Army Visit – Problem Solving and Team Building Day

On Wednesday 8^th November 2017 – 9 Potential Officer Cadets from the Army School of Education, Worth Down Barracks, visited the school to deliver their annual Problem Solving and Team Building Task Day. All of the PODs are working towards becoming senior officers at the Sandhurst Academy and the Army use the day to take the Cadets out of their comfort zone and also to look at their leadership and communication skills in an unfamiliar situation.

 

The 9 PODs put on a number of different activities which involved solving problems, working as a team and communication. All classes across school took part in the day and the different activities. There was an assault course, 2 problem solving activities (007 Top Secret and Grenade Lane) and some ‘Drill’ sessions out on the hard court – Marching in time, standing at ease, saluting ‘Attention’ and in some cases even the pupils leading the soldiers themselves.

With the timing of the Army Day, we also felt it was a perfect opportunity to remember those soldiers who had fallen in previous conflicts. The Army kindly agreed to put on a march for the whole school, led by Potential Officer Katie Constable. She then read an excerpt from the poem “For the Fallen” by Robert Laurence Binyon and the whole school then observed a 1 minute silence for Remembrance Day.

We would like to thank the following PODs for their planning and running of the day and wish them well in the future:

• • Katie Constable
  • Ross Drury
  • Ben Taylor
  • Sam Coote
  • Wes Pellow
  • Stuart Stenhouse
  • James Tyson
  • Ben Brown
  • John Murdoch

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day for the soldiers, pupils and staff. The Army Days have become part of our yearly curriculum now and they have a real positive impact on all parties involved.

 

Marc Bernard

Deputy Head teacher