The event was led by the Cadet Forces from each school, who played a central role in the commemorations, including readings, the laying of wreaths, and leading the Trust-wide act of remembrance. Their pride, discipline, and respect set the tone for a moving and meaningful occasion.

At 11:00am, pupils, staff, and guests across the Trust joined together in the Two Minutes' Silence, uniting as one community to remember those who gave their lives in service of others.

We are incredibly proud of the way our schools came together — standing side by side to honour the past, reflect on the present, and look with hope towards the future. A huge thank you to Etone College for hosting the event and to Elmwood School for joining us for their first trust wide event.

"We will remember them."

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#CCF #CadetLife #SkillsForLife #MatrixTrust #BarrBeaconSchool

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The cadets spent the morning learning about effective leadership styles & skills. In the afternoon it was thier turn to be assessed practically in a number of tricky tasks designed to test their management of a team, resources and time.  

All of the cadets had a great time, learnt a lot about managing a team and achieved their Bronze Leadership Badges – Well Done!

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On Friday 8th November, Matrix Academy Trust held their annual trust wide remembrance service. A small contingent of cadets and staff from each of schools joined together, this year hosted by Wednesfield Academy. Whilst any parade is a spectacle of respect to behold, this one particularly hit home the unity that encompasses Great Britain. All our schools joining together, each represented by model student leaders to show their respects.

As the parade began our CCF commanders were joined by Lord-Lieutenant Derrick Anderson CBE, as the sovereign’s representative for the West Midlands, for the event. Lord-Lieutenant Anderson joined our CEO, Headteachers along with other dignitaries to view the exemplary collection of cadets who had turned out with immaculate uniform.

Following an inspection, the traditional poem ‘In Flanders Field’ was read out as Sixth Form pupils from Wednesfield underlined that ‘We will remember them!’. With the last post playing the attendees, school and Trust observed a two-minute silence to pay respect to all of those who have sacrificed for us.

We are so proud of our cadets, and everyone involved for emphasising the importance of remembrance.

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Our cadets began the day by learning how leadership styles can affect the output of teams in a practical environment, this was reinforced with group discussions and scenarios based on real-time situations. They then moved onto practical leadership tasks in which each of the candidates were assessed on implementing their own leadership styles.

By the end of the day all 27 cadets achieved the Bronze standard and had a great time in the sun. Well done all!

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Cadets is an amazing extra-curricular activity that supports the growth of all those taking part, offering a wide variety of opportunities such as shooting, flying, first aid, overnight camps, formal dinner events and various competitions.

Over the last term, the younger Cadets have settled into their roles and have been learning the basics in preparation for their first set of badge work, completing lessons in first aid, air recognition and the history of the RAF. Their abilities have shone through in these areas as they completed weekly quizzes, competing against each other as well as other squadrons. The younger Cadets have shown incredible determination as they prepare for the upcoming Matrix-Mini-RAST competition, giving them the opportunity to speak to other Cadets from across the Matrix Academy Trust and to show their skills.

They also experienced their first overnight camp, taking part in some ice breakers, learning how use the Trangia’s and taking part in a blindfolded night walk through the woods. This pushed the Cadets out of their comfort zone as they worked cohesively as a team to find their way guided by ropes. Throughout the evening, the Cadets made new friendships, understanding the importance of teamwork, all whilst having lots of fun.

The older Cadets have also been working on their badge work, alongside all of the preparation that went into the Reginal Air Squadron Trophy competition, that took place at RAF Cosford on Sunday 19^th November 2023. This tested Cadets in a first aid scenario, shooting, drill, general knowledge and aircraft recognition. As a school we did incredibly well, coming 6^th place out of 15 other schools.

Presenting the best of Barr Beacon Cadets; they were a credit to the CCF and did the unit proud.

A Matrix Christmas Dinner night was also held, where Cadets from across the Trust came together to celebrate all of our achievements - it was a wonderfully successful evening! It gave everyone a chance to talk and meet up with new Cadets, allowing networking, along with the exchanging of everyone's experiences from the past term. We hope to run more experiences like this one in the future.

On the 2^nd and 3^rd of March, a fieldcraft weekend was hosted at Barr Beacon with Cadets from Etone and Bloxwich joining us. We did a mixture of different activities, including complex first aid scenarios, reconnaissance missions on an enemy base and patrolling scenarios, amid an array of other things. The weekend provided an amazing opportunity for Cadets to bolster their knowledge and work in the field, but it was also another fun weekend.

The last few terms have been incredibly busy for the Cadet Force (with even more opportunities and events being scheduled for the near future) and I would like to say a massive well done to everyone. It has been incredible to watch the growth of the contingent and I cannot wait to see the applications coming through from those students wanting to join us within the upcoming year, and the promotions to those proving their leadership qualities.

Combined Cadet Force | Homepage

RAFAC Bader | Welcome (mod.uk)

RAF Recruitment | Find Your Role | Royal Air Force (mod.uk)

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Thank fully the weather was clear and all of our cadets enjoyed learning about the various monuments situated around the grounds. 

We would like to thank members of the Wales & West CCF Test Team for supporting the visit, and the staff of the National Memorial Arboretum for hosting such a large group of us.

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The parade incorporates members of the Combined Cadet Forces from all of our schools in remembering those who sacrifice their lives to serve and protect our communities. 

This year the trust has commissioned a new Union Standard to commemorate the work of our staff and students who are members of the Combined Cadet Forces. 

Lest We Forget!

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All of the cadets worked together in groups made up of both contingents to encourage collaborative working, confidence and sharing of ideas. They then were put through their paces with a number of testing scenarios in which the designated commanders had to lead their teams. Many of the cadets commented on how much they had learnt and all wanted to know when the next day or camp would take place.

A big thank you to all of the staff who attended & supported the event.

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