush and using their surroundings to remain hidden from the enemy. The cadets gained experience in combat patrol formations and enjoyed competing amongst their fellow cadets to communicate and advance with the least amount of noise possible.
Ms Charlotte Townsend
Bradford and Scott Platoons (Fifth Form)
On Tuesday afternoon, 49 Bradford and Scott Platoon cadets and their U6th NCOs boarded a coach bound for Bramshott Common, where they were given a sequence of challenges to undertake across the next 24hrs. They were followed in a minibus by a small but determined group of 4 RAF ‘enemy’ who were to keep them on their toes along the way.
Amidst glorious weather and a clear starry night on Tuesday evening, they went on to successfully set up separate platoon harbour areas, respond to information requiring setting up and then springing a large-scale ambush on the unsuspecting enemy, before retrieving key information and returning to their waiting bashas for the night. Wednesday morning had them up and patrolling, on the hunt for any more enemy before moving to the key location identified from the ambush rewards of the previous night. Bradford Platoon led the way, negotiating an underpass crossing and then moving into a rolling section attack of the identified enemy position, followed by Scott Platoon when they discovered that Bradford needed extra support, completing their own rolling section attack, to finally clear out all the enemy in the area.
A return to the central admin base to cook up lunch, clean rifles and tidy up after ourselves, and a tired but satisfied bunch returned to the coach to head back to school.
My personal thanks go to the U6th and U4th NCOs on the trip, as well as all the staff who enabled the exercise to run so smoothly. Bradford and Scott know that they can give themselves a pat on the back for a job well done!
Ms Clare Jeens
Lower Sixth Leadership Cadre
The budding Lower Sixth leaders from the Army and RAF sections made full use of their Field Day, based at school, to dig into the foundations of leadership and instructional technique. They were run through the sometimes dry, but necessary, formal groundwork for how to teach a lesson, before being set the task of preparing their own lessons to deliver to their peers in the weeks ahead. Alongside this they were put through their paces by an RAF Drill Instructor to help bring on their personal drill skills, and get a feel for how to teach this important teamwork discipline.
In addition they were given an induction and registration session for the BTEC Level 2 qualification in Teamwork and Personal Development in the Community that they will go on to complete across the next year. The final key challenge of the day was to prepare and deliver a 3-minute lecturette on a topic of their choosing. These were hugely successful, the most notable being ‘how to build a human pyramid’! Well done to all involved for their hard work and commitment, and my thanks to all the staff involved for making it such a success.
Ms Clare Jeens
