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Better training

Managing risks to the welfare of recruits in theBritish armed services: two years of progress

Better training

Better training

Managing risks to the welfare of recruits in theBritish armed services: two years of progress

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Better training

Photography byPA/Empics (pages 7, 21)Reportdigital.co.uk (pages 35, 43) All other images courtesy of The Ministry of Defence © Crown Copyright

Published by the Adult Learning Inspectorate under commission from theMinistry of Defence

© Adult Learning Inspectorate 2007

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Contentspage

Ministerial foreword viiCommentary 1Context 6

FINDINGS - initial training for other ranks 7Response to DHALI 8Leadership and management 10Instructor selection 12Recruitment 14Support and welfare 16Physical training 18Firearms 20Accommodation 22Meals and recreation 24Equality and diversity 26Risk management (suicide and self-harm) 28Induction and literacy, numeracy and language 30Bullying, harassment and complaints 32

FINDINGS - initial training for officers 35Accommodation 36Food and nutrition 36Guarding and weapons 36Staff selection and training 37Leadership and management 37Equality and diversity 38Course design and delivery 38Complaints 41Physical training 41Welfare and duty of care 41

SUMMARY REPORTS 433 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, Minley 44Army Training Regiment Lichfield 46Infantry Training Centre Catterick 48Royal Marines School of Music 50Maritime Warfare School Collingwood 51Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 53Commando Training Centre Royal Marines Lympstone Young Officer Training 55

forewordBetter training Contents

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In May 2004 I commissioned the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) toconduct an independent and searching review of the way the armedforces train their people.

The ALI report _ Safer Training, published in March 2005 _ was hard hitting,identifying that training in the Armed Forces, and the care of young peopleundergoing training, were not sufficiently well managed. The report of Mr NicholasBlake QC in March 2006 confirmed many of the ALI’s and the House of CommonsDefence Select Committee’s findings.

In my foreword to Safer Training I gave my full commitment to delivering theimprovements necessary to correct this situation; we had to ensure the right balancebetween robust preparation for front-line duties and the absolute necessity to treat ouryoung people fairly and with due care. I also identified that independent oversightwas vital in providing the transparency required to demonstrate to the widercommunity that we are determined to improve. To this end, the ALI has continued tohave unrestricted access to every aspect of our initial training whilst we have soughtto implement the necessary improvements. In this follow-up report, the ALI returns itsjudgements on our efforts to improve the initial training environment and to reducethe risks to the welfare and wellbeing of recruits and trainees.

As the Chief Inspector, David Sherlock, notes in his introduction, substantialimprovements have been made everywhere, with some very marked achievements. I welcome this positive tone. From the outset, our programme of improvements hasbeen ambitious and vigorously pursued. Against a backdrop of fiercely competingpriorities, not least our operational commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, we haveinvested some £73M of additional funds to date, with a further £50M planned in thecoming four years. This major investment, over and above that already committed tothe training environment, is testament to our resolve.

But money alone will not suffice. We have completely overhauled our policies,processes and training, notably for our instructors and commanding officers, toensure that minimising the risks to trainees’ welfare is core activity. I am genuinelyheartened by the ALI’s recognition of the scale of achievement thus far and trust thatthe wider community will gain some reassurance of the scale and depth of ourdetermination to succeed in this critical area. Together, this work has begun toproduce the change in culture, recommended by the ALI, to one of continuousimprovement.

I fully recognise that there is still much to do. David Sherlock has identified a numberof areas where performance can be improved. We must remain focused onaddressing these issues, while maintaining the improvements already achieved. Ourown inspection teams and the future engagement of the Office for Standards inEducation, Children’s Services and Skills will ensure the impetus is maintained, whilecontinuing to monitor progress in an open and transparent manner.

Ministerial foreword

The Rt Hon Adam Ingram MP

Minister of State forthe Armed Forces

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Commando Training Centre Royal Marines Lympstone Recruit Training 5711 Signal Regiment Blandford 59Defence College of Logistics Princess Royal Barracks & St Omer Barracks Deepcut 61HMS Raleigh 63HMS Sultan 65RAF Halton 67Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit, RAF Cranwell 68Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth 70Army Training Regiment Bassingbourn 72RAF Honington 74School of Electronic and Aeronautical Engineering Arborfield 76Army Foundation College Harrogate 78No 4 School of Technical Training, RAF St Athan 80Army Training Regiment Winchester 82Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment, Bovington 84Central Air Traffic Control School, RAF Shawbury 86Army Training Regiment Pirbright 87Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering Cosford 88

Glossary 90

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Better training

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CommentaryThe tragic deaths of four young recruits at Deepcut Barracks between1995 and 2002 sent shock waves through the armed services. There waswidespread public interest and intense scrutiny of the standards ofwelfare during initial military training.

Highly critical reports were published by Surrey Constabulary, the ParliamentaryDefence Select Committee and, at the request of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), theAdult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) and Mr. Nicholas Blake QC. It is no exaggeration tosay that the shortcomings which were revealed and which came to be symbolised bya single word – Deepcut – had a traumatic impact upon service personnel and,particularly, the Army.

It became obvious to my inspectors and me as the ALI carried out its first series ofinspection visits in 2004-05, that Deepcut represented to members of the armedservices a failure to live up to their own very demanding standards set out in theMilitary Covenant. This covenant has been referred to in both the specific sense of adocumented framework but also more generally by senior officers in recent monthsas an unspoken agreement on which the position of armed force in a democracyrests. The general covenant is between service personnel and the civilian populationas a whole. While soldiers, for example, are granted the right to bear arms on ourbehalf and must give their lives in combat if required, every citizen has acorresponding duty to equip them properly and to care for their dependents. TheMilitary Covenant formally requires that service personnel respect one another, fulfilthe duties of comradeship to one another and extend that comradeship to the familiesof one another. Deepcut represented a profound failure of respect and comradeship.For that reason, above all, it caused great soul-searching among service people of allranks.

My report on the ALI’s first round of inspections, Safer Training, was published in thespring of 2005. It set out two very significant conclusions that differed somewhat fromthose reached by others:

• The duty of care for recruits properly lay within the military chain ofcommand and could not usefully be seen as a matter largely for carespecialists such as padres, counsellors and the voluntary services.

• Military training could not be conducted without risk, but that the level of riskto which recruits were exposed needed to be systematically assessed andcontrolled according to the maturity and experience of each individual.

In other words, to minimise the chance of a cluster of events like Deepcut everhappening again, the armed services needed to do what they normally did, onlymuch better; they did not need to start doing anything profoundly different.

CommentaryThis report helps us to understand what we have achieved and where further effort isrequired. I am grateful to David Sherlock and his teams for their inspection work,assistance and advice provided over the last two years. It has been difficult anddemanding, but we are now beginning to reap the rewards. I am confident that ourArmed Forces will continue to receive the training they need and deserve; robust inorder to fully prepare them for operations, but delivered in an environment that is fairand sensitive to individuals’ needs.

The Rt Hon Adam Ingram MP

Minister of State for the Armed Forces

March 2007

David Sherlock CBE

Chief Inspector of Adult Learning forEngland

Better training

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External criticism is always irksome. There were those who resisted my conclusions.But the sense of individual and corporate failure was sufficiently widespread andstrong to be quickly transformed into a determination to put things right. This report,Better Training, necessarily describes work in progress, but it also reveals that thingsare much more right than they were two years ago. Marked and continuingimprovement is the overall verdict, but with still more to achieve.

As the main body of my report shows, the recommendations of Safer Training,together with some from the other external reviews, were translated by the MoD intoa checklist of objectives to be achieved, called the DHALI grid. We at the ALI havemade use of the DHALI grid in assessing progress since 2005. Monitoring andoversight have been detailed and frequent. Establishments identified as havingparticular problems, whether of deficient systems or clear indications of intensifiedrisk, were visited more than once by my inspectors. It seemed to me important toassess during this round of inspections not only whether recruits to the non-commissioned ranks of the armed services were being appropriately safeguarded, butalso whether officer cadets were being trained to assure the welfare of other ranks,whether in training establishments or more widely. The outcome is a comprehensiveaccount of the current circumstances of military recruits and one on which a highlevel of reliability can be placed.

In summary, these circumstances can be characterised like this:

• Substantial improvements have been made everywhere, with some verymarked achievements.

• The relatively brief time that has elapsed since Safer Training, and the scale ofthe armed services, necessarily mean that in some establishments policy is notyet fully matched by practice and, in others, conditions on the ground are inadvance of the full implementation of policies to guide consistent delivery.

• There is still much to be done to introduce a true culture of continuousimprovement: that is, one in which the three services and individualestablishments learn from the experiences of one another and systematicarrangements are made to ensure that progress is made incrementally.

It is, perhaps, one of the features of independent inspection that what is often mostnoticed are the shortcomings it describes. But there should be no doubt whatsoeverthat Better Training describes something of a triumph of focused effort to resolveserious problems.

Among the achievements I describe are:

• the embodiment of welfare and risk management as integral parts of initialtraining

• closer supervision of recruits, particularly at night and at weekends

• the special care given to those aged under 18

• the energetic approach taken in reducing harassment, bullying andinappropriate punishment

• improved management of firearms and ammunition and responsible trainingin their use

• superior management of health, fitness and injury

• the careful management of arrangements for the use of phase 2 trainees asarmed guards

• greater involvement of families to help ease the transition from civilian tomilitary life

• the marked upgrading of accommodation for many recruits as part of a multi-million pound programme of investment

• the progress made in managing the risk of self-harm and suicide

These, and other things I describe in the main body of this report, should be areassurance to the public and a cause of pride to those military personnel who haveachieved them. The recently announced Defence Training Review will bringsubstantial investment into military training over 25 years and rationalise the manytraining establishments run by individual services into six new tri-service colleges. Aradical reduction in the number of training sites, with the associated opportunities toraise operational and management standards, was one of the principalrecommendations of Safer Training: I am very pleased to see it implemented.

In some areas, I am not yet satisfied that enough progress has been made. These areasinclude:

• uneven implementation of service-wide directives, sometimes arising fromsimple time pressures but also sometimes from the effective operationalautonomy of establishments

• the continuing under-use of data to detect, analyse and help resolve problems

• the lack of progress in getting every instructor trained in advance of theirposting to a Royal Navy or Army training establishment, compared with theRoyal Air Force

• recruitment procedures and materials which sometimes mislead and which arepoorly connected to training establishments

• the lack of control of commanding officers over small-scale maintenancewhich, if anything, has worsened, leading to some poor presentation even insome good modern accommodation

• the continued practice of providing an ‘evening’ meal in the late afternoon,with no fourth meal to give a flow of nutrition appropriate for young peopleundertaking hard, physical exercise

• inconsistent use of the new service-wide procedure for monitoring andanalysing complaints, a year after its introduction

Better training Adult Learning Inspectorate

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These weaknesses are not insignificant. They need rapid address if the armed servicesare to draw true satisfaction from the other gains they have made. Inconsistencies ofcontrol, analysis and reporting can result in serious anomalies occurring, contrary tothe best intentions of those who lead the armed services.

My general conclusion is that the time for wide-ranging independent inspection ofrecruits’ welfare has now passed. It will not continue to add the same level of value.The support for the services’ own inspectorate, the Directorate of Individual TrainingCapability (DITC), which is likely to be provided by the ALI’s successor, the newOffice for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, should suffice toprovide the level of accountability which is required of all modern public services.

Better Training sets out a number of concerns the resolution of which will not alwaysbe quick or easy. They relate to matters which are at the heart of the never-endingrequirement that the values of the armed services should remain tightly connectedwith those of British society in general. As the Military Covenant points out, thebearing of arms sets apart the services, but the distance must never grow wide. Amongsuch ‘cultural’ matters noted by my inspectors were the following:

• Very little systematic handover of command, so that some new commandingofficers have made no advance on the achievements of their predecessors.

• Disappointingly slow progress in extending equality of opportunity, withcompliance still much more in evidence than a genuine change in attitude.

• Continuing ambivalence about the useful role that an open approach toresolving complaints can play in organisational improvement.

• Too little progress in making overseas recruits quickly effective and at home byproviding good teaching in English as an additional language.

Continuous improvement requires an attitude, as well as a set of skills. It should be atthe core of our armed services which, rightly, take pride in their quality, theirreadiness and their adaptability. The forthcoming use of the DITC to evaluate in depththe implementation of equality and diversity policies in the armed services is anencouraging sign of a determination to persist with the pace of improvement seen inthe past two years. Better Training presents some obvious sources of inspiration forcontinuous improvement, in those aspects of officer training that differ from trainingfor other ranks and have been shown to be successful. Even having due regard for thedifferent demands made of officer cadets, such practices appear to offer goodexamples which could be mirrored in initial training for other ranks. Continuousimprovement is often a straightforward matter of comparing and contrasting thosethings that work well in one part of a large organisation with those which do not inanother, and adopting the best for the rest.

The environment in which continuous improvement can become second nature forthe armed services has already been created. It is to be seen in the flexibility shown inintroducing an extended timeframe for Army initial training to take account of factorssuch as the poor fitness of recruits on entry and the weak literacy and numeracy skillsof some. It is to be seen in a new willingness to try fresh approaches and an equal

willingness to modify or abandon them if they prove unsuccessful. The termination ofthe ‘empowered officer’ role that I criticised in Safer Training is a good example ofmoving forward by taking a step back. Such open-mindedness and appetite forwell-planned experimentation are the necessary foundations of continuousimprovement.

If the ALI’s involvement with the MoD and the armed services was on occasiondemanding, ultimately it was deeply rewarding. The events that triggered thisinvolvement could not have been more serious; the armed services’ response to themcould not have been more decisive or proper.

David Sherlock CBE

Chief Inspector of Adult Learning for England

March 2007

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Royal Marine Commandos carry out a demonstrationboarding exercise

ContextAdult Learning Inspectorate

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The round of inspections that forms the evidence base of this reportbegan in October 2005 and ended in November 2006.

ALI inspectors visited the followingtraining establishments to assess officertraining:Royal MilitaryAcademy, Sandhurst

Commando Training Centre Royal Marines,Lympstone

Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit, RAF Cranwell

Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

They visited these establishments toassess initial training for other ranks:3 Regiment RSME

Army Training Regiment Pirbright (two visits)

ITC Catterick (two visits)

MWS Collingwood

Royal Marines School of Music

11 Signal Regiment

Commando Training Centre Royal Marines,Lympstone

Defence College of Logistics, Princess RoyalBarracks and St Omer

HMS Raleigh

HMS Sultan

RAF Halton

SEAE Arborfield

ATR Bassingbourn

RAF Honington

Army Foundation College, Harrogate

No 4 School of Technical Training, RAF St Athan

Army Training Regiment, Winchester

ATR Lichfield

RAC Training Regiment, Bovington

RAF Shawbury

The Central Air Traffic Control School (CATCS)

Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering(DCAE) Cosford.

Each visit lasted between one and four days: atotal of 79 inspection days were spent at theofficer training establishments and 235 werespent at the establishments for other ranks’training. Some 1,200 recruits and trainees wereinterviewed, as well as over 800 military andwelfare staff. Inspectors also visited 11 ArmedForces Careers Offices.

Initial training is divided into two ‘phases’. Phase1 gives a general introduction to military life.Phase 2 covers technical and professionaltraining and varies in length according to thecomplexity of skills to be mastered. Forsimplicity in the main body of the report werefer to all young people in training as recruits;in the individual establishment reports, those inphase 1 are ‘recruits’ and those in phase 2 are‘trainees’, as they are designated in the threeservices.

Context

Initial training for other ranks

Findings

Findings

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IntroductionThe MoD made clear its intentions to supportimprovements in initial training across the armedservices when it created its own central staffinspectorate, the DITC, to look in detail at areasidentified by the ALI as requiring attention. TheDITC is specifically charged with evaluating theimplementation of selected MoD policies thatrelate to the training environment in phase 1 andin phase 1 and 2 combined training units. It alsoexamines the main issues identified in theDHALI grid. DHALI is the name given to thecollective recommendations that came out ofthree reports relevant to welfare and duty of carein the armed forces: a report by the Director ofOperational Capability; a report from the Houseof Commons Defence Select Committee; and theALI’s Safer Training. The areas identified asneeding improvement were drawn together in agrid, against which training establishments canmeasure their progress. ALI inspectorsconsidered areas covered by the DHALI grid asthey made their assessment of establishments’progress since their previous visit.

Main findingsAll the services have made good progress inresponding to DHALI-related issues. Trainingestablishments have responded with differentlevels of success, but all have made headway inspecific areas and many have taken significantstrides.

In the four Royal Navy training establishments(including the Royal Marines) inspected by theALI this year, the response to areas highlighted inthe DHALI grid was immediate andcomprehensive. Each establishment producedplans that identified clearly actions to be takenand prioritised them appropriately. The RoyalNavy has maintained a close relationship withstaff on the best practice working group of theDirectorate General Training and Education(DGT&E). This has meant that they have hadregular feedback on their work and theopportunity to discuss improvements with staffwho have a wider view of DHALI. Senior officersplay a full part in managing the improvement

process and have a clear overview of what isgoing on. Relevant staff at all levels know whatrole they have in making sure that actions arecarried out. Good progress has been made inareas covered by the grid. Of the areas identifiedby ALI inspectors as needing improvement,almost three-quarters had reached at least asatisfactory standard by the time of their mostrecent inspection.

Of the four Royal Air Force trainingestablishments inspected by the ALI, three haveproduced effective action plans that directlytackle appropriate areas of the DHALI grid. Thefourth has taken a risk-based approach to themanagement of welfare and duty of care that hasincorporated the areas for action detailed in theDHALI grid. Senior staff in each establishmenthave a clear overview of what ground is beinggained in specified areas. They manage closelythe implementation of the action plans. All theareas for development identified by ALIinspectors have been addressed and 60 per centhave improved to satisfactory, although someareas have still to demonstrate appreciableimprovement.

The ALI inspected 11 training establishmentsproviding phase 1 and/or phase 2 training for theArmy. Most of the Army establishments haveconcentrated on producing plans that coverareas specific to their establishment andhighlighted by ALI inspection and other audits.Almost a third of the areas originally identifiedfor development by ALI inspectors haveimproved to satisfactory, but this overall figurehides a mixed picture. In the case of the bestestablishments, all of the identified areas haveimproved, but other establishments have mademuch slower progress. In those establishmentswhere nearly all aspects of training wereoriginally judged by the ALI to be at leastsatisfactory, the latest round of inspections hasfound that standards have been eithermaintained or improved. At the Army FoundationCollege Harrogate, resources have been targetedat improvement over a period of some two yearsand a highly effective management process ofdevelopment and change has evolved, in whichsenior staff take substantial responsibility for

improvements and regularly report progress tothe commanding officer. ATR Winchester hascarried out its own analysis of the findings fromrelevant agencies and used this to enhance theaction plan produced in response to the DHALI.The Defence College of Logistics, whichincludes Deepcut, was quick to respond thefindings of its first ALI inspection and thesubsequent DHALI grid and its improvementshave been rapid and extensive. DCAE Cosfordand RAC Bovington are good examples of ameasured, evolutionary approach toimprovement in which thoughtful analysis ofdata and well-structured policies are being usedas effective management tools.

The extent to which this encouraging trend ofimprovement can be sustained will only bedetermined after time and by further inspection –and the role of the DITC will be crucial in this.The frequent change of senior officers and keypersonnel in training establishments, occasionedby the tour of duty requirement, could serve tohinder the process of continuous improvement.Some newly posted commanding officers havecome in with different priorities from theirpredecessors, which has not only put a brake onprogress in the area of welfare and duty of care,but set back some of the improvementspreviously made.

Response to DHALI

A signaller tunes her radio during an exercise

Findings

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examination of available data by ALI inspectorsrevealed issues such as the disproportionate useof remedial training in one section. Despite therecords containing this data having been signedoff by a senior officer, no action had been takenin response to its contents. Yet when inspectorsbrought the matter to the attention of thecommanding officer of the establishment it cameas no surprise and the unit concerned and thestaff involved were able to be identifiedimmediately.

The armed forces still hold the view that therequirement to supply operational units in thefield militates against the routine extension ofthe tour of duty in training establishments. Theneed to cycle officers and NCOs throughtraining establishments, operational theatres andvarious tours of duty requires a smooth and well-designed process of hand-over. Sustaining thesignificant improvements made in trainingestablishments across all three services dependsheavily on the efficiency of this process. At thisstage, the hand-over process appears fragile andits success relies too heavily on the diligence ofindividual officers and staff.

The MoD issues a steady stream of policies,guidelines, Defence Instructional Notices andJoint Services Publications, all of which requireaction from individual training establishments.Some of these policies are interpreted at servicelevel; instructions and guidance are developedand passed down the chain of command to helptraining establishments implement themeffectively. Some policies are, however, issuedwithout guidance and others are apparently lostin the system, or simply missed byestablishments. DGT&E have recently begun topublish a master list of Defence InstructionalNotices on a six-monthly basis to ensure thatestablishments know what currently applies, butinspectors still found some policies not beingimplemented at all or being applied in a waythat was never intended. For example, staff atRAF St Athan had not begun to implement theDefence Instructional Notice for managingcomplaints that had been issued some sevenmonths earlier. The way that policies andinstructions are carried out is not monitoredsystematically at the moment. Eachestablishment is free to decide how best toproceed and, inevitably, wide variations in

implementation occur. This problem is beingaddressed through the monitoring process beingcarried out by the DITC, with someimprovement evident at more recent ALIinspections.


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Leadership and management

Recommendations from Safer Training:• Consideration of the management techniques normally found in civilian training, including

creation of data rich management environments and the assignment of personal responsibility to commanding officers for achieving measured goals

• Longer postings to training establishments for commanding officers

• More tri-service initiatives, learning from each other where relevant

• Active steps to raise the status of training, through the use of rewards, including access topromotion

Progress madeOverall, this is an improving picture as thearmed forces begin to reap the benefits ofapplying modern management techniques totheir training activities. The improvement is,however, patchy and the dispersal of goodpractice across the services is slow. The DITC isconducting a study to establish what is currentlybest practice in the gathering and use of data, inorder to provide guidance to the individualservices.

After consideration, the MoD decided that itscurrent policy of a two to two-and-a-half yearposting as the normal length for a commandingofficer was sound. It was agreed, however, thatcommanding officers would benefit fromadditional training. Two-day briefings forcommanding officers have been introduced; theyare well attended and well received.

Main findingsSince the publication of Safer Training, thearmed forces have taken decisive steps to redressthe imbalance that existed between training inleadership and training in management for thosecommanding initial training establishments. TheDefence Centre for Training Support based atRAF Halton has developed a two-day tri-servicetraining programme for new and potentialcommanding officers of phase 1 and phase 2training establishments. The programmeconcentrates on the role of the commandingofficer as manager and helps the participants toexplore ways of sharing good practice andeliminating poor practice. It gives them theopportunity to examine and debate openly

management concerns such as those identifiedin Safer Training, and the Blake Report.

Historically, the armed forces have been slow toadopt modern management techniques – theroutine use of accurate data to guide decision-making, for example, has been glaringly absentin the past. The picture in this respect is one ofsome improvement, exemplified by the work ofestablishments such as RAC Bovington, DCAECosford and MWS Collingwood, where data hasbeen analysed to determine trends and steersubsequent action. MWS Collingwood sendsmonthly reports to senior staff based on thecollected data. This information has proveduseful in dealing with various welfare and dutyof care matters, such as stress-related problemsand incidents of bullying and harassment, and inalleviating the problem of early leavers.Although all establishments now routinelycollect data, it is not yet the case that they allmake sensible use of it. It is still too oftenassumed by training headquarters that individualestablishments will make appropriate use of theinformation. Analysis at service or MoD level islargely irrelevant to the operational managementof a training establishment and it is still difficultfor staff at establishments to identify who atheadquarters holds the data they need.Information requested by the ALI to complete astandard report sheet varied widely in detail andaccuracy from establishment to establishment.The importance of using specific, localintelligence to solve specific, local problems isnot widely recognized; instead, softer indicatorssuch as ‘knowing the men’ and ‘gut feeling’ stillunderpin too many management decisions. Onmore than one occasion, even a cursory

11 Signals Regiment commissioned No 1Radio School, RAF Cosford to review itswelfare and duty of care provision. Such apeer review had never been carried outbefore within Army training establishments.The review was exceptionally detailed andrigorous and has been of considerable valuein identifying strengths and weaknesses. No1 Radio School is part of the DefenceCollege of Communications Systems and hasitself been inspected by the ALI. The criteriafor the review were very closely linked tokey ALI criteria for inspections of this type.

The review ranged widely across relevantareas. The resulting report gave a good, clearpicture of the situation and made some well-considered recommendations forimprovements. The results of the reviewwere submitted to 11 Signals Regiment inmid-December 2005 and are being actedupon.

The commanding officer at ATR Pirbrighttours the barracks regularly to ensure thateach training team and their recruits areinspected twice during their time at theestablishment. Subunits receive four weeksnotice of inspection. The inspections areparticularly thorough and comprehensive.The inspection team includes the adjutant,quartermaster staff, the regimental sergeantmajor, and Regimental Police sergeant. Thesubunit officer commanding joins the team.The composition of the team means thatquick corrective action can be taken whereneeded. During the inspection, the adjutantchecks the recording books of each troopcommander and also checks that copies ofall relevant policies are in place. Trainingstaff interviewed confirmed that theseinspections are a source of good practice forsharing across subunits.

Good practice

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which can necessitate working in excess of 70hours per week. The Army, in particular, posts asignificant number of instructors directly fromfront-line operations. The contrast between beingon active service and being an instructor in atraining establishment is stark and some find itunderstandably difficult to adjust. Some do notdemonstrate the attitudes or behaviours requiredto maintain the delicate balance betweendiscipline and support in the trainingenvironment. That said, the vast majority ofinstructors are dedicated to their role and do agood job.

The armed forces do not make the most of theexperience that long-serving NCOs could bringto the training function. The more junior militaryinstructors could learn much from workingalongside retired service personnel operating ascivilian instructors. In establishments such asRAC Bovington, for example, the skills andexpertise of retired officers provide much-neededcontinuity and stability in the trainingenvironment. Invaluable training knowledge,including that required to work with recruits inbasic training, is being lost as more senior NCOsleave the services.

Instructor selection

Recommendations from Safer Training:• Competitive selection for instructor postings, including vetting and testing to ensure suitability.

• Mandatory training for instructors before they take up their posts.

• The retention of able instructors in training roles for longer, giving them opportunities forcontinuing professional development and qualifications, and rewarding them for achievement.

• The use of formal appraisals for instructors, against objectives which are centred on high retention and achievement among the recruits for whom each one is responsible.

Progress madeInstructor selection formed part of the inspectionof 19 establishments this time around. In eight ofthese establishments, it remains an arearequiring development. Five establishments havebrought their work in this area to a satisfactorylevel since the previous inspection and one haschanged it from an area requiring developmentto one of strength. One previously satisfactoryestablishment now requires development in thisarea. Three establishments are strong in this areaof their work. The MoD is currently unable torequest criminal record checks for personnelwho are going to supervise recruits aged under18, because these recruits are deemed to be infull-time employment. It is working with theHome Office to amend existing legislation inthis area.

Main findingsTwo of the establishments providing phase 2training, 3 RSME and 11 Signals Regiment, havegood processes for selecting instructors. Both ofthem pre-select appropriate individuals beforesubmitting them formally as candidates to thecentral personnel office in Glasgow. Potentialcandidates are encouraged to visit the trainingestablishments. This exercise has a dual purpose:first, it allows candidates to be informallyassessed by the training team and second, ithelps candidates to decide whether the trainingenvironment suits them. Similarly, instructors forphase 1 training in the Royal Electrical andMechanical Engineers and the Royal Artillery arecarefully selected to ensure their suitability – inthese branches of the Army a posting to atraining establishment is regarded as a beneficialcareer move. The majority of corps and

regiments, recognising the importance oftraining, select and send their very bestinstructors. In the infantry, however, a move intotraining is not necessarily perceived as careerenhancing.

The MoD and the armed forces have placed ahigh priority on the training of instructors overthe past two years. Significant work has beendone to develop and establish standards for thetri-service ‘Defence Train-the-Trainer’programme. This course now incorporatesaspects of welfare and duty of care and is muchmore likely to provide new instructors with theknowledge, skills and information they need todo their jobs well. The intention is thatinstructors attend this course either before orwithin four to six weeks of their arrival at theirestablishment: the most recent statistics fromMoD show that while the situation is rapidlyimproving in the Royal Air Force, whereapproximately 80 per cent of instructors do so,the proportion is only about 40 per cent for theArmy and 35% for the Royal Navy. Inspectorsalso found evidence of a backlog of applicantsfor the course. Although the majority of newinstructors are mentored and supported well bystaff at their establishment, some still end upworking with recruits for months without anyformal training.

All the training establishments aspire to engaginginstructors who have the necessary skills andcommitment to get the best out of the youngmen and women in their charge and to providethe high level of support that they need. This hasnot yet been uniformly achieved. Instructors arestill more usually posted than selected and someof them remain ill-prepared for the demands ofworking with young recruits in a training role,

Royal Navy training under battle conditions

Findings

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still arrive for phase 1 training with prior medicalconditions which render them unfit for servicebut which were not identified during theirvarious medical screenings at careers offices, bygeneral practitioners or at the Army’sdevelopment and selection centre.

The fitness level of some new recruits,particularly women, continues to be a problemdespite the provision of fitness development and

support initiatives and pre-joining fitness tests. Aconsequence of poor fitness is that some recruitsare discharged shortly after entry, disappointingthe recruit and wasting valuable resources.Recruits, especially those who join the Army, arenot made adequately aware that they will berequired to swim as part of their training. This isespecially a problem for recruits joining fromforeign and Commonwealth countries.

Recruitment

Recommendations from Safer Training:• A uniform approach to testing recruits across all three services, with regard to their potential and

their educational attainment, and to recording and analysing the data collected

• Greater care in ensuring that a realistic picture of service life is presented including making ‘taster’ experiences generally available

• Routine provision of feedback from training establishments to careers offices on the quality andsuccess of recruits

Progress madeIndividual establishments have no control overarmed services’ recruitment practices and thepicture found by inspectors at eachestablishment reflects the situation at servicelevel. Each service retains its own arrangementsfor testing potential recruits. Taster experiencesare available in the Army and the Royal Navy.No qualitative feedback is given to careersoffices about the success of recruits – theinformation is limited to the numbers that dropout of training.

Main findingsThe Armed Forces Careers Offices provide agood resource and offer a wide range of generalinformation. The marketing materials used,including videos and computer presentations,are attractive and stimulating. Staff are givenappropriate training to carry out their role, andunderstand it well. Despite this, many Armyinformation guides do not reflect the changes tothe common military syllabus and refer to 12-rather than 14-week initial training periods.Information about the Royal Navy and the 19Royal Air Force trade groups can be confusingand some recruits get to phase 2 beforediscovering that the career they have chosen isinappropriate. Some recruits report that they aresteered into trades for which they are unsuited orhave little interest, but where shortages exist.

All three services carry out an initial assessmentwhich, to a varying extent, indicates a potentialrecruit’s aptitude and suitability for a givencareer path. The assessment carried out onbehalf of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Forceincludes some measurement of literacy and

numeracy skills. Both services carry out a morerigorous assessment once a recruit enterstraining. The Army, relies on the ‘general trainingindicator’ produced from the British ArmyRecruit Battery tests.

All three services are well aware of the ‘shock ofcapture’ effect that recruits experience whenthey enter the services, despite all they havebeen told at the careers offices. They all try toprovide opportunities for potential recruits to geta good measure of the service they are about tojoin: the Army through its ‘development andselection centres’; the Royal Navy through its‘acquaint course’, and the Royal Marinesthrough its ‘potential Royal Marines’ course.These courses are run by experienced seniorNCOs who provide accurate first-handinformation about training and future trades,regiments or corps. Recruits at HMS Raleigh whohad attended the three-day course at Rosyth hadfound it an extremely useful preparation for lifein the Navy and also thought it had helped tobegin the process of getting to know otherrecruits.

Five of the 11 Armed Forces Careers Officesvisited by inspectors were sending out-of-datejoining instructions, which could result inrecruits making unnecessary purchases of kit. Anumber of establishments, including AFCHarrogate and Pirbright, have developed andsent out their own marketing materials and kitlists to the careers offices to ensure that newrecruits have the most current information.

The screening of medical records at the selectioncentres has improved since Safer Training andexisting medical conditions are being moreaccurately identified. That said, some recruits

Royal Navy trainees using Radar Screens during an exercise

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such as the unit welfare officer. Eachestablishment tends to concentrate its efforts onthose recruits deemed to be ‘at risk’. Thisapproach works best where the formal andinformal links between uniformed and civilianstaff are strong enough to provide a closely knitwelfare and support system for recruits.

As with most aspects of service life, the successof welfare and support depends to a large extenton the efficient operation of the chain ofcommand. In most cases this works well. It is notenough, however, for the chain of command tobe strong; those in it have to be well briefed andhave experience of dealing with the physical andemotional needs of their most vulnerablerecruits. Inevitably, especially in the Army, somestaff are posted straight from field deployment toa training establishment, necessitating a rapidadjustment to the training role. This transitionproves more difficult for some than others.Where there is insufficient induction andpreparation for these staff, or recognition of thedifficulties they face, some struggle to provideadequate welfare support for recruits andtrainees.

Other welfare services, such as the chaplaincies,WRVS, The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen andFamilies Association, Salvation Army and ArmyWelfare Service continue to deliver a valuableand much appreciated service to individualrecruits. Their position outside the chain ofcommand allows them to offer an alternativeperspective and a less formal service than themilitary welfare staff. Although the impact ofthese civilian services often hinges on theenthusiasm of the individuals involved, theymake an important contribution to the supportand welfare of recruits.

Support services for recruits aged under 18 arewell organised and highly effective. Allestablishments carry out close monitoring ofrecruits off site. Those recruits who take weekendleave away from their establishment have toprovide contact details so that their whereaboutsare known. Some phase 1 trainingestablishments are now alcohol-free. In thosewhich are not, arrangements to prevent theconsumption of alcohol by under 18s are sound.

The approach of the services to recruits’ familieshas improved significantly and is much moreopen and welcoming. Much greater efforts aremade to keep recruits’ families informed about,and involved in, their training. Contact with thefamilies of recruits now goes far beyondinforming them about problems and includesletters and phone calls about their progress ingeneral and any forthcoming events in whichfamilies may be interested. Many phase 1establishments now have regular family daysmid-way through a course. Some have set upwebsites on which families can see pictures ofthe recruits during their training.

Support and welfare

Recommendations from Safer Training:• That comprehensive welfare frameworks be introduced at every establishment, setting out clearly

the duties, lines of accountability and powers of everybody involved, civilian and military

• Civilian and military welfare staff should work as a team, sharing information and records

• The empowered officer role should be terminated

• All instructors should be trained in welfare matters

• Civilian welfare staff should be selected or trained to provide professional services in care

Progress madeAn assessment of support and welfarearrangements formed part of the inspection ofeach of the 20 establishments visited. In ten ofthe establishments this aspect was a strength andit was satisfactory in the other 10. Excellentprogress has been made across the piece toensure that welfare and duty of carearrangements are at the heart of training.Supervisory care directives are in use at allestablishments. The empowered officer role hasbeen terminated and the role of the unit welfareofficer has been extended. Some work still needsto be done to create ‘joined-up’ civilian andmilitary systems in all establishments.

Main findingsTraining establishments have undergone a seachange in their approach to matters related towelfare and duty of care. During the first roundof ALI inspections, support and welfare serviceswere often seen as an appendage to the corebusiness. It is now the case that welfare and dutyof care are treated as integral and essential partsof the experience provided for all recruits.Recruits seldom expressed anything but praisefor the support they receive from their immediateinstructors and welfare staff or for the range ofwelfare services available to them.

Night-time patrols of recruits’ accommodationare now commonplace. Staff are given specificresponsibility for overnight or weekend welfareduties. In the better establishments, these staffare briefed in detail by senior staff at the start oftheir watch and report back to senior staff at theend. Recruits aged under 18 can usually be

easily identified from accommodation lists andbunk numbers posted in the entrance toaccommodation. At MWS Collingwood andHMS Sultan, more experienced recruits orspecially selected senior ratings are givenwelfare responsibilities in the accommodation,in much the same way as they would be at sea.

The arrangements for recruits’ welfare are nowset out clearly in supervisory care directives.These directives are now established across thetraining environment but it will take some timebefore staff at all levels and in all establishmentsare fully aware of their benefit. At their best, asat RAF Halton for example, the directives areunderpinned by comprehensive risk assessments,which are regularly reviewed and updated. Theyprovide a valuable safety net for recruits whomay be vulnerable. Some establishments haveborrowed and adapted directives developedelsewhere and have yet to carry out detailed riskassessments of their own specific circumstances.

The tone for a training establishment’s approachto welfare and duty of care is usually set by thecommanding officer. If the commanding officersees welfare as an integral component of theirleadership strategy, the resulting inclusiveapproach helps to ensure that recruits are fullyprotected and the risk of self-harm is minimised.Junior NCOs still provide the first line ofresponsibility for the welfare of recruits and theyare best able to discharge this responsibility inan atmosphere of support from officers.

Most training establishments have set up forumsto co-ordinate welfare and duty of care activities.These forums usually include civilian welfareagencies and some key military welfare staff

A training event was held for all squadronstaff at 11 Signals Regiment who areinvolved directly in the management ofwelfare and the duty of care. It was designedto help them understand some of theproblems faced by 17 to 19 year olds insociety today. A youth worker from a localschool ran a one-day workshop that dealtwith typical issues that affect young people,such as those related to alcohol, sex anddrugs. The session carefully explored theeffects of peer pressure on young people. For staff without children of their own, andespecially for those who had been in theArmy for a long time, the session providedan excellent opportunity for them toappreciate some of the problems faced byyoung people in a civilian setting.

Good practice

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in those establishments without swimming pools,the additional support some recruits need to passthis test makes considerable demands on thetime of staff and recruits. For example, at ATRLichfield it takes about 80 minutes to get to andfrom the swimming pool, which eats into thetime available for other activities. Recruits to theRoyal Navy and Royal Air Force must pass theswimming test, but Army recruits are notrequired to do so and some enter phase 2 oftheir training without being able to swim wellenough to pass the test.

All three services have improved the physicaltraining they provide. In none of theestablishments inspected this year was thetraining found to be unsatisfactory. The physicaltraining programmes in phases 1 and 2 aredesigned carefully to gradually build the fitnesslevels of recruits. At HMS Raleigh, as at mostestablishments now, recruits are grouped on thebasis of their performance at initial fitnessassessments, allowing training to be tailored toeach group’s ability. Instructors from the trainingteam attend all physical training sessions andtheir knowledge of recruits who are vulnerableor at risk provides a welfare safety net wherenecessary. Recruits are set achievable traininggoals, differentiated for gender. In the Army,those in phase 2 of their training are required toraise significantly the level of their personalfitness and are given appropriate training andsupport to enable them to do so.

Mandatory physical training now forms part ofthe phase 2 programme. Most establishmentshave managed this by rearranging theprogramme to include five 50-minute periods ofphysical training each week. The RAF hasadopted a system that allows recruits tocomplete at least 250 minutes of supervisedphysical training over 10 working days. For a fewrecruits who are recovering from injury and

require regular rehabilitation, the scheduling ofphysical training periods does not always aidtheir recovery. Adventure training offers allrecruits the chance to further work on theirlevels of fitness as they pursue during team-working and leadership exercises. For the vastmajority of recruits, adventure training isexceptionally rewarding, albeit demanding.

The management of injured recruits is muchbetter than at the time of the previous ALIinspections. Training staff are more aware of thenature and most likely causes of injury. Theyprovide timely and appropriate treatment. Whererecruits are removed from their trainingprogramme for a recovery period, theirprogramme of rehabilitation is generally wellstructured and managed effectively. The majorityof recruits return to training in good physicalshape to complete their course.

Physical training

Recommendations from Safer Training:• The armed forces should exercise greater control over pre-entry physical testing, and reduce the

reliance on self declaration.

• A review to eliminate anomalies in the standards required for PT and set them accurately inaccordance with the work recruits do.

• Abandonment of gender free approach to women and the restoration of gender fair regimes.

• More systematic use of data on fitness, training undertaken, injury and rehabilitation.

Progress madeAn assessment of the physical training providedfor recruits, and of the facilities for that training,was made at 18 establishments during this roundof inspections. The facilities were found to be astrength in 10 establishments, satisfactory inseven and requiring development in one. Thetraining itself was a strength in fiveestablishments. It was satisfactory in the other13, four of which had been identified asrequiring development at the previousinspection. Improvements have also been madein rehabilitation, with five of the sixestablishments identified as needingdevelopment moving to a satisfactory position inthis area.

All three services have responded well to thechallenges of Safer Training: they give muchbetter guidance and information on what will beexpected of recruits and different fitness levelsare required of different Army corps andregiments in line with the work they do. Allfemale recruits to the Army now have theirphysical training at ATR Pirbright. They trainseparately from male recruits and their training ishandled well to take into account their differentphysical needs without compromising standards.

Main findingsMany recruits join the armed services unfit andincreasingly the services find themselvesrecruiting from a society where excess weightand generally poor fitness is prevalent. Inresponse to this, the services now offer potentialrecruits an informative DVD and printedmaterials on how to improve their fitness.

The Royal Air Force and Royal Navy have alsolinked up with a national chain of fitness clubsto give potential recruits the chance to test theirfitness before making the decision to join up.The standard of fitness required by the ArmyDevelopment and Selection Centre is slightlylower than that expected of a recruit in order topass their phase 1 training and consequently afew recruits still struggle when they enterphase 1. Fewer recruits leave the armed servicestraining because of inadequate levels of physicalfitness than was the case when the ALI firstinspected this aspect of training. The Army, partlyin response to the acknowledged difficultiestrainees experience in reaching the requiredfitness level within 12 weeks, has introduced apilot programme which extends the training to14 weeks.

Regrettably for military training establishments,the medical screening of potential recruits bygeneral practitioners often fails to identify somechronic conditions which subsequently result inmedical discharge during phase 1 training. Theservices cannot insist on full disclosure of anindividual’s medical records ahead of an offer ofemployment, but the Army is running a trialmedical questionnaire with general practitionersin order to reduce the reliance on recruits’ self-declaration. Few establishments retain detaileddata on medical discharges and they rely onanalysis being carried out further up the chain ofcommand.

Physical training facilities are generally good.ATR Winchester and HMS Raleigh, in particular,are very well equipped for basic training andinclude on-site swimming pools. All recruitshave to take an armed forces swimming test and

A home-conditioning programme has beenintroduced to improve the physical fitness ofpotential trainee gunners before they arriveat RAF Honington. This involves a series ofexercises that can easily be performed athome without specialist equipment. Theprogramme offers advice on running,swimming and footwear. It is presented in agood-quality illustrated booklet, andincludes a training diary. A screeningprogramme allows meaningful data to becollected so that the programme can be fullyevaluated. The measurements andmethodology to be used have been put intoan illustrated leaflet so that new staff canconduct the screening required.

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Firearms

Recommendations from Safer Training:• The Army should further reduce the risks associated with young people using firearms, including

the provision of more secure storage away from firing ranges and greater use of simulators

• Uniform practice across all three services on deployment of recruits as armed guards at night

• Night guard duties for recruits should be avoided when they fall between training days

Progress madeIn line with the overall improved management ofrisks to recruits, the approach to the use offirearms is now robust in all trainingestablishments.

Main findingsThe risks associated with the use of firearms intraining establishments were of great concern tothe ALI in its first round of inspections, but theserisks are being managed much more carefully bythe armed services and have been significantlyreduced. Unsupervised access to weapons andlive ammunition is more tightly controlled andmeasures to ensure the safe storage of weaponsduring meal times and other periods whenweapons are not required are more robust:weapons are placed either in locked racks orstored on open display in corridors guarded bystaff and pairs of recruits. At night, weapons areno longer stored in the accommodation blocksbut are returned to the armoury.

Many establishments have carried out effectivereviews of their firearms training, tighteningsafeguards and ensuring that recruits areintroduced to using firearms with moreconsistency. Recruits gain confidence through

drill and cleaning in the early stages of trainingand move to controlled live firing exercises laterin their training. This measured and controlledacquisition of skills ensures that by the end oftheir training recruits have a good understandingof how to safely store, handle and use theirweapons. There is now much greater generalawareness of the risks to new recruits that canresult from the combination of access toweapons and live ammunition in unsupervisedlocations and personal risk factors.

The issue of young recruits carrying out guardingduties without appropriate training andsupervision has been resolved. The MoD hasmade additional funds available for professionalguarding services. In phase 1 establishments, theMilitary Provost Guarding Service carries out allarmed guarding functions and the MilitaryGuarding Service provides entrance and bookingfunctions. In phase 2 establishments, sometrainees are expected to undertake armedguarding, but only after appropriate training. Inthe better establishments, such as DCAE Cosford,all trainees complete two weeks of guarding tobreak up their studies. Although phase 1 recruitsare not required to carry out guarding dutiesduring their training, they are still adequatelyprepared for the guard duties they willeventually carry out in the field.

Young recruits from 3rd Lancaster Troop during a four-day field exercise

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Accommodation

Recommendations from Safer Training:• Commanding officers of training establishments should hold their own budgets for minor repairs

and maintenance and be encouraged to attain high standards.

• The style of accommodation for recruits should be as close as is practicable to decentcircumstances in civilian life.

Progress madeThe standard and appropriateness ofaccommodation was considered as part of all 20establishment inspections. It remains an area fordevelopment in two establishments. Threeestablishments had brought theiraccommodation up to a satisfactory standardsince the previous ALI visit, reflecting thesignificant investment made in accommodationby the MoD. In one previously satisfactoryestablishment, accommodation is now astrength.

Main findingsTaken as a whole, the standard and maintenanceof accommodation are satisfactory. The MoDexpended significant resources to ensure thataccommodation was in good order before beinghanded over to the new regional primecontractors: as an example, new furniture andcarpets were fitted throughout theaccommodation for recruits and NCOs at ATRWinchester and the recreation facilities therewere refreshed. It should also be mentioned thatliving conditions are often enhanced by the staffthemselves to improve the surroundings forrecruits. For example, although some recruits atITC Catterick had moved from the dilapidatedold block to new accommodation at the time ofthe ALI inspection, the conditions for those leftbehind were shabby, dirty and generally poor.Battalion staff were refurbishing accommodationthemselves for new recruits. Similarly, at StOmer, staff have undertaken small maintenanceworks and have painted and decoratedaccommodation in an attempt to improve theliving conditions of recruits.

All budgets for maintenance work have beentaken away from commanding officers of training

establishments. Small daily maintenance jobsthat the commanding officer could authorize tobe carried out by local contractors are now leftin the hands of regional prime contractors, whorarely respond in a positive and timely way tomaintenance requests. Although most of thework initially agreed with the contractors hasbeen completed, the tendency with non-urgentwork is to respond only to the safety aspects,leaving some routine but necessary repair workunattended for long periods of time. Even wheremuch of the accommodation is relatively newand in good condition, the tardiness of repairand routine maintenance negatively affects theenvironment in which the recruits live. At ATRWinchester, for example, seven broken windowshad simply been boarded up and had been inthat condition for several months.

The MoD has also invested heavily in newaccommodation, recognizing the importance ofproviding a living environment for servicepersonnel that makes them feel valued. Under aproject called SLAM (Single LivingAccommodation Modernisation) some onebillion pounds are due to be spent over the next10 years. At MWS Collingwood, for example,recruits now benefit from the highest standard ofaccommodation and have ample personal spaceand contemporary-style bedroom furniture.Security systems ensure that only those living inthe block can gain access and this contributes torecruits having greater respect for theirsurroundings. At some establishments, however,even the new blocks are beginning to show signsof appreciable wear and tear: the corridors areoften inadvertently battered with kit and withoutan appropriately resourced general maintenanceprogramme the accommodation will continue todeteriorate.

The demands on the money available areconsiderable and there is a distinct possibilitythat what has been achieved this year may notbe sustainable in the longer term.

Some of the accommodation for staff and theirfamilies, maintained through a contract withDefence Estates, is shabbier than that designedfor recruits. Maintenance problems, such asbroken boilers or blocked lavatories, and scruffyliving quarters are more or less constant featuresof life that do little to motivate staff, especiallywhen they see that the accommodation forrecruits is sometimes far better than their own.It is now much harder for staff and their familiesto view accommodation before they arrive at

their base, partly because the keys are now heldby the regional office of the housing contractorand not by individual establishments. Repairsand maintenance are often very difficult toarrange as all calls are dealt with through anational helpline, which is perceived asinconvenient to use by many callers.Subcontractors employed to carry out repairwork frequently fail to turn up for appointments,putting unnecessary stress on military personneland their families. This was especially the case atATR Pirbright and RSS Blandford.

Soldiers from 1 R Anglian receive training in radioand software applications at ATR Pirbright

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laundry areas. The high value payout machineshave also been removed and the only gamblingdevices that remain have a highest pay out of£25. Large notices are clearly displayedreminding under-18s that the machines are outof bounds to them and duty staff carry outregular checks. Getting subcontractors in therecreational areas to co-operate fully in themonitoring and control of their machines hasproved difficult.

Since the publication of Safer Training there hasbeen an increase of inter-company games andsporting activities for recruits and trainees. Manynow have the opportunity of participating innon-contact sporting events such as triathlon,volleyball and swimming during weekends andevenings.

Meals and recreation

Recommendations from Safer Training:• Greater emphasis on good diet and nutrition in planning meals.

• The universal adoption of a fourth meal, in the evening, to bridge the gap of more than 12 hoursbetween supper and breakfast.

• Consideration of an alcohol-free rule at phase 1 training establishments.

• Gambling machines should not be allowed at phase 1 training establishments.

Progress madeIn only one of the establishments inspected thistime was the provision of meals identified as anarea for development. All 20 provided at leastsatisfactory recreation facilities and at fourestablishments this was an area of strength.Many phase 1 establishments are now alcohol-free. Gambling machines are controlled muchmore tightly. There has been no progress with theintroduction of a fourth meal for recruits in theevening, although the introduction of highactivity food supplements has been successful ina few establishments.

Main findingsOverall, the nutritional value and quality of thefood being served at training establishments is atleast satisfactory. As at the time of the ALI’sprevious inspections, however, the last meal ofthe day is still served in the late afternoon. Thispractice remains one of convenience for cateringcontractors, but it is not in the best interests ofrecruits and is contrary to the recommendationsof the Director of Operational Capability.Recruits themselves are largely satisfied with thefood provided at meal times, although they findthat menus tend to become monotonous over afour- or six-week cycle. Some establishments stillserve surplus food at later meals.

In establishments where recruits undertakestrenuous training, food supplements areprovided for consumption in the evening. Therewere initial problems in distributing them insome establishments, but these problems seemto have been ironed out and most recruits pickup their supplements at the end of their lastmeal. The supplements vary in quality: some

establishments distribute buns, milk andappropriate higher-carbohydrate bars, whereasothers offer only a chocolate snack bar and fruitdrink. These latter supplements are aninadequate substitute for an additional eveningmeal. They fail to provide sufficient andappropriate nutritional and carbohydrate intaketo sustain muscular development and energythrough the night and into the next morning.Staff recognise that some subcontractors supplyinappropriate food but some establishments havedone little to remedy this situation. In others,contract management has been stringent andmore appropriate food has been provided.

Across all establishments, the systems to identifyrecruits aged under 18 work well. In someestablishments where alcohol is available on sitevendors check the age and names of those theyserve, and often have photographs and names ofthose under 18 to help identify them. Otherestablishments have developed their ownidentification cards to help speed the process ofidentification. Establishments have improvedtheir checking processes to record the intendedwhereabouts of all personnel leaving the site.This good practice has also been extended tothose aged over 18 in most establishments.Across all three services there is greaterawareness of how to identify and managealcohol and drug misuse. Some establishmentsgo to significant lengths to monitor early signs ofinappropriate behaviour in recruits.

The management of on-site gambling is nowmuch more robust. Those gambling machineswhich are still sited in training establishmentshave been grouped together where they can bemonitored more easily by staff. There are nolonger stand-alone machines in, for example,

Catering in an army field kitchen in Afghanistan

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and equality and diversity issues at establishmentlevel. The advisers report that they found thetraining useful and, for some of them,inspirational. There is a general recognitionacross the services that considerable workremains to be done if staff are to dealconfidently with equality and diversity matters.

There is inadequate understanding andreinforcement of equality and diversity bydirecting staff in the chain of command. There isvirtually no input specifically on diversity,despite the operational involvement of the forcesin theatres across the world. Equality anddiversity is not a running theme throughout thetraining programmes and is not routinelymainstreamed within topics and subjects.Sessions dealing with equality and diversity arestill too often delivered by staff outside the chainof command. AFC Harrogate is a notableexception: here the training team run an activeprogramme to develop their recruitsunderstanding of equality and diversity, andbullying and harassment, directly as they applyin a military context.

Incidences of the use of inappropriate languageand stereotyping by gender, nationality or racestill occur among instructors and someestablishments do not do enough to challengethose who behave in this way. ATR Pirbright setsa good example in dealing firmly with staff whoare found using inappropriate language in thetraining environment. Some recruits expressedconcern to inspectors during this round ofinspections over the point at which banter couldturn into bullying.

Staff generally lack sufficient knowledge aboutthe festivals and important events of non-Christian faiths. Recruits and trainees areprovided with food that is appropriate to therequirements of their religion but some staff donot allow for or perhaps even understand theimpact of, for example, fasting for Muslimrecruits.

One manifestation of the still unsophisticatedapproach to equality and diversity in the armedservices is the general lack of understandingabout the rights and responsibilities of civilianstaff in military establishments. This can showitself in the disrespect with which a few militarystaff treat their civilian colleagues.Establishments do not have statements orpolicies that relate specifically to civilianemployees in terms of disability, gender or agediscrimination.

Equality and diversity

Recommendations from Safer Training:• Higher targets for recruitment of women and people from minority ethnic groups, and positive

action to achieve them.

• Within the guidelines set nationally for all three services, each training establishment should drawup its own action plan for equality against the achievement of which the performance of thecommanding officer should be monitored.

• Renewed attention to equality and diversity training for all personnel, military and civilian.

• Training establishments should accept a duty to be exemplary in furthering equality and diversity,playing a key role in changing attitudes over time throughout the armed forces.

Progress madeOf the 20 establishments inspected, only twohave this aspect of their work as a strength.Twelve are satisfactory and six still requiredevelopment. Six of the now satisfactoryestablishments were in the position of requiringdevelopment at the time of their previousinspection. The MoD and individualestablishments have begun to emphasise, andspend considerable money on, improvingawareness and understanding of equality anddiversity in a training environment, with somesuccess. That said, significant shifts in attitudeand behaviour have yet to be seen across thepiece. Recruits generally have an adequate graspof equality and diversity as a result of how thetopic is covered at their induction, but amongstaff the approach of ‘treat everyone the same’ isstill too prevalent.

The DITC has been chosen to evaluate theimplementation of equality and diversity policiesacross the services in the early part of 2007. Thisis part of the MoD’s ongoing work with theEqual Opportunities Commission.

Main findingsIn July 2006, the MoD produced acomprehensive equality and diversity schemewhich covers all the relevant legislation. Thescheme details the specific duties andobligations of the armed forces under the variousActs. It does not, however, include animplementation strategy and the scheme iscurrently not widely known about atestablishment level. While it is good that the

MoD is taking steps to build equalityconsiderations into its policies and procedures, itmay be some time before the effects can be seenin terms of changed attitudes and behaviour atestablishment level. Safer Training drew attentionto the fact that little action had been taken bythe MoD in response to the Race Relations Act2000. No specific training, as required by thisAct, has been carried out in trainingestablishments.

The armed forces continue to have agreedrecruitment targets for minority ethnic groups.These targets have remained largely unchangedsince the ALI’s first round of inspections but areexpected to increase by 0.5 per cent above theprevious year’s achievement until 2012. Thismeans that in 2006-07 the target for the RoyalNavy is 3.5 per cent, for the Royal Air Force it is3.6 per cent and for the Army, 4.1 per cent. Theway the services collect details of ethnic originshas been improved by the use of a databasesystem, but little use is made of this data ateither the MoD or at establishment level tomonitor performance or bring about change.

All of the services have targets for recruitment toeach trade or branch. Specialist diversity actionteams in each service are working towardsachieving national targets for increasedrecruitment of people from minority ethnicgroups. These targets are relatively low and onlya modest increase has been achieved to date.

Across all the services, equality and diversityadvisers attend a four-day training courseintended to give them the knowledge and skillsthey need to deal effectively with complaints

In an effort to ensure recruits complete theirtraining with both male and female stafflooking after them, each training team atATR Pirbright has at least one female NCO.For the female recruits who currently makeup 29 per cent of the current strength thepresence of women in senior positions is agreat boost to their confidence and helpsthem to see what they can achieve. For themale recruits it ensures that no matter whichregiment or corps they are in they seewomen playing a significant role in manyaspects of the British Army.

Good practice

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Risk management (suicide and self-harm)

Recommendations from Safer Training:• The Army should study the methods used by other armed services to minimise self-harm

and suicide.

• Incidents of self harm should be carefully recorded and comprehensive data kept at eachestablishment and nationally.

• The consistent and thorough use of ‘at risk’ registers, with open access to all who need to see them.

Progress made

The management of risks to recruits was astrength in eight of the 20 establishmentsinspected, including three where it hadpreviously been identified as an area fordevelopment. It remained satisfactory in six andis still an area for development in the other six.This is an area of significant improvement in thevast majority of training establishments.

Main findingsThe single most important development inmanaging the risks to recruits has been thecreation of formal ‘at risk/vulnerability’ registersat the majority of training establishments, acrossall services. In the larger establishments, thetraining teams maintain the registers and thesecond in command does so in smallerestablishments. Most establishments have takena co-ordinated approach to ensure that allrelevant parties are involved in managingindividuals identified as being at risk. Thoserecruits thought to be at risk are discussed atregular review meetings, which are normallychaired by the commanding officer and includerepresentatives of all the agencies which take asupport role.

Where the new processes are most effective, theterm ‘at risk’ has been interpreted widely andintelligently to include those recruits who areexperiencing any problems that affect theirtraining performance and may put them at risk offailing their course. This approach hastransformed the way in which support is targetedand, despite some concerns from professionalstaff regarding confidentiality, mostestablishments manage sensitively the personal

information gathered from directing staff,instructors, padres and chaplains, welfareagencies, medical personnel and even fromother recruits or family members who raiseconcerns. In isolated cases, the emphasis placedon maintaining confidentiality, particularly bymedial staff and chaplains, undermines the riskassessment and management process.

The most mature and efficient processes arefound at phase 2 training establishments,particularly 25 Regiment DCL, 3 RegimentRSME, 11 Signal Regiment Blandford and MWSCollingwood. Phase 1 establishments have beenslower to develop such sophisticated processes,although at ATR Lichfield an alpha numericsystem for risk banding recruits is used well totarget support. Staff use an alphabetic indicator ifthe recruit is deemed at risk because of welfareor domestic pressures and a numeric indicatorfor performance and discipline matters. All therecruits at ATR Lichfield are interviewed bysection commanders and company commandersin their first week and this interview goes intopersonal matters in some depth to establish anypotential problem areas.

In practice, the number of recruits judged to beat risk of suicide or self-harm is small and theyare usually dealt with rapidly by medicalpersonnel. Recruits who have a disposition toself-harm are generally sent to the medicalcentres and are subsequently discharged fromthe service. The arrangements to monitor recruitsclosely in establishment medical centres aregenerally good. The requirement for such close24-hour monitoring of those at risk of self-harmor suicide sometimes places a heavy burden onjunior NCOs, some of whom feel inadequatelytrained to handle the situation.

The Defence College of Logistics (DCL) hasfor some time been testing the use of adetailed and comprehensive individual ‘careassessment plan’ for recruits deemed to beat high risk. The plan is agreed between therecruit and the officer immediatelycommanding them and is kept current aslong as a recruit is seen to be at risk. Troopcommanders use the plan to help managethe individual in the most appropriate way.Records are retained electronically andunder strict security. The process is veryeffective in allowing essential information tobe shared with appropriate personnel. DCLis unique in passing on detailed informationon recruits still judged to be at risk whenthey pass to the field army. This is only donewith a recruit’s written agreement, whichthey are asked to give after every meeting toreview the plan. This advance knowledgemeans that any support required can bequickly provided when a recruit moves totheir next posting.

Good practice

Findings

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The Army relies on a lower academic capabilitytest, which takes the form of an online touch-screen test known as the British Army RecruitBattery (BARB). It produces a ‘general trainingindicator’; this is used to allocate a trade basedon a predicted ability to cope with the trainingfor that trade. The BARB has elements ofpsychometric and technical testing as well asbeing a general aptitude test. It is a rather basicmeasure of ability and does not identifypotentially gifted recruits or those with a realaptitude for trades that call for good numericalskills.

The changes to the Army’s phase 1 commonmilitary syllabus mean that all recruits completeliteracy and numeracy skills tested in their firstweek of training. Recruits can then attendlessons spread over six weeks to improve theirskills up to entry level 3. In some establishments,recruits who are assessed above this level cantake units of the European Computer DrivingLicence programme. This is a much improvedpicture from the previous inspection cycle, whenrecruits had to fit literacy and numeracy workinto their evenings and free time. Making thiswork part of the daily timetable, carried outduring core training hours, is a major stepforward. The approach taken to supportingrecruits with weaker English language skills hasnot shown the same improvement: no allowanceis made in the common military syllabus fortimetabled language support, despite thesignificant number of foreign andCommonwealth recruits in the Army. The needfor this type of support is recognized by trainingteam instructors and those who give literacy andnumeracy support - they consider that weakEnglish language skills are holding back theprogress of some recruits. The problem oftenonly comes to light when recruits completeweapons handling tests, in which they areexpected to perform individually on commandand not as part of a platoon.

Induction and literacy, numeracy and language

Recommendations from Safer Training:• The introduction of a standard set of guidelines for induction, including the use of follow up

sessions and tests to check that everything necessary has been understood.

• Opportunities to show parents and partners round training establishments should be introducedeverywhere, as part of settling in.

• Much more sympathetic approaches should be adopted to testing for literacy and numeracy andEnglish language problems, and rectifying them.

Progress madeThe standard of induction seen by inspectorsduring this round of inspections was markedlyimproved in many establishments. Inspectorsmade detailed judgements on literacy, numeracyand English for speakers of other languages(ESOL) provision in 11 establishments. In two ofthe establishments the approach to basic skillswork was a strength and it was an area fordevelopment in only one. The other eight weresatisfactory, including four in which this aspecthad been identified as an area for developmentat the previous inspection.

Main findingsInduction programmes have become increasinglywell established at phase 1 and phase 2establishments. All establishments includespecific sessions on bullying and harassment,complaints and managing homesickness.Induction for staff tends to be locally devisedand delivered and consequently varies in bothcontent and depth. The Army has recently set upa new staff induction programme but, in someestablishments, the demands of transition fromthe field to a training establishment are not madeclear enough.

All training establishments now recognise theimportance of involving parents and partners inrecruits’ training. Websites provide valuableinformation, such as telephone numbers andcopies of welfare and duty of care directives, forpotential recruits, recruits, and for their parents,partners or guardians. Many websites, includingthat of RSME, post photographs of recruits intraining so that families can see their progress.

There is now much greater encouragement forfamilies to attend open days, which are oftenscheduled in the middle of the trainingprogramme when recruits are often most in needof family support.

Recognising that stronger basic skills could bean important factor in helping recruits to copewith the pressures of their training and thereforecould have a positive effect on retention in theservices, the MoD has developed a commonpolicy for basic skills, to be applied across theservices. It is too early to assess its impact.Literacy and numeracy are still tested and treateddifferently in each of the services, which isallowed for in the guidance principles to theservices on how to implement the policy. RoyalNavy and Royal Air Force recruits take tests atthe recruiting offices; the results of these tests notonly determine which trade or service a recruitcan follow but are also used to identify anylearning difficulties. The Royal Navy recruitscomplete a multiple-choice written test (they aregiven a practice booklet beforehand) thatincludes elements of psychometric testing,reasoning, literacy, numeracy and mechanicalcomprehension. The results are taken forwardinto phase 1 training to help identify anyadditional support needs. Royal Air Forcerecruits complete the Airmen Selection Test,which includes verbal, numerical and spatialreasoning, electrical and mechanicalcomprehension, and memory. As with the Armyand the Royal Navy, minimum scores arerequired for each aspect, and scores affect thechoice of trades available to recruits. Royal AirForce recruits also have an interview andcompetition board, where they are up againstother applicants for specific trades.

As part of a character developmentprogramme, staff at AFC Harrogate makegood use of the “Band of Brothers”dramatisation to develop junior soldiers’understanding and appreciation of theArmy’s core values. A very clearly written set of instructor notesand a junior soldiers’ workbook accompanythe training package. It is delivered byspecifically trained platoon commanders,who provide good links to other elements ofthe training programme. The trainingpackage highlights particular scenes topromote discussion among staff and juniorsoldiers. Each lesson has clearly identifiedaims and objectives for both the instructorand the junior soldiers. Sessions begin witha recap on the previous session, and somediscussion around the topic to be studied.Staff stop the film at strategic points to opendiscussion among the junior soldiers and toget them to record their thoughts inworkbooks. Clear questions guide staff inhow best to stimulate debate. The 10episodes provoke debate on how corevalues are demonstrated through loyalty,leadership, courage, selflessness, respect forothers and integrity, viewing them in acontextualised manner through soldieringactivities.

Good practice

FindingsAdult Learning Inspectorate

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Bullying, harassment and complaints

Recommendations from Safer Training:• A genuine zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment be adopted at training

establishments, including clearly defined and appropriate disciplinary measures.

• A tri-service approach be taken to reviewing discipline and punishment, seeking a consistent balance between standards common in civilian life today and the real military necessity.

• Universal reporting of complaints, whether locally resolved or not, in order to allow collation and management, in each establishment and nationally.

• Clear protocols be prepared on the level at which different types of complaint may properly be dealt with.

• Introduction of carefully designed systems which allow the processing of complaints to be traced.

• Senior officers should encourage complaints to be made and registered, as an important means of driving up standards.

Progress madeThirteen of the 20 establishments inspected weresatisfactory in their approach to dealing withbullying, harassment and complaints. Three ofthe 13 had previously been identified as needingdevelopment. One establishment had improvedfrom needing development to having a strengthin this area. Six still require development. TheMoD and the armed services have workedenergetically to promote zero-tolerance. At thetime of Safer Training, the boundaries wereunclear between appropriate action to correctproblems in training and behaviour that could beperceived as harassment or bullying. A new tri-service policy on remedial training now gives aclear and effective framework for managingremedial training. The policy sets out explicitlywhat measures can and should be taken to bringrecruits up to the required standard ofperformance in training. It also specifies thatremedial training should be recorded andsubject to scrutiny. The principles behind acomprehensive Defence Instructional Notice(DIN) on the reporting of complaints have beenwell received across the services.

Main FindingsThe number of group or inappropriatepunishments reported to inspectors felldramatically during this round of inspections.Training staff now widely recognise that‘beasting’ of recruits is not acceptable. Recruitsthemselves still interpret the term ‘beasting’

liberally to describe some forms of hard trainingand it still carries a certain cachet with some.In reality, almost all such incidents turn out toinvolve training that falls within militaryguidelines. Officers are generally alert tobehaviour by NCOs that might be termedexcessive.

The data opposite is extracted from the RecruitTrainee Survey, carried out for the armedservices by the independent polling organisationMORI, and covers October 2005 to November2006. A total of 24,482 questionnaires werereturned during this period. All recruits whospend over two weeks at a phase 1 or 2 trainingestablishment are given a questionnaire whenthey leave. The percentages in Table 1 are basedon the number of recruits who responded to thatparticular question at each school visited by theALI and not on the total number of completedquestionnaires returned.

Although the results are not directly comparablewith those in the attitude surveys included inSafer Training, it appears that mostestablishments have made progress. Almostwithout exception, the proportion responding‘yes’ to the question ‘Do you believe you werebadly or unfairly treated while at xxx?’ is lowerthan the proportion that claimed they had beenbullied at an Army training school at the time ofSafer Training. The phase 1 Army establishmentsstill give some cause for concern. Awareness ofthe complaints procedures is good at mostestablishments.

TABLE 1. Recruit trainee survey, October 2005 to November 2006 – extract of responses toquestions on treatment during training

Do you believe Do you know I was correctly Trainees were Training isyou were badly the procedure treated by the all treated conducted

or unfairly treated for complaining staff equally without sexual orwhilst at xxx? at xxx? racial harassment

% Always/most % Always/most % Always/mostLocations % YES % YES of the time of the time of the time

Overall results 7.0 87.3 87.6 81.8 88.0(including responses from establishments not visited by the ALI

PHASE 1 ARMY SCHOOLS

ATR Bassingbourn 11.2 79.1 84.7 65.6 87.5ATR Lichfield 6.2 90.4 88.8 72.1 94.4ATR Winchester 10.8 86.7 86.1 64.0 91.0ATR Pirbright 7.8 88.1 85.4 67.9 90.1AFC Harrogate 11.9 84.8 88.4 68.6 89.2ITC Catterick 10.0 76.9 74.2 56.5 83.3

PHASE 1 RN SCHOOLS

HMS Raleigh 8.7 95.4 94.6 72.3 94.2CTCRM Lympstone 2.7 90.3 89.4 72.5 92.5RMSM Portsmouth (Phase 1) 6.1 66.7 97.0 54.5 93.9

PHASE 1 RAF SCHOOLS

RAF Halton (Phase 1) 4.8 92.1 95.9 77.7 96.4RAF Honington 6.4 87.4 84.4 56.4 94.8

PHASE 2 ARMY SCHOOLS

Armour Centre Bovington 2.5 89.4 92.2 77.2 96.33 RSME Minley 3.7 93.0 91.0 78.3 94.7RSS Blandford/11 Sigt Regt 6.8 90.1 89.0 64.7 89.525 Training Support Regt Deepcut 3.0 89.2 83.6 75.8 93.325 Training Support Regt St Omer 9.3 87.5 80.4 65.6 83.3DLSS Deepcut 7.4 81.8 79.7 72.0 89.2SEAE Arborfield 3.4 92.1 85.3 69.8 87.9ITC Catterick CDC 7.3 72.0 85.2 74.1 86.8

PHASE 2 RN SCHOOLS

DM Logistics School HMS Raleigh 12.1 92.2 92.2 67.3 91.8HMS Sultan 7.0 93.8 95.5 73.5 93.7MWS Collingwood 4.9 89.1 91.8 70.2 91.5RMSM Portsmouth (Phase 2) 10.3 94.1 95.6 42.6 92.6

PHASE 2 RAF SCHOOLS

RAF Halton (DCL) 4.5 91.3 96.3 81.1 97.1RAF DCAE Cosford 2.8 87.1 96.8 70.1 96.5RAF St Athan 10.8 95.9 90.5 56.8 89.0RAF Shawbury 3.3 90.0 100 70.0 96.7

The percentages in Table 2 are based on the number of recruits who responded to that particular question at each schoolvisited by the ALI and not on the total number of completed questionnaires returned. The reason that these numbers maynot correspond exactly is that some recruits choose not to answer every question.


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Enhanced Individual Reinforcement Training at RAF Honington

Initial training for officers

Findings

The recording of complaints has improvedsignificantly across all three of the armedservices. All the training establishments nowhave satisfactory complaints procedures,although some of the procedures are still beingbedded in and it is too early to judge their long-term effectiveness. Individual establishments aremonitoring complaints logs to identify emergingtrends in behaviour in any particular unit orunder the direction of any individual. Recruitsand staff have a good grasp of the newprocedures. Having said that, at establishmentlevel many complaints are regarded as anunwelcome addition to the daily routine ratherthan a valid way of checking that all is well inan establishment. Some junior NCOs still seecomplaints as potentially career damaging andare reluctant to air potential problems openly.Officers still expect problems to be dealt with atthe lowest level and although most complaintsare now recorded adequately there has beenlittle in the way of debate or briefing on how tomanage them. There is still confusion amongNCOs about what constitutes an appropriateresolution to a complaint.

In December 2005 the MoD issued DIN 244outlining how complaints are to be recorded andthe time frame in which they should be resolved.The DIN covers all complaints, formal andinformal, those dealt with at the lowest level andthose referred up the chain of command. Wherethis instruction has been implemented fully, therecording and monitoring of complaints hasimproved. However, at some establishments,including St Athan, Shawbury and Winchesterthere has been some confusion about whatconstitutes a complaint and only formalcomplaints have been dealt with using the DINprocedures. Junior NCOs were not givensufficient training to understand that all issuesneed recording, not just those that becomeformal. Minor disagreements that require staffintervention have not been recorded, leading togaps in the complete picture involvingindividuals or establishments. Frequently oninspection, inspectors found that non-militarystaff were not aware of the requirement to recordincidents in their environment. The staffinductions in many establishments do not takeexplain properly the detail expected whenrecording complaints in a training establishment.

DIN 244 clearly reflects that surveys of armedforces personnel and the findings of ALIinspections indicate the incidence of bullying,harassment and discrimination to be greater thanthe number of formal complaints suggests.Together with the introduction of the DIN, therehas been a significant drive by the MoD and thethree services to ensure that the zero-toleranceapproach to such incidents is widely knownthroughout the armed forces. This move hasbeen generally successful and senior officersthroughout the services are keenly aware of thestance that should be taken. Although theprinciple of zero-tolerance has been widelydisseminated, there remains a need for furtherguidance, particularly to junior NCOs, in termsof exactly what constitutes bullying, harassmentor discrimination, how and when it should berecorded and what constitutes an appropriateresponse. Consideration of such aspects formspart of the ‘Defence Train-the-Trainer’ course.

Many recruits are still wary about using thecomplaints system. They cite concerns regardingconfidentiality and the possible risk of reprisals.Some recruits ‘prefer to keep their head down’rather than risk the possibility of being singledout and labelled a trouble-maker or becomingthe subject of even more targeting by peers orstaff.

In mid 2005, the Army Training and RecruitingAgency (ATRA) began to use a dedicateddatabase to log complaints that could becategorized as broadly related to anti-socialbehaviour. Individual establishments were giveninsufficient guidance on how to use this newrecording mechanism, resulting in considerableinconsistency. While some trainingestablishments recorded all their complaints onthe database, others only recorded what theydeemed to be equality of opportunity, bullyingand harassment issues. The inconsistent use ofthe system rendered any analysis of trendsunreliable.

Findings

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AccommodationThe accommodation for cadets is satisfactoryacross the services. In the early stages of theircourse, cadets at Cranwell and Lympstone sharerooms in dormitory style accommodation,moving to single rooms around the middle pointof the programme. At Sandhurst, most cadetshave single rooms throughout their training. AtBRNC, all cadets remain in large cabins sleepingup to 30 cadets throughout their training – thisreflects arrangements on board ship that theywill experience during their careers. Cadetsreport that sharing accommodation not onlymirrors aspects of field conditions but also helpsto develop team spirit and is beneficial forindividuals who require emotional or academicsupport from their fellow cadets.

The standard of accommodation, fixtures andfittings varies between establishments. It isgenerally satisfactory or better, although thecabins at BRNC are sparsely furnished. Allcadets are provided with secure lockers forstoring personal items. At Sandhurst, cadets haveaccess to telephones and the internet in theirrooms and at Cranwell each cadet’s room hasthe additional benefit of a networked computer.There is no poor accommodation and repairs aregenerally carried out in a timely fashion.

Food and nutritionThe range, variety and quality of food providedfor cadets are satisfactory in all establishments.Care is taken to ensure that meals provide thenecessary nutrition for cadets undertaking astrenuous physical training regime. Food isavailable in sufficient quantities and atappropriate intervals in the main mess areas, andout of hours from other outlets aroundestablishments. The mobile kitchen at Cranwell,for example, is an excellent example of how tooffer decent food out of hours. High activitytraining supplements are available to cadets atSandhurst. In contrast to many recruits to theservices, most cadets like the food they get.Special dietary requirements are well catered for;at BRNC for example, good choices are availablefor those with vegetarian and/or religiousrequirements. Catering managers respond well tocadets’ views on the food and quickly sort outany problems that are brought to their attention.

Guarding and weaponsAt BRNC, OACTU and Lympstone officer cadetsdo not carry out any guarding duties. At RMAS itis considered important that young officers haveexperienced, albeit briefly, the guarding that willbe required of their subordinates.

Cadets guarding the gate at Sandhurst areaccompanied by appropriate personnel from theMilitary Provost Guard Service. Those on prowlerpatrols may not have this support and should notbe required to do this duty alone. The guard dutylasts for one night and comprises two two-hoursessions and a patrol.

At all four establishments, training in weaponshandling is satisfactory. Policies and proceduresrelating to the use and storage of weapons arestrictly applied and closely followed.

Staff selection and trainingThe primary purpose of officer training is toprepare individuals to lead and commandmilitary personnel on operational duties. Ingeneral, officer training establishments achievetheir aims, partly as a result of ensuring thatofficer cadets benefit from the best physical andhuman resources available within their service.

Instructor selection and training are rigorous anddesigned to ensure that the very best instructorsare allocated to the officer trainingestablishments. Across all the services theintention is that those selected to becomeinstructors represent the best – and most NCOsthat apply to become instructors at an officertraining establishment do so in the belief thatthey are among the best. Only those NCOsdeemed to possess the necessary aptitude andskills, and who have acquired the relevantoperational experience, are considered for theseposts. The prestigious nature of such a postingresults in fierce competition for selection.

Some of the instructors posted as directing staffon the Royal Marine Young Officer course atLympstone are not volunteers but they stillregard the posting as career enhancing. In allfour establishments, a number of applicants forinstructor posts do not successfully complete therigorous additional training and assessmentrequired. For example, at Sandhurst it can take asenior NCO two years of additional training toachieve instructor status across a range of areasincluding skills at arms, nuclear, biological andchemical warfare, and drill. Many have delayedother significant career decisions in order tosecure a posting at the RMAS. No comparable

process of selection for officers to serve in officertraining establishments is applied.

In each of the four officer training establishmentsnewly posted instructors complete a satisfactoryinduction. Each establishment provides its owntraining and all services recognise the advantageof training the instructors before they engagewith the officer cadets. At BRNC and Lympstone,some instructors take up their post before theyhave gone through the training, although most ofthem complete it during their posting.

Leadership and managementThe development of leadership skills is seen asparamount for officer training in all threeservices. Within the officer training structure,leadership is developed through practicalexercises that often focus intently on thedemands made of an officer commanding in atheatre of war, and through supporting academicstudies. The development of leadership skills isclosely coupled to the establishment of esprit decorps and the building of pride in the Britisharmed services. All four services produce officerswho are well prepared for their leadership rolesand who are generally good ambassadors fortheir arm of the service.

The components of the academic training whichdeal with leadership and management andwelfare and duty of care are provided, to someextent, in isolation from other aspects of officertraining. The quality of the components’structure, delivery and assessment is variable andnot adequately quality assured. Many cadets didnot see the relevance of some of the moreabstract and conceptual aspects of the leadershiptheory. The quality of delivery is too oftendetermined by the personality of the instructorand few checks are made to ensure that theintended aims and objectives have been coveredor that the assessment process has been rigorousenough.

The need for well-developed management skillsis greater than ever in the modern armedservices. In officer training generally, thedifference between management and leadershipis not clearly defined and the emphasis onleadership is sometimes at the expense of the

Final year cadets at RMAS taking part in Exercise Broadside, a public order and counter-insurgency course

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development of management skills. Thismanifests itself in, for example, the implicit faithmany officers put in the likelihood of acommand being carried out as intended. Thesubsequent absence of rigorous monitoring ofimplementation sometimes results in orderseither not being carried out or carried out in away that produces an unintended result.

There is little understanding of how managementskills differ from those of leadership. The deliveryof management training in RMAS is left until thefinal term, is often given too little time and issometimes scheduled after cadets have justfinished strenuous exercise and have little energyleft. The academic programme is not given parityof esteem with other aspects of officer training.

Relationship management does enjoy a highprofile, although too much stress is sometimesplaced on process and procedure. For example,officer cadets are given clear guidance on howto complete the paperwork necessary torepatriate the body and dispose of the personaleffects of any service personnel killed in action.They are not, however, given adequate steer onhow best to approach the possible emotionalconsequences among other personnel and thoselikely to be affected by the loss.

Equality and diversityThe approach to equality and diversity variesconsiderably across all four officer trainingestablishments. In the best, a genuinecommitment to, and understanding of, equalityand diversity translate into tangible benefits forthe cadets. In the others, good intentions existbut they are failing to have an appreciable effecton the experience of cadets.

There is insufficient training for officer cadetsaimed specifically at enabling them to deal withequality and diversity issues which may affecttheir subordinates in the future. Few officercadets commission with a full awareness of theprocedures for managing equality and diversityappropriately. There is no specific training forcadets in how to resolve situations whileapplying equality and diversity principles. AtOACTU, cadets are extensively trained in themanagement and briefing of others in difficult

situations and this provides the basis formanaging conflict later in their careers.

At BRNC, senior officers give clear leadership onmatters of diversity. Throughout theestablishment there is acceptance, recognitionand celebration of diversity. Any incident ofdiscrimination is rapidly addressed and resolved.The training programmes take advantage of thediverse nature of the cadets. Lessons are set inthe context of the varying backgrounds andexperiences of the cadets. Staff recognise thatsuch diversity can enrich the learningexperiences of officer cadets and leave thembetter fitted for the international arena in whichthey will operate.

The themes of equality and diversity do not runthrough the training programmes for Marinecadets and for aircrew staff and cadets. Theytend to be covered as topics in isolation. All therelevant information is available but it is notpresented in any depth. For aircrew, theinformation is crammed into one session and forMarine cadets only short sessions are provided atthe beginning and end of the training period,when it is too late to have much impact onattitudes and behaviour.

The treatment of equality and diversitythroughout officer training is an area requiringfurther development. All the services are guidedby a set of principles encapsulated by their corevalues. A relatively unsophisticated approach toequality and diversity is often demonstrated, withcomments such as ‘we treat them all the same’still commonplace. Data relating to ethnicity,gender, disability and age is collected andgenerally available, but seldom analysedsufficiently to enable identification of trends orhelp to guide management decision-making.Progress is hampered by the sometimes tardyresponse of the MoD in advising establishmentsabout matters such as the requirements of theRace Relations Amendment Act 2005.

Course design and deliveryOfficer training programmes in all services arelengthy and intensive, typically lasting between30 to 52 weeks. They are structured aroundterms, interspersed with leave. Many cadets take

additional specialist training immediately aftertheir basic training and before assuming acommand role. The Royal Marines officertraining programme is 15 months long. It is theonly service to train only men, and to do so atthe same establishment as recruits to the service.

Officer training programmes in all services havevery well-developed and frequently reviewedapproaches to the theoretical and practicaltraining of cadets in core military values andpractice, particularly command, leadership andmanagement in operational situations. There aresignificant differences between the services inthe range of course content and styles ofdelivery. These differences reflect each service’soperational roles, particular technologies andhistorical traditions and ethos. The inculcation ofcadets into their chosen service’s core values,traditions and working practices plays an integraland ongoing part of their training and serves toidentify and celebrate differences between theservices while stressing the underlyingcommonality of the UK military’s ultimate roleand purpose.

Each service responds in different ways tostriking a balance between producing personnel

who can fight and personnel who can lead andmanage diverse groups of people. This balance isnot always achieved. In general, too much timeis spent on command and leadership in the field.Cadets receive insufficient training in managingothers in non-operational contexts and have toolittle opportunity to apply their skills in ‘realworld’ scenarios.

There are significant differences in the waymanagement is taught across the services. AtRMAS, most training in pastoral elements ofwelfare and duty of care takes place towards theend of the last term, without time for practicalapplication in a non-operational environment.Cadets are given too little training on theimplementation and impact of pastoral aspectsof the Army’s procedures and policies. Until theirfirst tour of duty, cadets are not exposed tosoldiers with challenging personal backgroundsor professional problems.

In the Royal Marines, leadership, personnelmanagement and welfare and duty of care arerecurrent themes throughout the course. Thereare some good opportunities to put theory intopractice when working with other cadets, butMarine cadets only work directly with recruits

Royal Navy cadet undergoing navigation training

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on a single major exercise at the end of thecourse. During their last term, cadets look indetail at administration, man-management, andsome welfare and duty of care issues. They havea satisfactory understanding of how to managethe basic welfare of their men during their firsttour of duty, when they will work undersupervision.

Navy cadets undertake a satisfactory two-weekcourse of training for a divisional officer role;such officers are the lynchpin of pastoral careand personnel management in the service. Thecourse provides sufficient basic preparation forcadets to go into an active post after passing outfrom BRNC, but the links between the divisionalofficer role and its welfare and duty of careresponsibilities are not made sufficiently clearduring the course. The narrow range of teachingstyles used during the course makes participativelearning difficult. One significant strength of theNavy’s cadet course, however, is the seven-weekperiod spent on an operational ship. During thistime cadets live, eat and work alongside juniorratings and gain an understanding of their rolesand perspectives. This kind of opportunity forexposure to a real military environment prior tocommission is unique to the Navy and should beconsidered by other branches of the armedforces.

Until November 2005, the Royal Air Force’sapproach to course design, content and deliveryhad remained largely unchanged for some 25years. External evaluation identified manydeficiencies, not least of which was a tendencyto produce officers who were distant from thosethey led. Following substantial redesign, thecourse focuses on the skills officers need tomanage and look after their subordinates. At thetime of inspection, the first new course had beenrunning for 15 of its 30 weeks and it was tooearly to assess its impact. The structure appearsto be good. Welfare and duty of care aspects arenow integral to the course. There is a new focuson developmental learning, and the techniquesof participative leadership. The revisions to thecourse are designed to improve the ability ofcadets to relate to air personnel, NCOs andwarrant officers. Newly appointed deputy flightcommanders at OACTU are all senior NCOs,providing cadets with contact with experiencedairmen throughout the course.

Cadets across the services are supported well bystaff throughout their time in training, althoughmany cadets find it difficult to manage their timeand effort well in the context of intensivetraining schedules and frequent testing. Manycadets have access to excellent teaching andlearning resources, and benefit from well-organised and effective systems for individualreviews. The exception is the Royal Marineswhere the system for reviewing and reporting onprogress is inconsistent and not all cadets getadequate feedback on their performance.

The most advanced review system (althoughrecently installed and still in development) is atOACTU, where cadets have password-protectedaccess to their own personal files throughnetworked computers in their rooms and inmesses. They take responsibility for their recordsand enter personal details from the first day.Directing staff regularly review the files and addfurther comments, critiques and commendations.

ComplaintsComplaints at RMCS are carefully recorded andresolved promptly. While this is generally thecase at BRNC, some complaints reported todivisional staff go unrecorded. At Lympstone thesmall number of cadets encourages an over-reliance on informal processes for sharinginformation about complaints and recording isinsufficiently rigorous. At OACTU, some cadetshave little awareness of the complaints processand complaints perceived as minor tend to beresolved without record. These systematic lapsesdo not materially affect most cadets as they aresufficiently confident and mature to handle theirissues individually.

Physical trainingPhysical training in all officer trainingestablishments is good. Officer cadets aregenerally very fit on entry and know what isexpected of them from their rigorous selectionprogramme. Many cadets have played sport orparticipated in adventure training at university orcollege. The OACTU selection centre assessesofficer cadets at the fitness level expected ofthem once commissioned into the RAF. Theexpectations of the instructors taking the forcedevelopment training is that the officer cadetsshould be at the level of fitness of aninfantryman to enable them to complete some ofthe field tasks.

All establishments have very well-equippedgymnasiums, with modular weight trainingequipment, free weights and extensivecardiovascular equipment. All have swimmingpools and sports pitches for major games.

Physical fitness is developed progressivelythroughout training. Sessions in the early stagesof training are managed and led by well-qualified and experienced instructors. Duringtheir training, officer cadets learn to managetheir own fitness development and at theOACTU, officer cadets are expected to managetheir own fitness programme in the final term oftraining, with appropriate monitoring, using thecardiovascular and modular equipment availablein the sports halls. Officer cadets are activelyencouraged to participate in team sports both

internally and externally, for example, againstother officer training establishments. Those withhigh levels of expertise are encouraged to playfor local teams. At the RMAS, several officercadets play rugby, football and hockey for localsides at weekends. Some of the military exercisesthat require officer cadets to carry fully loadedbergens cause problems for women cadets. TheRMAS has recognised the need to introduce loadcarrying for women as a progressive process intraining. However, once on exercise, womencadets are expected to carry the same equipmentand loads as their male counterparts. Theproblems experienced by some women arecompounded by the fact that the number ofcadets in the female platoons reduces as somedrop out with injuries. The need to carry a full‘platoons-worth’ of equipment then falls to thoseremaining.

Injuries are dealt with quickly and efficiently.Officer cadets are often reluctant to admit theyhave sustained an injury for fear of being back-classed. Many attempt to carry on with injuries,even through major exercises, so that they donot fall behind. All establishments have verygood treatment and rehabilitation facilities,staffed by physiotherapists and rehabilitationinstructors, and they are used effectively tomanage the treatment of injuries. Officer cadetsand instructors at the RMAS are covered byprivate medical insurance and can get rapidattention from consultants – this facility is notavailable to officer cadets at the OACTU orBRNC.

Welfare and duty of careGenerally, those entering officer training aremature, confident individuals who have a goodlevel of academic achievement. Cadets aredrawn from a variety of backgrounds, includingthose that have some experience of the armedservices from the Combined Cadet Force (CCF),existing service personnel selected from non-commissioned posts and university graduates. Insome cases, older candidates enter officertraining having first gained experience in someother career. Most officer cadets complete theservice entry tests several months, or even years,before they start training. Inevitably, thecombination of age, experience and education

Officer Cadets at OACTU

Army Recruits at the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick


42

found in officer cadets means that cadets tend todeal more effectively with their personalproblems and the need for systematic riskmanagement is less critical than with youngrecruits.

Additional welfare support for cadets is providedby the chain of command and the chaplaincy.There are no welfare services such as WRVS. Thelevel of pastoral support provided is broad andgood and cadets are confident about how andwhere they can get support. At BRNC, cadets areallocated ‘sea parents’, who are experiencedsailors who can provide advice and guidance.

The management of welfare and duty of carematters varies across the services. At RMAS thereis a sophisticated system for registering thosecadets at risk of self-harm. All staff involved withcadets are made aware of any issues whenappropriate and the relevant senior staff know indetail about those at risk. At CTCRM, wherenumbers of cadets is low, the system is fairly

unstructured and there is an over-reliance oninformal knowledge and information exchangesregarding cadets and their welfare. At BRNC, twoforums meet weekly to identify cadets at risk,monitor them and target their support. Medicalstaff are involved in these forums and theassociated issues of confidentiality arethoughtfully managed.

Overall, risk is well managed in officer cadettraining. There is, however, no well-definedprocess for preparing cadets to discharge theirduty of care to those whom they will command.At RMAS, for example, cadets are not madeexplicitly aware of the risk management systemthat operates on their behalf. Throughout theirtraining, much emphasis is placed on the benefitsthat cadets take into the field army as a result oftheir experiences at RMAS. Regrettably, thesophisticated system of risk management is notone of them.

Summary reports

For individual trainingestablishments

Summary reports

45


44

The requirement to carry out guarding dutiesputs excessive demands on a few individualsheld in the continuation troop. This is a newarea for development. Trainees take part inarmed guarding duties when they havecompleted the first stage of their phase 2training. Those who are not immediately postedto the second stage are held in the continuationtroop and required to report for guard training.The success of the ATRA’s ‘straight through’project has significantly reduced the number oftrainees held in the continuation troop, and,combined with the exemption from guarding oftrainees on the at risk register, leaves fewtrainees available to carry out weekly guardingduties. Trainees are not usually expected toexceed five continuous weeks of guarding, butsome are guarding for 12 to 14 weeks. This isboth demoralising and demotivating. Althoughmost trainees recognise that guarding is anessential part of a soldier’s training, they regard itas unfair that some trainees do no guarding,while others do a lot.

3 Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME)Regiment is at Gibraltar Barracks, Minley inSussex. Most of the trainees are on a 10-weekphase 2(a) course in combat engineering.

This unannounced inspection focused on theseven areas for development identified duringthe previous inspection in January 2005. Four ofthem are now satisfactory but one additionalarea for development has emerged.

The following areas are now satisfactory: formalco-ordination and monitoring of welfare and theduty of care; the transfer of welfare and duty ofcare information between phases of training; thepromotion and awareness of policies and issuesaffecting trainees aged under 18;accommodation; induction procedures for staff;and the recording of complaints.

There is still an inappropriate mix of trainees inthe continuation troop, although someimprovements have been made. Some traineesare held in the troop for a short time awaitingdischarge, disciplinary action, or civilian courtappearance, while others are on long-termrehabilitation from injury or awaiting the start ofa trade training course. There are some problemswith low morale and boredom, especially forthose held in the troop for long periods. Traineeswho are undergoing rehabilitation followinginjury take part in an individualised programmeevery weekday morning, but there is insufficientpurposeful activity for them after 1300 hours andmany spend the afternoon in the televisionroom.

A small number of NCOs use grouppunishments. This was identified by traineeswho had been in the continuation troop beforethe commanding officer’s recent briefing toNCOs about corrective training.

Some work has been done on improving thestaff’s understanding of equality of opportunityand diversity but it is still inadequate. Theestablishment’s equal opportunities and diversitypolicy is out of date and makes no reference tocurrent legislation. The ATRA has yet to providedirection on the detail of equal opportunities,diversity and race relations policies. As part ofthe supervisory care directive, the commandingofficer has produced a clear statement puttingequality of opportunity and diversity into thecontext of daily operations. The annual trainingof staff in all aspects of equality and diversityremains inadequate. It fails to challenge orchange the ingrained attitudes of trainees andNCOs. Soldiers’ annual individual training onlyincludes one session on equal opportunities anddiversity issues and this is not enough. Traineeswill have received equal opportunities anddiversity awareness training as part of their phase1 induction, and some reinforcement duringtheir induction to 3 RSME Regiment.

The range, analysis and dissemination ofquantitative data collected and used at unitlevel remains poor. Some data is routinelypassed to the ATRA, which collates it and returnsthe results, but no single officer or managementstrand at 3 RSME Regiment has overallresponsibility for data. However, there has beena significant improvement in the strategic andoperational approach to collecting data,including the monitoring of trainees’ records forwelfare and duty of care matters, the creationand effective use of the at risk register, analysisof injuries, and the recently introduced analysisof discipline records. Trainees’ performances arenot monitored or evaluated by ethnicity, age orgender.

3 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, Minley

Inspected October 2005

Number of phase 1young officers

-

Number of phase 2 trainees

440

Number ofunder-18s

153

Number ofmilitary staff

274

Number of civilianwelfare staff

4

Summary reports

47


46

Army Training Regiment (ATR) Lichfield is inStaffordshire. It is one of six phase 1 trainingestablishments, and trains approximately 1,300Army recruits every year. Basic training lasts for12 weeks and successful recruits move to phase2 training at other establishments.

The ALI first inspected ATR Lichfield in October2004, and identified six strengths and sevenareas for development. The inspection inNovember 2005 considered six of the sevenareas for development and found that three hadimproved to satisfactory. In October 2006, afurther inspection found that two more of theoriginal areas for development had improved tosatisfactory, but identified a further three.

In November 2005, inspectors found that mostof the areas for development identified inOctober 2004 had received some attention, butoverall progress had been inadequate. Furtherimprovements have been made in the past year,and the provision at ATR Lichfield is nowsatisfactory.

ATR Lichfield’s arrangements for monitoringrecruits who are at risk are now a strength andan example of good practice. At risk recruits areidentified weekly at squadron level, and given aclassification according to a clear alpha-numericsystem. Details are summarised at squadronlevel and passed to a regimental review boardwhich meets weekly and is chaired by thecommanding officer. Actions are welldocumented and there is good subsequentmonitoring of recruits. Communication betweenthe regimental review board, squadron staff andother welfare functions, is good. Confidentialityis maintained sensibly and effectively.

Medical and rehabilitation support remains astrength. High-calibre staff are now routinely

posted to the rehabilitation troop to ensure thatrecruits receive good development and care.Recruits are now given individualised remedialsupport within the normal training programme,and a monthly revolving programme ensures thatrecruits who remain in the rehabilitation troopfor longer periods do not repeat sessions.Physiotherapy staff routinely collate injury andinjury management data, and this has beenuseful in identifying any problem area in thetraining programme.

The following areas are satisfactory: the co-ordination and monitoring of welfare and theduty of care; the amount of time recruits have forpersonal and recreational development; thescreening of recruits’ medical and personalinformation; literacy, numeracy and pastoralsupport; use of the withdrawal troop; initiativesto encourage young people to join the Army;food and accommodation; record-keeping;recording of informal and formal complaints;and instructor training.

The language support for the small number offoreign and Commonwealth recruits isinadequate. Some find it difficult to comprehendorders as their understanding of the Englishlanguage is limited.

The use of data remains an area fordevelopment. Too little data is routinelycollected at too few levels of the establishment,and the monitoring of trends, over and abovebasic pass rates, is inadequate. Data is not beingused to identify and strategically planimprovements.

There has been insufficient focus on equality ofopportunity and diversity, but theestablishment’s new equality of opportunityadviser has a good understanding of the actions

needed. Some troop staff and troop commandershave received no training in equality ofopportunity and others have not been updatedfor several years. Most of the equality anddiversity policies and procedures are out of date.Recruits demonstrate very mixed levels ofunderstanding of equality and diversity.

There are too few staff available on site tocover instructors’ absence, and one intake ofrecruits has had to be cancelled. Somesquadrons are operating below the basic ratio ofone NCO to every 12 recruits. NCOs workparticularly long hours, and in an attempt toreduce these, ATR Lichfield is making some gooduse of headquarter’s staff at weekends and onsome evenings, to supervise and support recruitsduring organised leisure activities.

Many of the communal toilet areas available torecruits have no toilet paper or hand-washingfacilities. Most barrack block toilets had no soapand no way for users to dry their hands. Incommunal areas, such as the NAAFI, 50 per centof the soap dispensers were empty and 50 percent of the toilets had no toilet rolls or toilet rollholders. Outbreaks of diarrhoea and vomitingare common and often become virulent in thetroop lines. The alcohol hand washes providedto reduce these outbreaks are not replaced whenthey run out.

Army Training Regiment Lichfield

Inspected November 2005 and October 2006

Number ofphase 1 recruits

317 (Nov 05)

361 (Oct 06)


-

-

Number ofunder-18s

69 (Nov 05)

84 (Oct 06)


108 (Nov 05)

117 (Oct 06)


7 (Nov 05)

7 (Oct 06)

Summary reports

49


48

The management of data on complaints and onequal opportunities and diversity remainsunsatisfactory. There is a satisfactory system fordealing with problems, but it is not uniformlyunderstood or applied by staff. Problems areoften dealt with rapidly, but no records are keptunless the incident is considered serious. Formalcomplaints are managed and recordeddifferently in each battalion. Only one battalioncarries out a detailed analysis of complaints anduses it to influence and improve staff practices.There is no analysis of the links between thetype of complaint and the complainant’sethnicity, age, section, platoon or battalion.

The management of at risk recruits differsbetween battalions and remains an area fordevelopment. There is insufficient localguidance on how staff should identify andmanage such recruits. Logs of recruits at‘potential risk’ are kept in company offices, butstaff do not all have the same understanding ofwhat triggers an entry in the log. Only themedical officers can place recruits on the ‘highrisk’ register. The more effective battalions havecomputer-based systems that can be updated byany member of staff, contain sufficientinformation, and are readily accessible to seniorstaff. Others rely heavily on information fromwelfare staff, rather than from the directing staffinvolved in the day-to-day management ofrecruits. In all battalions the criteria for includinga recruit in the at risk register are narrow andfocus almost entirely on self-harm.

Group punishments are still being used,particularly during the first six weeks oftraining, and this remains an area fordevelopment. Staff accept and understand thatgroup punishment is against Army policy, butsome NCOs still see it as building the teamethos.

The percentage of recruits discharged formedical reasons remains an area fordevelopment. Since 2003-04, the annualdischarge rate has been between 26 per centand 32.4 per cent, and the medical dischargerate between 7 per cent and 8 per cent.

Instructors’ teaching, coaching and facilitationskills remain an area for development. The new‘Defence Train-the-Trainer’ programme is taught

by ITC staff, who also develop the teachingmaterials on their topic. However, some haveinsufficient subject knowledge and many of thesessions observed were poorly taught. Thesession on equality of opportunity and diversitymade no reference to recent national or servicepublications, including the new requirement torecord issues and complaints. Sessions on theduty of care are not long enough to cover all theissues raised, or to challenge delegates whoexpress views that conflict with MoD policy onbullying, group punishments, and care ofrecruits. Attendance during some sessions wasparticularly poor. Sessions involve delegatesfrom all ranks, and facilitators have to managelearning abilities and experience ranging fromgraduate officers through to corporals with noformal qualifications. Delegates are poorlyprepared for the course and few take notesduring sessions for future reference.

Awareness and implementation of equality ofopportunity and diversity are unsatisfactory.ITC Catterick has not done enough in responseto the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.Neither act is referred to in the ITC’s equality ofopportunity and diversity policy. Staff andrecruits still have an unsatisfactory awareness ofequality of opportunity and diversity. They haveinsufficient training in equality of opportunityand diversity, and the topics are not reinforcedthrough posters or other campaigns around theestablishment.

Infantry Training Centre (ITC) Catterick is inNorth Yorkshire. It is the only establishment thattrains infantry recruits. No women are trained forthe infantry. Recruits follow the combatinfantryman’s course which combines phase 1and 2 training and lasts for between 22 and 30weeks.

ITC Catterick was first inspected by the ALI inNovember 2004, when 10 strengths and 11areas for development were identified. A follow-up visit was made in January 2005, and anunannounced inspection in November 2005focused mainly on the areas for improvementidentified by the previous visits. Inspectorsvisited ITC Catterick again in March 2006 toobserve the new induction cadre and inspect theremaining areas for development. Of the areasfor development first identified in November2004, five are now satisfactory and five remain.Five additional areas for development wereidentified at the March 2006 inspection.

The following areas are satisfactory: therecording of verbal communications withfamilies and next of kin; the management ofaccess to gambling machines; the reinforcementof information about facilities and proceduresrelevant to recruits; support for recruits withliteracy and/or numeracy needs; support forrecruits in the rehabilitation company and themanagement of their time; activity for recruitsheld in detention; and guarding and weaponstorage.

Some recruits have moved into newaccommodation blocks, but the remainingaccommodation is still shabby, dirty, and poorlymaintained. This area for development was firstidentified in November 2004. During the March2006 inspection, many recruits were suffering

from diarrhoea and vomiting. In many of thecommunal toilet areas, soap dispensers areempty, hand driers are broken and there is notoilet paper. Half the toilet cubicles in the twoNAAFI blocks are out of order. Broken ormissing fire and external doors present health,safety and security problems, and there arenumerous broken windows and furniture. Thelighting around the establishment is extremelypoor, and some of the street lighting is notworking.

Recruits are still left without food for longperiods during the evening and night. Eachrecruit is issued with a daily high activitytraining supplement bag containingconfectionery, fruit, crisps and a drink to closethe long gap between the evening meal andbreakfast. Much of this food is high in sugar andunsuitable for its purpose, and the bags are notalways issued at the appropriate time. There isdata identifying which platoons have collectedtheir supplements, but senior managers do notcheck this regularly.

The collection and use of data is still an areafor development. Data is not usedsystematically across the establishment tomonitor and manage trends or performance.One battalion keeps very detailed data for eachintake of recruits, which it presents clearly intables and uses to monitor trends and identifyissues. In the rehabilitation company, staff arecarrying out detailed analysis of the four mostcommon injuries to see whether injurymanagement is improving recovery times. Eachcourse run at ITC Catterick is subject to detailedanalysis. The results of the analysis arepotentially useful, but are only available after thecourse has finished so cannot be used toimprove things for the course members.

Infantry Training Centre Catterick

Unannounced inspection November 2005, follow-up inspection March 2006

Number of phase 1 &phase 2 recruits

1474 (Nov 05)

1597 (Mar 06)

Number ofunder-18s

-

366


788

788

Number of civilian welfare staff

21

29

Summary reports

51


50

Maritime Warfare School (MWS) Collingwood inFareham, Hampshire, offers phase 2 and phase 3training. The school has an annual throughput of25,000 trainees and, including its officers,represents about 10 per cent of the Royal Navy’spersonnel on any one day. Phase 2 trainees joinMWS Collingwood from HMS Raleigh.

This inspection focused on the areas fordevelopment and some of the strengths andsatisfactory aspects identified during the previousinspection of MWS Collingwood in December2004. At that time there were seven areas fordevelopment, and five of those are nowsatisfactory. However, one new area fordevelopment was identified.

Support for trainees, particularly supportoffered through the naval divisional system,continues to be a strength. Divisional officersand leading hands make frequent contact withtheir trainees throughout the day and in theevening. Trainees are happy to talk to them whenthey need support or advice, and feel confidentabout approaching them directly. Trainees alsomake good use of the chaplaincy service foradvice and guidance. Chaplains liaise with thedivisional system at their own discretion. Anadditional civilian support social worker hasbeen appointed since the previous inspectionand is based in the chaplaincy coffee bar.

Support for trainees at risk continues to be astrength, and there has been some furtherexpansion of the support system. Trainees at riskare identified promptly to senior staff through thecarers’ forum, which meets weekly. The carers’forum includes the commander of the phase 2training group, the principal medical officer, thechaplains and a personnel representative. Thesupport system uses a traffic-light code todescribe the degree of risk, from personal crisesthrough to potential self-harm. Records are clear

and well organised. Duty staff and divisionalstaff clearly record incidents involving trainees,including minor issues, and follow them up.Discipline and remedial training are managedadequately.

Accommodation continues to be a strength.Two new blocks have been opened, andaccommodation is well maintained, clean,modern and attractive. Most trainees live in four-bedded rooms, but there is some singleaccommodation for senior men and women.Security is good, with closed-circuit televisionmonitoring. There are good showers, toiletfacilities, kitchens and drying rooms. Thelaundrette has just been refurbished. Theaccommodation is inspected regularly andtrainees are rewarded for tidiness and hygiene.

There is good, detailed recording andresolution of equality of opportunity anddiversity issues affecting trainees. In particularthere is a strong sense among divisional staff thatrecording such issues is not an admission offailure to deal with equality and diversity, but asound method of highlighting and resolvingproblems for the benefit of all trainees. Recordsof problems and complaints are monitored andmanaged well across the establishment.

The following areas are satisfactory: theapproach to equality of opportunity anddiversity; the use of trainees’ feedback;opportunities for trainees to take part in physicaltraining; and arrangements to prevent under 18sfrom using gambling machines. Trainees’involvement in late duty watches was an area fordevelopment at the previous inspection. This nolonger takes place.

There has been some improvement in the useof data to analyse trainees’ welfare and theexercise of the duty of care, although it is still

The Royal Marines School of Music (RMSoM) isbased at HMS Nelson in Portsmouth Naval Basebut staff and recruits are managed by theMaritime Warfare School (MWS) Collingwood.and the RMSoM offers phase 1, phase 2 andphase 3 training to musicians in the bandservice. Musicians and buglers can join RMSoMfrom age 16, but most are over 18 and manyhave completed degrees and other qualifications.All are accomplished musicians on entry. Eachmusician is assigned a civilian professor of musicand a band service instructor for each instrumentthat they are learning.

The inspection in March 2005 identified sevenstrengths and four areas for development. Thefour areas for development are now allsatisfactory, but two new ones have emerged.

Rehabilitation at RMSoM is now satisfactory.Injured recruits receive appropriate rehabilitationfrom qualified Royal Marine rehabilitationphysical training instructors, while continuing todevelop their musical and instrumental skills. Awritten programme is produced three weeks inadvance to enable staff and the recruit to planahead.

Monitoring of under-18s at RMSoM is nowsatisfactory. The staff are all well aware of whichrecruits are under 18. The overnight duty staffspecifically monitor any recruits under 18, andall recruits are required to sign on and off thesite and inform duty staff when they return totheir accommodation. Duty staff record anyevents in an occurrence log and brief the daystaff on anything that has happened with any ofthe recruits. Appropriate measures have beentaken to prevent under 18s attempting topurchase alcohol from the bar in HMS Nelson.

Staff at RMSoM ensure that all under 18s areknown to the bar staff and that recruits arerequired to show identification cards to purchasedrinks.

Criminal Records Bureau checks are now beingcarried out satisfactorily on all civilian teachingstaff. Most of the checks have been completedand the final two reports are expectedimminently.

There is now a satisfactory approach to equalityof opportunity and diversity. Staff and recruitshave equality and diversity training as part oftheir induction, and annual refreshers thereafter.Good and appropriate links have been madewith the equality and diversity programmes atHMS Raleigh and MWS Collingwood to ensurethe induction training develops and promotesbehaviours and attitudes that have already beenestablished. There is a good understanding andawareness among staff and recruits at RMSoMabout appropriate treatment of others. Recruitsare mature and deal with most problemsthemselves.

There is no formalised structure to managevulnerable recruits. Appropriate staff knowabout recruits who have personal problems andwho may be at risk in some way, but there is noformal record of this information to provide anoverall picture for senior staff.

Royal Marines School of Music

Inspected December 2005


70

Number ofunder-18s

3


41

Number of civilian training staff

29

Maritime Warfare School Collingwood



-


560

Number ofunder-18s

63


313

Number of civilianinstructors

66

Summary reports

53


52

in its early stages. The range and type of data hasrecently been extended and reports showemerging trends for each intake. Managers haveaccess to extensive, detailed numerical data onwelfare and duty of care issues, such as stress-related problems, and bullying and harassmentincidents. They still do not use data on trainees’ethnicity or carry out meaningful analysis ofissues by age, gender or ethnic origin.

There has been some improvement in supportfor trainees with additional learning needs, butit remains an area for development. All traineesfollow a standard timetable and are required topass examinations at regular intervals. Althoughsubject-related coaching sessions are availableon request, some trainees find them difficult toattend. There are no central records of the levelof support given to trainees or of itseffectiveness. Insufficient attention is given tohelping trainees develop independent learningskills and the ability to manage their ownlearning. Trainees identified as having dyslexiaare supported adequately, but there is noplanned, structured support for those with lowerlevels of literacy and numeracy, and some do notknow how to get additional learning support.

There has been some improvement in theselection and training of military instructionaland welfare staff, but it remains unsatisfactory.Instructors and duty of care staff are not selectedby aptitude and do not volunteer for their roles.MWS Collingwood has no influence on who isassigned to these roles. When new staff arrive atthe establishment, it takes an average of sixmonths before they complete all the relevanttraining. To help clear this backlog, the school isrunning its own in-house courses starting inJanuary 2006. Civilian instructors, who make upa third of the total, are properly recruited andselected.

The time trainees spend in holdover is notmanaged well. This is a new area fordevelopment. Most trainees are in holdoverbecause they have failed examinations and havebeen ‘back-classed’. However, they do notreceive consistent remedial skills support andthere is too little emphasis on encouraging themto develop their learning skills. While many ofthe trainees are encouraged to attend thelearning centre and follow programmes of study,they are often also required to carry out menialadministrative duties around the establishment.

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS)trains officers for the British Army. All officercadets take part in an extensive and rigorousselection process and direct entrants areeducated at least to A-level standard. This wasthe first full inspection of the RMAS.

The chain of command is highly effective andsets a good example for officer cadets. There isclear mutual respect between staff and officercadets. Regular progress boards review eachcadet, and weekly staff meetings focuseffectively on the platoon performance.Communications across the establishment aregood, and senior staff are kept appropriatelyinformed of the progress of all officer cadets.

Officer cadets benefit from good, well-structured support that focuses on successfuloutcomes to training. Staff help officer cadets tomanage personal issues in a sensitive andindividualised way. Officer cadets areencouraged to contact their families and sharetheir experience of the RMAS, and they takepride in the open days for families and friends.They rapidly bond as teams and frequentlysupport each other in times of crisis duringtraining. Officer cadets from overseas are wellsupported both by their peers and through theformal support systems. Overall success rates arehigh, with over 90 per cent of starterscompleting the course. Army padres providegood additional support.

The welfare and duty of care register ismanaged well. Staff understand the importanceand significance of the register, and use a trafficlight system to identify levels of risk. However,officer cadets are not told how the register isused to support them, or how they might use theregister in the future. All staff dealing with officercadets are told informally of any issues by thedirecting staff, but only senior college staff are

aware of the detail of those at risk.

The RMAS has a sensible and intelligentapproach to the strategic management andoperational support of women officer cadets.Women are in separate platoons but train withthe men when appropriate. They areprogressively introduced to weight carrying, butduring field training they are still expected tocarry the same amount of equipment as theirmale counterparts. The injury rate on exercise ishigher for women, and detailed analysis of thenature and extent of their injuries has led tosome changes being made to the training.Women are still not issued with specificrucksacks or webbing to suit their body shape.

Officer cadets’ progress is monitoredfrequently and appropriately, and staff interveneto offer support where it is needed. Officercadets are reviewed weekly by companydirecting staff, and have at least two formalprogress reviews each term with the companycommander. They also receive informalinformation and advice on their performanceimmediately after exercises. Twice each term,platoon commanders produce detailed reportson each cadet. Officer cadets who are givingsignificant cause for concern are sent to thecollege commander for evaluation and furtherreview. Self-assessment and peer assessments areused well. Officer cadets evaluate their ownperformance and that of their colleagues aftereach significant exercise, and all officer cadetskeep a journal in which they reflect andcomment on their progress.

The regular and well-monitored internalvalidation of programmes is good. Feedback isregularly sought from officer cadets on allaspects of the training programme. One platoonis selected from each company every week tocomplete a questionnaire on that week’s activity.

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst


Number of officer cadets

687

Number ofunder-18s

-


801


0

Summary reports

55


54

The results are used to good effect to evaluate,monitor and improve the syllabus.

A very rigorous and effective process is used toselect SNCOs for directing roles at the RMAS. A posting to the RMAS is very prestigious, andcandidates must have at least five years’experience and 23 weeks’ course preparation. A strong emphasis is placed on staff having anappropriate attitude with officer cadets as well asgood skills and knowledge. The training,application and assessment process can take upto two-and-a-half years. All officers posted to theRMAS complete a comprehensive week-longinduction and training programme in the termbefore they start.

Facilities for officer cadets are good. There aregood communal areas for recreation andsocialising, and extensive indoor and outdoorsports amenities. Officer cadets are encouragedto participate in a wide range of sports andpastimes. Ample food is available and there is awide choice. Religious facilities are good.Accommodation is satisfactory but laundryequipment is often out of order and there are notenough washing machines to meet the demandat peak times.

The following areas are satisfactory: initiativesthat add value to the officer cadets’ experience;management of complaints; the officer inductionprogramme; management of injuries;management of officer cadets not in training;and implementation of equality of opportunityand diversity.

The storage of weapons and ammunition at theRMAS is satisfactory, but the management, co-ordination and control of ammunition inamnesty boxes is an area for development. Theamnesty boxes around the site, where stray andinadvertently retained ammunition can bedeposited, are accessible by anyone on site.Large amounts of ammunition are recovered butthere are no records to provide an auditable trailfor its disposal. Ammunition used duringguarding is not checked in enough detail toensure it has not been loaded into the chamberof a rifle.

Guarding the establishment is part of the trainingprogramme, but officer cadets complete some

inappropriate guarding duties. Officer cadetsguarding the gate are accompanied byappropriate personnel from the Military ProvostGuard Service but those on prowler patrols maynot have this support. Overnight guard dutieshave a significant effect on the already tiredofficer cadets, making them less able to benefitfrom the next day’s training.

The communications and management studieselement of the commissioning course providesdefinitions of basic management tools andtheory, but gives very little opportunity to puttheory into practice. Much of the academicwork taught on the course could have beencovered in pre-reading. The quality assurance ofsome aspects of the programme is inadequateand does not ensure that all officer cadets arereaching the same standard or that the syllabusis being covered to the required standard.

Officer cadets have little opportunity tounderstand and apply the pastoral elements ofwelfare and the duty of care in a non-operational environment. The expectation isthat when they leave the RMAS, the officercadets will be prepared to lead men. However,their training focuses too much on processes,and not enough on their implications. Until theirfirst tour of duty, officer cadets are not exposedto soldiers with problems, or made aware of thediffering abilities of their JNCOs and other ranks.

Commando Training Centre Royal Marines(CTCRM) Lympstone is the home trainingestablishment for all Royal Marines, includingofficers. The training course for young officersjoining the Royal Marines takes 15 months.Young officers join between the ages of 18 and25 and most are graduates. There are no femaleRoyal Marines. CTCRM Lympstone is uniqueamong the services in that young officers andother ranks are trained at the same camp. Bothgroups encounter one another frequently as theymove around the establishment, andoccasionally while using shared facilities. Youngofficers and other ranks clearly benefitenormously from training at the same location.They develop a mutual understanding andgreater appreciation for each other’s roles andstrengths. The ALI previously inspected CTCRMLympstone in December 2004.

The young officer training course at CTCRMLympstone is designed and managed well. Ithas clear progression and achievement targets,and follows a logical sequence which sees theprogressive and deliberate increasing ofcomplexity and intensity. Leadership andmanagement of men is a constant themethroughout the course. Young officers take turnsto lead their peers, dealing with operationalmatters and managing their men’s immediatewelfare and care. In their last term, youngofficers look in detail at administration and man-management. Their training in, and preparationfor, dealing with welfare issues is good. Theyare equipped with the skills and knowledge tomanage the welfare of their subordinates and aremade aware of the policies that affect suchmanagement. Young officers receive some verygood scenario-based practical training in whichindividuals are given welfare problems to dealwith and are thoroughly debriefed on the results,

and the scenario is then discussed by the wholegroup.

The course is built on strong principles of bestpractice and takes account of Ministry ofDefence (MoD) directives and policy. There is awell-balanced mix of formal lectures andpractical exercises. The training policy grouproutinely evaluates the course, carrying outsession observations and informally reviewingoperational delivery. There is satisfactory use ofyoung officers’ feedback to influence coursedevelopment.

The involvement of sponsor officers in trainingis a strength. Retired Royal Marines officers areused as sponsors, providing advice and guidanceto young officers where required, outside theimmediate chain of command. They offerinformal support, and have an independent butcredible view of life as an officer.

The medical support and rehabilitation systemsprovided for young officers are good. CTCRMLympstone has a well-equipped medical centre,and appropriate staffing levels. Every effort ismade by directing staff not to disrupt the trainingof injured young officers, and where possible,they continue to attend training and participatefully in every aspect of the course apart from thephysical exercises. They are provided with anindividually designed programme ofrehabilitative treatment and remedial physicaltraining which is facilitated by qualified remedialinstructors.

The following aspects are satisfactory: retentionrates; the selection and training of instructors;food and accommodation; physical training; andaccess to weapons.

Most directing staff and young officers have a

Commando Training Centre Royal Marines Lympstone Young Officer Training

Inspected January 2006

Number of phase 1young officers

45


-

Number ofunder-18s

-


13


1

Summary reports

57


56

poor understanding of equality of opportunityand diversity. There is insufficient specifictraining on equality of opportunity and diversity,and they are not themes that run through theprogramme. There is inadequate reinforcementof equality of opportunity and diversity by thedirecting staff in the chain of command.Inspectors identified a few cases where youngofficers had experienced racism, harassment andintimidation by other young officers, yet therehave been no reported or recorded complaints,and directing staff have not dealt with the issues.This sets a poor example to the young officers ofthe zero-tolerance to such behaviour they areexpected to apply after passing out. There isvirtually no training to help young officersunderstand diversity, despite the involvement ofRoyal Marines in operational theatres across theworld.

The management of welfare and the duty ofcare for Royal Marines young officers isinsufficiently co-ordinated. There is inadequaterecording of specific issues such as complaintsor personal and family difficulties. The directingstaff and chain of command rely too much on aninformal system of verbal updating and briefings.There is no formal system for bringing togetherpotential concerns and identifying trends forconsideration by welfare specialists. Theestablishment’s strategic level welfare and carers’forum has little effect on the management ofwelfare and the duty of care for young officers.

Staff do not adequately record the correctivetraining, minor sanctions and punishmentsawarded to young officers. Where records aremade, they are not kept centrally, and containlittle detail about specific incidents,investigations and actions. Some of the sanctionsapplied, including the requirement to carry outstrenuous exercises in the field, are not recorded.There are clear policies on the application ofcorrective training but no coherent managementof its use or effectiveness.

Progress reporting is an area for development.Some young officers receive little informationabout their progress and are disadvantaged bythe lack of specific and detailed feedback. Theform used for weekly reporting does not allowspace for the young officer to comment on the

contents, and very few of those seen byinspectors had been appropriately countersignedby senior staff. Some of the comments on theforms are vague and describe the activities of asection rather than an individual. Someassessments are not signed off by staff, and thewaiting time for feedback on some academicwork is too long. Progress reporting wasidentified as a strength by the first inspection ofrecruit training at CTCRM Lympstone, and it isunfortunate that it is now an area fordevelopment in officer training. There has beeninsufficient sharing of good practice betweentraining staff working with young officers andthose working with other ranks.

The Commando Training Centre Royal MarinesLympstone is the training establishment for allRoyal Marine recruits. Recruits join everyfortnight, in troops approximately 55 strong, andare assigned to a small training team that workswith them right through their programme.

This inspection focussed on the nine areas fordevelopment identified at the previousinspection in December 2004. Two of these arenow strengths and three are satisfactory. Theremaining four are still areas for development.

The strategic management processes forwelfare and duty of care are now good. Theestablishment’s care directive is satisfactory. Atthe time of the inspection, the final version ofthe directive had only recently been issued, butit was already having some effect. Anappropriate range of carers meets regularly todiscuss individuals and their welfare problems,or wider care issues. Staff have a betterunderstanding of their welfare and duty of careresponsibilities than at the previous inspection,and most have a good, positive approach tochange.

The establishment now has a well-equipped,purpose-built learning centre. This is a verygood welfare amenity for recruits and staff. Alarge computer suite with internet access allowsrecruits to stay in touch with their friends andfamilies by email. Some staff and recruits alsotake formal learndirect or other courses.

There is now good long-term purposefulactivity for recruits in the rehabilitationcompany. The number of NCOs in the companyhas been increased from three to six, and therepetition of activities has been reduced.Recruits in rehabilitation from injury or illnessnow have regular progress reviews and a more

individualised programme, and they work ontheir physical fitness in groups that reflect thepoint at which they left mainstream training.Those who are in rehabilitation for longerperiods are encouraged to use the new learningcentre, and external visits are arranged to helpmaintain their motivation. Success rates continueto be good, with 80 per cent of the recruitsreturning to mainstream training at the pointwhere they left, and eventually passing out asRoyal Marine Commandos.

A small, effective coaching advisory teamdesigns materials and develops methodologiesfor the establishment. The team members arecontinuously improving their expertise, andresearching good practice. They have found thatlearning through coaching and leadership hasimproved recruits’ relationships with theirinstructors and their motivation and desire tosucceed.

The approach to equality of opportunity anddiversity has improved and is now satisfactory.The establishment’s processes have been fullyupdated and an equality and diversity workinggroup has been set up, chaired by thecommanding officer. The complaints procedurehas been revised and is publicised andreinforced well throughout the establishment.Staff now reinforce and test recruits’understanding of equality and diversitythroughout their training. All staff now attend anannual equality and diversity training course.

The storage of weapons issued from thearmoury is now satisfactory. At times when it isnot appropriate to return weapons to thearmoury, they are collected together andguarded rather than being stored in recruits’personal lockers. Revised policies allow for


Number of phase 1recruits

781


-

Number ofunder-18s

208

Number oftraining staff

181


1

Commando Training Centre Royal Marines Lympstone Recruit Training

Summary reports

59


58

closer control by staff in the first 15 weeks, thena gradual transfer of responsibility for weaponsto recruits as they become more experiencedand confident.

Initial assessment of potential recruits hasimproved and is now satisfactory. During thethree-day course for potential Royal Marines,training staff now take more account ofindividual element scores. The recruits’emotional state is still assessed by Armed ForcesCareers Offices during the recruitment andselection process, but this is under review. Mostlearning needs are identified at recruitment, andrecruits with additional learning needs receivegood support. The coaching advisory teamprovides effective learning strategies to supportrecruits with learning difficulties. Personnelselection officers interview recruits in the secondweek of training to see how they are settling intothe course. The officers make good use ofinformation from careers offices, and identify thedifficulties and barriers recruits face.

The Royal Navy has thoroughly reviewed the useof the Naval Maths and English Test over the pastyear, and has proposed a clear strategy for theuse of appropriate, standard literacy andnumeracy tests in initial assessment. Thisstrategy deals properly with concerns identifiedat the previous inspection.

The accommodation for under-18s attendingthe potential Royal Marines course remainsunsatisfactory. Potential recruits are supervisedwell during their waking hours, and access tothe domestic accommodation used for thecourse is properly restricted to course membersand course staff. However, potential recruitsunder the age of 18 are still sleeping in roomswith older men who have not been subject to acriminal records check and this is unsatisfactory.

Retention rates have improved, but in 2004-0541 per cent of recruits still left the servicewithout completing their training. Theestablishment has taken action to deal with theproblem, including changing the early part of thecourse to reduce the initial stress on recruits.Withdrawal rates at the end of initial training felllast year from 15 per cent to 10 per cent. The

main programme now has a better mix ofphysical, theory and recreational training.Inspectors were particularly impressed by themature attitude of most training staff. The generaltone of communication is professional, withmuch less shouting of orders than is seen atother establishments.

The recording of remedial training sanctionshas improved. There is a clear policy on theapplication and recording of remedial trainingsanctions. Most remedial training is recorded incompany logbooks or recruits’ personal files insufficient detail that is clearly related to theallowable sanctions. Those sanctions, if appliedin accordance with the policy, are reasonable.Interviews with recruits indicate that the policy isbeing applied appropriately. However, there isstill inappropriate use of the static water tank,with recruits required to jump in as a remedialtraining sanction. This is unsatisfactory, andsenior staff were under the impression that it hadstopped. There are unequivocal policies on whatconstitutes appropriate remedial trainingsanctions, and these do not include the use ofthe tank.

Despite some minor changes, self-servicelaundry facilities remain inadequate andrecruits still find it difficult to maintain their kitto the expected standard. There are insufficientwashing machines and dryers, and recruits oftenhave to wait a long time to use them.

11 Signal Regiment (11 SR) is part of the RoyalSchool of Signals. It is based at Blandford Camp,and is responsible for the command andmanagement of phase 2 and phase 3 trainees.Phase 2 trade training takes between five and 44weeks, although most courses last around sixmonths. Successful trainees move on to postingswith the field Army.

This was the ALI’s first inspection of 11 SR, andfocused on all areas of welfare and duty of care.

Management of the at risk register is good. Thecare and management of trainees is closelymonitored, and they are each given a risk status.Each troop and squadron holds weekly caseboard meetings to discuss trainees at risk. Theseare attended by troop and squadron NCOs asappropriate. The meetings identify issues andconcerns early, and pass them up the chain ofcommand if appropriate. Monitoring at trooplevel, even of very minor concerns, is recordedwell. The regimental case board meets everythree weeks and includes the commandingofficer and a range of senior staff. Frequentreviews of trainees’ status ensure that anychanges in the risk rating are quickly identified.

Trainees not in training are co-ordinated andmanaged well. Around 100 trainees are awaitingtrade training in any week, significantly fewerthan a year ago. They stay in their originaltroops, retaining contact with staff they know.They can be allocated to guarding duties, jobsaround the site, or to the ‘satisfied soldierscheme’ in an Armed Forces Careers Office.Some may be posted out to a role in the fieldArmy. The few trainees waiting for specialistoperations training have to wait longer as theircourses run less frequently.

There is effective and appropriate informalcommunication between troops andinstructors. Course corporals from each

squadron visit trade training staff every twoweeks to discuss progress and identify anyproblems with trainees. Corporals discuss andinformally evaluate trainees’ experience andprogress with them in the training areas. Anyissues raised are discussed with instructors, andactions are agreed immediately and clearlyrecorded. There is no system for the formalsharing of information with other squadron staffor for using it in interim reviews.

The following aspects of the provision at 11 SRare satisfactory: leadership and management ofwelfare and the duty of care; the application andrecording of minor administrative sanctions; theself-assessment report; procedures for selectingtraining staff; the range of welfare facilities andservices; management of the transition betweenphase 1 and phase 2 training; the trainees'induction; arrangements for trainees taking partin guarding duties; the management of traineesaged under 18, particularly with regard toalcohol consumption and leaving site; plannedcareer progression, including the achievement ofvocational qualifications; medical andrehabilitation support for trainees; physicaltraining; food, laundry and accommodation.

11 SR’s collation and use of data isunsatisfactory. A variety of useful statistical datais available, but it is not used to plan, manageand monitor trainees’ welfare and the duty ofcare, or routinely collated for use in operationalor strategic decision-making.

The arrangements for the promotion ofequality of opportunity are unsatisfactory. Anew policy and action plan was produced inDecember 2005 and disseminated to thesquadrons, but it has yet to become part of theirwork. The policy does not form part of thetraining staff’s handbook, nor the trainees’induction pack. Equality of opportunity is not

11 Signal Regiment Blandford



-

Number ofphase 2 trainees

413

Number ofunder-18s

164


90


2

Summary reports

61


60

timetabled separately into the inductionprogramme. The equality and diversity policiesissued by the MoD are out of date and do notreflect current legislation, including the RaceRelations (Amendment) Act 2000.

The recording of equality of opportunity anddiversity complaints is incomplete. Traineesknow how to complain, to whom, and aboutwhat issues. Since December 2005, complaintshave been recorded formally in a master filemaintained by the adjutant. Most of the recordscontain adequate detail of issues, actions andresolutions. However, at least one complaint wasomitted from the record because it wasincorrectly recorded as a concern.

Trainees have insufficient personal time toreflect on their studies. They often work up to15 hours a day during training, with only a fewbrief breaks. At the end of each day, they mustcomplete barrack-block cleaning duties,supervised study, military skills updates andother activities before they can carry out anypersonal study or have time for themselves.Some weekends are spent on exercises awayfrom 11 SR.

There is insufficient support for trainees withlearning needs. The very tight training scheduleleaves minimal scope for literacy, numeracy andlanguage provision, and too few staff arequalified to support trainees with additionallearning needs. Any support given is reactive andunplanned. Trainees' additional learning needsoften do not emerge until they begin tradetraining. In one class of 15 trainees, six had beenidentified by the instructor as having someadditional needs in one of the basic skills.Support for trainees with dyslexia is adequate.

Trainees’ study time is inappropriately plannedand managed, and some do not benefit from it.The compulsory, supervised study periods do nothelp trainees to strengthen their existing studyskills or to develop new ones.

There is insufficient formal sharing ofinformation about trainees. The only writteninformation that passes between trade trainingand squadrons is on disciplinary matters. Good,detailed records are kept of trainees’ progressduring their trade training, but staff do not fully

understand the value of progress reviews in themanagement of welfare and duty of care.Trainees are given some verbal feedback, whichthey appreciate, but do not get an opportunity toread and respond to the written records. Theoverall training experience is not adequatelyconsidered during interim reviews with squadronstaff. The interim review covers trainees’ testresults, but does not consider their motivation,application and behaviour during their tradetraining.

The Princess Royal Barracks and St OmerBarracks are part of the Deepcut Garrison inSurrey. Princess Royal Barracks is theheadquarters of the Defence College of Logistics,which provides training for phase 2 trainees andphase 3 soldiers. The phase 2 trainees are part of25 Training Support Regiment (25 TSR). Mosttrainees come to the establishment from ATRPirbright. Trainees learn 14 different tradesincluding driving, pioneering, supply, postalwork, and catering. New groups of trainees areinducted into the barracks each week.

This was the ALI’s third visit to 25 TSR. The firsttwo visits took place in November 2004 andJanuary 2005. Four of the eight previous areasfor development are now satisfactory, and threehave become strengths.

There has been good planning andimplementation of actions to improveweaknesses in the welfare and duty of careprocess. The improvement process has beenparticularly well led and managed by seniorstaff, notably the commanding officer and theregiment second in command.

Staff at all levels continue to demonstrate astrong emphasis on welfare and the duty ofcare, and there have been further improvementssince the previous inspections. There is verywell-planned welfare and duty of care cover andtrainees have good access to appropriate staff.Complaints are recorded and monitored well.Remedial corrective training is fair and iseffectively moderated at regiment and squadronlevels. There is good daily liaison among staff,particularly concerning trainees’ welfareproblems. Trainees under 18 years old areparticularly well monitored by junior NCOs. Thecommanding officer has recently introduced

effective quarterly welfare focus meetings thatreview all aspects of welfare activity andresources, identify trends and propose orimplement corrective action.

The management of trainees’ progress throughtraining continues to be a strength. Furtherreductions have been made to the length of timetrainees wait for trade training or posting to thefield Army. Driver training cannot begin untiltrainees are 17, and some trainees may have towait for medicals or the start of very specialisedtraining, but far fewer now attend continuationtraining. Trainees in continuation training have avaried and useful weekly programme includingfirst aid, military skills, physical training andadventure training.

A new computerised system to monitor trainees’progress contains information on individuals’daily activities and those of each trade group.The system is updated daily by troop staff andhas recently been used productively to analysetrends in programme planning over the pastthree years.

The identification and monitoring of trainees atrisk continues to be a strength. Theestablishment has a highly effective escalatoryprocess to manage the registers of vulnerabletrainees. The at risk classification has beenbroadened to include trainees withadministration, medical and discipline issues, aswell as those who may self-harm. The registersstart at troop level, for minor concerns, and goup to regimental level for the highest level ofrisk. Any trainee considered highly vulnerablecan be placed very rapidly on a centrallymanaged confidential care assessment plan. Theplan is kept up to date, and closed as soon asthe trainee is no longer deemed to be at risk. The

Inspected February 2006

Number of phase 1 recruits

-


810

Number ofunder-18s

98


140


6

Defence College of Logistics Princess Royal Barracks & St Omer Barracks Deepcut

Summary reports

63


62

care assessment plan is passed, with the trainee’sconsent, to their next posting, but should bedestroyed after three years. This process is highlyeffective.

All staff show good awareness of andcompliance with the establishment’s reportingand monitoring systems. The systems arethorough, well planned and well managed, andappropriately detailed records are kept at alllevels.

Staff understanding of how to respond totrainees’ complaints and equality ofopportunity and diversity concerns is nowgood. There has been a series of clear directivesand some effective awareness and proceduraltraining for staff. New and efficient complaintsreporting systems are being used well andconsistently by all staff. The equality ofopportunity and diversity training given duringinduction is comprehensive and thoughtprovoking. Trainees understand the issues well,and use the new systems.

The reporting and recording of complaints andconcerns about equality of opportunity anddiversity are now good, and are directly linkedto a better understanding of how best to respondto such issues. Staff have a good understandingof the need to report all equality and diversitycomplaints, no matter how trivial they mayinitially appear. Thirty-two records of complaints,actions and outcomes were made during 2005,compared with only four during 2004. The clearreporting procedures are monitored at all levels.Senior staff take responsibility for equality ofopportunity and diversity, and manage it well.

There is now good monitoring of how the dutyof care is exercised by contract driving staff,and inadequacies have been dealt with fully. Theimprovements represent good practice in themanagement of a subcontractor and eliminate aclear potential area of risk to trainees. Drivertraining has been relocated to Princess RoyalBarracks to ensure consistent supervision andmanagement, and results have improved.Trainees’ progress is monitored daily and anyincidents are quickly relayed to squadrons.Trainees are supervised on the way to the drivingschool and any trainees with problems areidentified by junior NCOs. Contract driving

instructors are thoroughly briefed by staff from25 TSR and the subcontractor about what isexpected of them in terms of appropriatebehaviour. They are monitored closely, and inthe past three months, five have been removedfrom duty following inappropriate behaviour.Complaints by trainees are recorded formallyand action is taken. The subcontractor is carryingout Criminal Record Bureau checks on new andexisting instructors.

The following areas are satisfactory:management of access to firearms; use of data toanalyse trainees’ welfare and the exercise of theduty of care; use of trainees for guard duty;accommodation; and procedures for theselection and training of instructors and welfareand duty of care staff.

Since the previous inspection, staffing levelshave improved but the workload of welfare andduty of care staff at squadron level remainsunsatisfactory. During the inspection, 11 of the37 section commander posts were vacant. Moststaff work some weekends and nights to carryout the duties required, as well as coveringunfilled posts and absences. However, in spite ofthe problems, staff remain committed todelivering good-quality instruction and welfaresupport.

HMS Raleigh, in Torpoint, near Plymouth, is theonly training establishment for new recruits tothe Royal Navy. It also provides some phase 2training, but this was not inspected. Phase 1training lasts for eight weeks.

The inspection focused on the areas fordevelopment identified during the ALI’s previousinspections in November 2004 and February2005 and found only two of them remaining.

The rehabilitation of recruits from injury is nowsatisfactory. All recruits recovering from injuryare accommodated together and supported wellboth by the staff and by their peers. The injuryrehabilitation suite has been improved and nowhouses an appropriate range of equipment anddedicated rehabilitation staff. Recruits inrehabilitation often carry out administration tasksor odd jobs on site. There is no opportunity forthem to widen their military skills or expandtheir knowledge in the learning centre.

The information given to recruits at ArmedForces Careers Offices has improved and isnow satisfactory. None of the current intake hadbeen led to purchase unnecessary items ofclothing, which was the case during the firstinspection. In June 2005, a new Royal NavyAcquaint Centre was established at Rosyth,giving potential recruits the opportunity to attenda three-day pre-entry course. Twenty-five percent of the recruits currently at HMS Raleighattended this course and reported that it wasextremely useful.

Much good work has been done to eradicatethe loss of personal property, and security isnow satisfactory. At the start of their training, allrecruits receive an appropriate briefing on theneed to manage both their personal property andthe equipment they are issued with. Individualscaught in possession of other people’s property

are dealt with rapidly and severely. Thepunishments are publicised and serve as asignificant deterrent.

The number of regulators is now satisfactory.There are now two women regulators, and theregulators now have a much higher profile, areregularly seen by recruits, and provide part ofthe introductory briefing.

There are far fewer sailors awaiting tradetraining than during the previous inspections,and they are managed satisfactorily. For 80 percent of recruits, the end of phase 1 training nowcorresponds with the start of phase 2 courses.The average wait is now four days, and there arenew arrangements to provide appropriatepurposeful activities during this period.

HMS Raleigh’s reinforcement of equality ofopportunity and diversity with recruits hasimproved considerably and is now satisfactory.All new staff now receive equality of opportunityand diversity training as part of their induction.Training materials for new recruits have beenupdated to provide an appropriate introductionand a stepping stone to further reinforcement ofthe topic, both during phase 1 training and whenrecruits move to phase 2. Initial training is nowprovided by appropriately qualified equalopportunities advisers. Most recruits have a goodunderstanding of what constitutes bullying andharassment, but not all would be willing tolodge a complaint. The complaints log showsthat 36 complaints were recorded over the pastyear, most of them relating to minor issues.Recruits are well aware of the welfare and dutyof care procedures and the support available tothem. They are supported by trained divisionalofficers and petty officers and feel respected asindividuals. Women recruits have good access towomen officers. The establishment is still

HMS Raleigh



406


-

Number ofunder-18s

111


308


-

Summary reports

65


64

awaiting guidance on the appropriate responseto the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

The recording and management of equality ofopportunity and diversity issues remains anarea for development. All incidents of bullying,harassment or discrimination are recorded in anestablishment-wide log in accordance with MoDrequirements. However, some staff do notunderstand that they need to record all types ofincidents. Recruits’ personal files hold only themost basic records and do not refer tocomplaints or concerns that have been raised, orto conversations between staff and the familiesof recruits aged under 18.

Catering arrangements remain an area fordevelopment. All the recruits interviewed werecritical about the quality of the food. They hadparticular concerns around the hygiene of platesand cutlery, which often had dried food on themfrom previous meals. The variety and nutritionalvalue of the food have been improved. Menusare advertised and food is colour-coded toidentify the healthier options. However, somerecruits still choose not to eat in the galley fordays at a time. The galley complaints log is keptbehind the desk in the kitchen and recruits haveto ask the head chef for it before they can makean entry.

The roles of the class leader and deputy classleader are not explained clearly to recruits,especially in the early stages of training. Classleaders are selected by divisional staff to offerinformal support and guidance to their intake.They are often older than their peers, possiblywith some prior military experience in otherservices or in the cadets, or have demonstratedparticular maturity and leadership during theirfirst few days at HMS Raleigh. However, thereare no clear, prescribed criteria for the selectionof class leaders, and the role can putconsiderable pressure on a recruit at an earlystage of their training.

There are still insufficient laundry facilities forrecruits in some mess decks. Recruits find itdifficult to carry out their laundry and blockduties each evening when they have to wait along time to use the facilities. The drying roomsare effectively heated and are now secure, andrecruits are now confident about using them.

HMS Sultan is based at Gosport in Hampshire. Itis the largest of the Royal Navy’s trainingestablishments, with up to 3,000 service andcivilian personnel. This inspection focused onthe School of Marine Engineering and the AirEngineering and Survival School, and inparticular on the 12 areas for developmentidentified by the ALI’s previous inspection, inJanuary 2005. Although all of these areas havereceived attention and most are now satisfactory,two remain areas for development.

The rehabilitation of trainees from injury andillness is now satisfactory. An onsitephysiotherapist provides good individualprogrammes of rehabilitative treatment. Phase 2trainees make up around 50 per cent of thephysiotherapist’s caseload, most with sportsinjuries or injuries sustained during phase 1training. Sick or injured trainees are assessed bymedical officers and referred for treatmentpromptly. Most trainees continue with theiracademic training alongside their rehabilitationprogrammes. Trainees who are discharged fromhospital or recovering from illness and requiresignificant care are managed appropriatelythrough the care centre at the Maritime WarfareSchool.

The unnecessary restrictions on trainees goingon weekend leave have been relaxed and thearrangements are now satisfactory. Trainees canleave at the same time as their instructors, oncetraining sessions finish and equipment is putaway.

Monitoring of attendance at remedial physicaltraining sessions is now satisfactory. Instructorskeep appropriate records of trainees’ attendanceand the nature and extent of the training.Physical training instructors provide very goodsupport, and after each physical training session,the trainee’s file is updated. Divisional officers

are kept informed of trainees’ progress andattendance, and are required to sign the weeklyattendance card. On completion of theprogramme, the trainee and the physical traininginstructor review progress.

The recording of complaints is now satisfactory.Since April 2005, 12 complaints have beenformally logged. All have been clearly recordedwith additional information showing how theyhave been investigated, the outcome, and thesubsequent monitoring of the situation. Thecomplaints log is managed and monitored by asenior member of staff who passes it to thecommodore for review every quarter.

The recording of remedial training is nowsatisfactory. Records of individual mustersappear on training history sheets in trainees’personal files. They are monitored appropriatelyby chief petty officers. Duty staff keep separategroup records of block inspections. However,individual and group records are not linked andit is difficult for staff to link the poorperformance of a block with that of specificindividuals.

The procedures for selecting and training newinstructors at HMS Sultan are now satisfactory.Civilian instructors’ teaching skills are assessedas part of the selection process. Royal Navalinstructors and staff are generally senior ratingswith extensive experience, who are identifiedthrough the appraisal system as appropriate toteach in a training/school environment. All newinstructional staff must complete the defenceinstructional techniques course. Those withspecific welfare and duty of care responsibilitiesare also required to complete both the care oftrainees and the coaching and mentoringcourses.

HMS Sultan



650

Number ofunder-18s

53


206


7


-

Summary reports

67

The procedures for monitoring and assessinginstructors are now satisfactory. All teachingand instructional staff are appropriatelymonitored each term. Each department isrequired to file a monthly return of allobservations.

The at risk procedure remains an area fordevelopment despite some improvement. Aneffective reporting process ensures that trainingdivisional officers, regulators or leading handsbrief the executive warrant officer each workingmorning about any problems arising during thenight or over the weekend. This process workswell. However, the procedures for identifyingand formally monitoring at risk trainees are notsufficiently rigorous. There is too littlecommunication about trainees between thevarious support mechanisms. There is no formal,detailed register of trainees at risk, and divisionalofficers and instructors are insufficiently aware ofwho they are. Divisional staff feel that there istoo little feedback on the outcomes and actionsagreed at a case conference.

The co-ordination and communication ofinformation on individual trainees remains anarea for development, although it has improvedsince the previous inspection. The records keptby each department are not co-ordinated intrainees’ divisional files. Divisional officers’records are individual to them and not to thetrainee. They vary in format and copies are notfiled centrally. Each trainee has a training historysheet, but the divisional staff do not all use this.If there is a complaints report, it only appears inthe history sheet of the aggressor and not in thatof the complainant. Staff only record contactwith instructors if there is a problem with atrainee. Records of learning support are verybrief with little explanatory detail. Records ofcontacts with next of kin are generally clear butdo not provide qualitative information aboutspecific calls.

Access to the cardiovascular and weighttraining equipment is an area for development.The weight training equipment can only bereached through the main sports hall. Traineeswho are recovering from injury and have limitedmobility sometimes have to negotiate their waythrough games of five-a-side football to reach thefacilities. There is a limited range ofcardiovascular equipment, and it is located onthe sports hall viewing balconies, often facingconcrete block walls.


66

RAF Halton offers phase 1, phase 2 and phase 3training to more than 20,000 airmen andairwomen each year. It is the only establishmentthat trains RAF recruits.

The inspectors focused mainly on the areas fordevelopment identified during the previousinspection visits in November 2004 andFebruary 2005. The inspection in November2004 identified 11 strengths and six areas fordevelopment. Three areas for development haveimproved to satisfactory, three remain, and twonew areas for development have been identified.

The strategic management, monitoring anddevelopment of welfare and duty of care was astrength at the previous inspection but is nowsatisfactory. RAF Halton’s staff are unaware ofdefence instruction notice 244 which requires allcomplaints, whether formal or informal, to berecorded in a central database.

The use of recruits’ time while they are in theairmen’s development flight remains an areafor development. Some spend several months inthe flight waiting to start their phase 2 training.There is a three-week structured programme ofactivities, which some recruits have completedseveral times. Recruits using the learning centreto complete computer-based courses areunsupervised and have no structured plan fortheir learning.

Structured activity for recruits in rehabilitationremains an area for development. Therehabilitation programme is not always fullystaffed and recruits have to work independently.There is a training programme, but recruits donot have a copy of this and the programme isnot always adhered to. Recruits spend longperiods of their time polishing boots or revisingtheir general service knowledge. During workinghours, they are not allowed to read books ormagazines other than general service knowledge

revision materials.

Evaluation of how the duty of care is exercisedremains an area for development. The principalmeans of evaluation is through an inadequateend-of-course questionnaire completed byrecruits. The questionnaire is poorly designedand does not produce quantifiable data. There isno formal executive management forum foroverseeing and monitoring welfare and the dutyof care. Recruits aged under 18 are interviewedby a member of the welfare and support teamevery two weeks, and their feedback is passedon to flight staff. Over 18s do not receive regularwelfare interviews, and many do not have theformal progress reviews that are supposed totake place at the end of each phase of training.

RAF Halton’s action to minimise the risk ofinjuries during phase 1 training is a new areafor development. Since the previous inspection,the number of recruits sustaining stress fractureshas increased, and many of the injuries occur inthe first three weeks of training. Half the recruitsin the rehabilitation flight are women, and manyhave lower limb injuries sustained whilemarching and carrying rifles and long-backedrucksacks. NCOs do not always check thatrecruits’ rucksacks fit correctly or that the weightis distributed evenly, and recruits rarely warm upbefore marching. There are no rucksacks orwebbing sets specifically for women.

The information given to recruits by ArmedForces Careers Offices is a new area fordevelopment. Many recruits receive poorinformation about the type and quantity of kitthey will need during training, and some spendlarge amounts of money on unnecessaryequipment to bring with them. A new kit list hasbeen compiled for distribution to Armed ForcesCareers Offices but it is too soon for this to havehad any effect upon recruits.

RAF Halton

Inspected May 2006


-

Number ofunder-18s

27


unknown


unknown


368

Summary reports

69

team and individual skills, and to gainunderstanding of how to manage theirsubordinates’ welfare and the duty of care.

The systems for the management of welfareand the duty of care are good. Officer cadetsare comfortable about approaching their flightcommander or deputy flight commander on anyissue, whether personal or academic. Thesupervisory management processes foridentifying, monitoring and supporting officercadets with academic, medical and personalproblems are thorough. A weekly squadron-levelassessment group discusses the status of officercadets on squadron or wing commander’swarnings, and of those deemed to be at risk.Welfare issues are almost exclusively managedwithin the OACTU chain of command. Officercadets make little use of the chaplains, and donot have access to any other specific externalwelfare support.

Officer cadets are particularly well motivatedand focused on pursuing their chosen career inthe RAF. They are selected through an exhaustiveprocess for their mental agility, fitness,educational experiences and personal qualities.Pass rates have been steady at around 95 percent over the past three years, and the currentdrop-out rate is less than 2 per cent.

The following areas are satisfactory:accommodation; food; physical education; therange of sporting and social activities; themanagement of officer cadets’ learning needs;the management of weapons handling andfirearms training; the management of injuriesand access to medical facilities on site; and theuse and management of minor sanctions.

Staff and officer cadets have too littleawareness of equality of opportunity anddiversity, which are not promoted or reinforcedwell enough. Officer cadets have a singletraining session on equality of opportunity anddiversity early in the course. Its aim is to informthem of their rights as officer cadets and of theirresponsibilities as RAF officers. Too muchinformation is provided in this one session, but itis not in sufficient depth or detail to cover thebroader issues an officer cadet will experiencelater in their career. The RAF does not require allpermanent staff to undergo annual training on

equality of opportunity as do the other services. The equality and diversity policy is out of date,and the OACTU has still not responded to therequirements of the Race Relations (Amendment)Act 2000.

Officer cadets have a poor awareness of theformal complaints process, although thecomplaints procedure is mentioned duringinduction. Most officer cadets feel able to talk todirecting staff about any problems or issues.Formal complaints are logged carefully andappropriately, and resolutions are sought quickly.Staff and officer cadets do not adequatelyunderstand or apply the requirement to recordinformal or less serious complaints. However,officer cadets are mature and deal with mostproblems without the involvement of thedirecting staff.

The design of the early stages of theprogramme leaves very little personal time forofficer cadets to consolidate and reflect ontheir experiences. This creates pressure, andsome officer cadets feel it adversely affects theirperformance. There is often too little time for thelengthy transfer between number one mess andother activities, and sometimes officer cadets arelate for sessions.

At the initial inspection visit there were too fewdevelopment activities for officer cadets withlong-term injuries who had been removed fromtraining. However, a follow-up visit identifiedthat this area for development had been dealtwith and is now satisfactory.


68

Initial training for officers in the RAF takes placeat RAF Cranwell, in the Officer and AircrewCadet Training Unit (OACTU). The OACTU hasan expected annual throughput of about 540new officers, of whom 52 per cent come fromuniversity, 3 per cent are foreign andCommonwealth entrants, 20 per cent enterdirectly from school, and 25 per cent come fromother ranks. The age range of officer cadets isfrom 18 to 40 years. This was the ALI’s first fullinspection of the OACTU.

RAF Cranwell has a good, effective andcomprehensive management informationsystem that is integral to the effectivemanagement of individual officer cadets,learning programmes, and courses. Each cadethas password-protected access to their ownpersonal files through networked computersinstalled in their rooms and in messes. They arerequired to take responsibility for their personalrecord and enter personal details. Directing staffregularly review the files and add furthercomments, critiques and commendations. Thesystem is accessible to senior college andphysical education staff, and forms the basis ofthe wing commander’s end-of-term reviews ofeach cadet. OACTU continues to identify usefulimprovements to the system.

The process for selecting and training newinstructors and directing staff for the OACTU iswell planned and provides them with a verygood introduction to their role. Some staffformally request a posting to OACTU, whileothers have been identified as good candidatesby their commanding officers. All have chosen totake up the posting and have clearlydemonstrated appropriate current experienceand knowledge. All new staff attend a mandatorysix-week induction during which they completeall the exercises the officer cadets will carry out,

and experience the reviewing techniques widelyused throughout the programme. All completethe ‘Defence Train-the-Trainer’ programmebefore working with officer cadets, and theirprofessional development continues during theirposting, keeping their procedural and technicalknowledge up to date.

Officer cadets are well supported through avery effective peer review process. Theyevaluate their own performance at the end ofeach training activity, and learn how to provideand receive honest and constructive feedbackfrom their peers and directing staff. They valuethe feedback from their peers and use it well tochange their behaviour and improve their skills.There is a variety of different approaches to peerfeedback, and this is very helpful in showingofficer cadets a number of different methods forproviding feedback to their subordinates later intheir career. There is a strong team commitmentto support those who are having difficulties withthe academic or physical aspects of theprogramme. Weekly reviews with directing staffprovide good opportunities to discuss any issuesthat have arisen.

The initial officer training course has been veryappropriately and extensively redesigned tofocus on the development of the managementskills that officers need to look after theirsubordinates in the RAF. The new course hasbetter supervisory staffing levels and supervisorymechanisms, and is still subject to thoroughinternal validation procedures, including weeklyand monthly team review meetings. Therevisions to the course have improvedstandardisation of training and assessment andthe ability of the officer cadets to relate toairmen, NCOs and warrant officers. There is aparticularly good focus on encouraging officercadets to develop leadership skills alongside

Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit, RAF Cranwell

Inspected March 2006

Number of officer cadets

247

Number ofunder-18s

-


107


2

Summary reports

71


70

Officer cadets are tested regularly to ensure thatthey meet the minimum fitness requirements.Those who fail the Royal Navy fitness test aresupported well. They are immediately put onto aremedial physical training programme supervisedby a physical training instructor.

The following areas are satisfactory: thedivisional officers’ course; staff selection andtraining; equality of opportunity; data collationand analysis; physical training; use of weaponsand firearms; health and welfare; food andnutrition; and accommodation.

The criteria for the selection and developmentof officer cadets for college and squadronduties are not clearly defined. As they progressthrough BRNC, officer cadets may be appointedassistant divisional officer or co-ordinatingdivisional officer, or given a mentoring role. Thisis a good initial leadership opportunity, but manyofficer cadets do not understand why they havebeen selected for the role, and have little idea ofwhat it entails. There is insufficient monitoring oftheir performance and there are some instancesof officer cadets reporting complaints to co-ordinating and assistant divisional offices, and ofthe complaints going no further.

There is inadequate co-ordination and qualityassurance of the academic programme. Theacademic provision still lacks clear direction. Thequality assurance process does not ensureconsistently good teaching, assessment andtutorial provision. There are few teachingobservations by senior staff and communicationis poor. The block teaching of some subjectsleaves little time for assimilation or additionalsupport. A narrow range of teaching stylescombines with the wide range of officer cadets’abilities to make differentiation in teachingimpossible. Approaches to learning are often toopassive, and too little individual ‘remedial’support is available. Officer cadets often waitmany weeks for the results of assessments.

Remedial physical training for officer cadetswho are injured is an area for development.Injured officer cadets are assessed in the sickbayand offered treatment if necessary. There are noformal remedial exercise programmes, andadvice from the physiotherapist and the physical

training instructors is unrecorded. Officer cadetswork in the gymnasium unsupervised.

BRNC does not adequately identify the risksassociated with running outside during physicaltraining or the control measures that should bein place to reduce them. During the inspection,groups were seen marching and running aroundthe college without reflective clothing. Thecollege’s signage does not adequately warndrivers of the risk of runners and marchingofficer cadets.

There is no evidence of any cross-collegestrategy to promote officer cadets’ long-termhealth. Communication between catering, healthcare and physical training staff is informal andhaphazard. There is some activity designed toraise awareness, but this is unco-ordinated. Thereis no evidence of planned joint campaigns toimprove health and wellbeing in the longer term,or to raise awareness of current issues.

Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC),Dartmouth trains all the Royal Navy’s officercadets. Approximately 79 per cent of new officercadets are graduates, and the average age is 23.This was the ALI’s first full inspection of BRNC.

All officer cadets have a particularly strongcommitment to, and enthusiasm for, a career asa naval officer. They are highly focused onpersonal and professional development. Theyexpect a great deal from their training, and speakout if they feel it is falling short. Officer cadetsare from a wide mix of backgrounds andexperiences, and hold a range of academic andpractical qualifications. They use this diversitywell during training to fill gaps in theirknowledge and develop a productive team-working approach to learning.

BRNC Dartmouth makes excellent use of initialsea training to raise officer cadets’ maritimeawareness and their understanding of the rolesof junior ratings. There is good co-ordination andmanagement of this potentially complex aspectof the training, and of the logistics of sendingofficer cadets to locations and ships around theworld.

Officer cadets benefit from very effectivecoaching, assessment and feedback duringpractical aspects of the programme. They alltake part in three practical military exercisesduring their training, starting with a basicleadership development programme. They aresupported well in the field, and work alongsidetraining staff who help them understand thepractical implications of working as officers atsea. The assessment process is rigorous andprovides detailed developmental feedback tomotivate officer cadets and assist them in theirfuture naval careers.

The divisional officer system works well inidentifying or monitoring officer cadets whoare having difficulties. Good formal records arekept, and issues are passed up the chain ofcommand if necessary. The risk assessmentforum and the officer cadet assessment groupidentify, target and monitor support. There is verygood management of injured officer cadets toprevent them being ‘back-classed’.

Diversity is accepted, recognised andcelebrated at BRNC, and discrimination is dealtwith swiftly. Each division comprises arepresentative selection of men, women,experienced sailors and international officercadets, in recognition of the need for futurenaval officers to be able to work alongside awide range of national and internationalcolleagues. There is visible leadership ondiversity from senior officers. The relationshipsbetween officer cadets are positive, productiveand mutually supportive.

Pastoral support is good. Officer cadetsencourage each other during practical andacademic work, and the experienced sailorsprovide helpful, informal advice and guidance tothe others. They demonstrate correct procedures,and provide reassurance during officer cadets’transition to military life. Compassionate leave isgranted quickly in cases of personal crisis, and ifofficer cadets need unplanned leave, or are ill orinjured, BRNC adapts its programme to try toavoid back-classing them. There are places ofworship for all major faiths at BRNC.

Officer cadets enjoy a very good range ofsocial and sporting activities that veryeffectively promote team working and buildconfidence. A series of formal dinnersstrengthens their social confidence and preparesthem for the formal roles they will have toperform during their service.

Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth

Inspected March 2006


-

Number ofunder-18s

-


152


37

Number of phase 1officer cadets

255

Summary reports

73


72

Army Training Regiment (ATR) Bassingbourn is inCambridgeshire. It has traditionally providedjunior entry courses aimed at recruits under 17years old.

The balance of strengths, satisfactory aspects andareas for development has remained broadly thesame since the establishment was inspected inDecember 2004. There have been no significantimprovements, and inspectors have identifiedsome new areas for development.

Recruits are well cared for and supported. Thewelfare facilities include a full-time unit welfareofficer, padres, the WRVS and the Red Shield.Recruits are given the welfare officer’s 24-hourtelephone number. Most recruits are confidentabout approaching the chain of command withtheir problems. There are some good examplesof NCOs providing individual and small-groupcoaching, and arranging additional sports andrecreational activities in their free time. Staffkeep satisfactory records of contact with parentsof young recruits.

There are good recreational and welfarefacilities, and they are well used. There is acomfortable bar, which does not sell alcohol tounder 18s, and a pleasant and cosy Red Shieldfacility. The WRVS has a cinema and the RedShield has a weekly film night. The WRVSfacility is also in the main recreational area,allowing easy access for most recruits.

Rehabilitation and remedial support remain astrength. Recruits have a good programme ofinjury rehabilitation based on their individualinjuries. Two remedial instructors supervise tworehabilitation sessions every day. Staff aresupportive and understand the physical andpsychological effect of injuries on recruits, someof whom are well advanced in their training. Theprogramme for recruits in the rehabilitationplatoon combines a good blend of fitness

activity, military skills training, revision andexternal visits.

ATR Bassingbourn has effective strategies tomanage physical training and reduce injuries torecruits. These include the streaming of recruitson the basis of physical ability, some differencesin training for men and women, and an injury-prevention directive from the commandingofficer. Recruits are advised on diet, hydrationand general health matters as part of theirphysical training, and the training is developedgradually.

There is a good range and variety of additionalactivities available to recruits, including sport,photography, art, cookery, informationtechnology and war gaming, and some lead toqualifications. Recruits are taken on trips awayfrom camp and exposed to character-buildingactivities such as adventure training and abattlefield tour. They are very positive aboutthese experiences, and staff link them to thegeneral training programme.

The following areas are satisfactory:management of welfare and the duty of care;recruits’ understanding of equality and diversity;completion rates; medical facilities and support;and food and accommodation.

ATR Bassingbourn’s equality of opportunity anddiversity arrangements are an area fordevelopment. The regiment’s equal opportunitiesadviser has had no formal training since 2004.His training role includes recruit and staffinduction and annual staff training for membersof his company. Neither the equal opportunitiesadviser nor the company staff are aware that allequality or diversity-related complaints must bereported, logged, and their progress monitored.A number of complaints have been made since2004, but none has been logged.

There is no risk assessment of the causes ofinjuries to recruits, by type or timing of training,equipment used or carried, or other relatedfactors. There is no co-ordinated approach toreducing injuries to recruits and little co-ordinated use of data to review and manageinjuries. The major cause of injuries is minormuscle strains. There is no formal assessment ofthe reasons for these. Injuries often gounreported until the recruit attends a physicaltraining session. An injuries working group meetsregularly to review statistics on injury and hasidentified that recruits are not sufficiently fitwhen they arrive in training.

ATR Bassingbourn’s risk assessment andsupervisory care directives are areas fordevelopment. The risk assessment is inadequate,out of date and does not take into account thefull range of recruits and training at theestablishment. The supervisory directive is notsufficiently detailed, strategic or developmental,and is not widely disseminated to staff.

Advice from Armed Forces Careers Officesremains an area for development. Recruits havevery mixed experiences of the quality andquantity of information supplied by them. Somepotential recruits are given time to select tradesafter visiting active units, but many believe thatthe choice of career offered reflects the Army’sneed to fill trades rather than the recruits’aptitudes and abilities. Most recruits interviewedfelt that they had not been given enoughinformation on the realities of Army life.

Literacy and numeracy support remains an areafor development. Very few recruits are receivingliteracy support, and no numeracy support isavailable. Initial assessment records showsignificant numbers of recruits are below level 1and would benefit from additional support.Recruits can only attend two hours of support aweek and this is inadequate. All recruits whoattend support sessions work to a similarlearning plan irrespective of their individualneeds.

Current staffing levels are too low to allow forconsistent, adequate cover at all times. Duringthe first seven weeks of the recruit trainingprogramme in particular, staff are overtired,highly stressed, and work particularly long

hours. Many of the junior military staff areconcerned about their initial involvement insome of the more complex problems, and aboutsituations such as the need for male instructorsto work in the evenings with female recruits,because of a shortage of female staff.

Staff training in welfare skills remains an areafor development. Around 10 per cent ofinstructors did not attend the basic trainingprogramme within the recommended twomonths of arrival at ATR Bassingbourn. Thisremains the principal form of training for newinstructors, and there is no provision forsubsequent training or development in coachingand motivation or the care of recruits. There isinadequate development of instructors’understanding of how to deal with recruits whohave literacy and numeracy needs. There isinsufficient formal sharing of good practicebetween staff at NCO level.

Staff selection remains an area fordevelopment. Since the previous inspection, theRoyal Logistics Corps and the Infantry have takena more active approach to selecting and postinginstructors from the field Army to ATRBassingbourn. However, the selection process isnot influenced by local managers, and seniorstaff recognise that some inappropriate postingsare still being made. Instructors posted to an ATRdo not always have appropriate skills, or anaptitude for training and supporting recruits.

Army Training Regiment Bassingbourn

Inspected June 2006


-

Number ofunder-18s

24


228


2


239

Summary reports

75


74

RAF Honington is near Bury St Edmunds inSuffolk and provides phase 1 and 2 training forrecruits to the RAF Regiment. The inspectorsfocused on the five areas for developmentidentified by the ALI’s previous inspection inNovember 2004. One of these areas is nowsatisfactory and four remain, but three new areasfor development have been identified.

RAF Honington’s emphasis on the duty of careremains a strength. Recruits are encouraged torespect each other, work as teams, and rely oncolleagues. There is a particularly strong messagefrom staff at all levels that bullying will not betolerated. Recruits are encouraged to telephonetheir families regularly, and families are invitedto the establishment in the fourth week of thecourse. Recruits’ progress is reviewed regularlyby senior non-commissioned officers andsupport is provided when they encounterproblems. Recruits with injuries have particularlygood physical rehabilitation which is co-ordinated and progressive.

There are good attempts to improve recruits’welfare. The continuous improvement team hasbeen particularly effective. It has usedmanagement information on recruits’achievement and reasons for withdrawal torestructure the course, and pass rates haveimproved. Analysis of data has also led to a co-ordinated attempt to improve the physicalcondition of recruits when they arrive at RAFHonington.

The good strategy for instructor training ishaving a positive effect both on standards and inthe care of recruits. Instructors have good accessto training, starting with a five-day induction thatcovers how to identify and support recruits withadditional learning needs. They attend anappropriate ‘Defence Train-the-Trainer’ course

within four months of starting at RAF Honington,and are mentored for the first five to eight weeksof their posting. Each instructor is formallyobserved four times a year. Support andcoaching are available to those who need it.

The potential gunners acquaintance courseremains a strength. It is the only one of its typein the RAF, and provides a good generalintroduction to the RAF Regiment. One of itsprinciple aims is to improve retention rates onthe trainee gunner course. The programme isinteresting and challenging, and it is a keyelement in the recruitment process. Staffconducting the course are very experienced andhave a good understanding of the needs ofpotential recruits. They collect the views ofcurrent participants and of recruits at the end oftheir course to determine the areas to beimproved.

RAF Honington’s support for recruits withspecific learning difficulties remains a strength.All recruits receive an appropriate initialassessment of their literacy and numeracy skillsduring the potential gunners acquaintancecourse. The results are analysed and passed toinstructors to enable them to allocate recruitsamong the flights. If recruits are in danger offailing the course, they are put into therehabilitation flight for additional support. Onenotable positive element of RAF Honington’sapproach is that recruits feel no stigma aboutreceiving support.

The domestic facilities at RAF Honington werean area for development at the previousinspection but are now satisfactory. Food isgenerally satisfactory in range, quality andquantity. Accommodation for training andphysical education continues to be of a goodstandard.

RAF Honington is currently well below strengthfor NCO instructors and flight commanders.There is no dedicated training officer, and theunit, which currently has 26 staff, needs anothernine to bring it to established strength. Theseposts are being covered, but many staff haveunreasonable and unduly stressful workloads.

There is no effective central forum or system toprovide senior staff with a regular, coherentand comprehensive overview of recruits’welfare issues. The medical officer and thepadre do not formally share information with thechain of command about individual recruits’problems and how to deal with them. There isno formal record or monitoring of recruitsjudged to be at risk of self-harm. The sharing ofwelfare-related information is seriouslycompromised by too great an adherence tomedical confidentiality about individual recruits.The sharing of such information, in a form thatdoes not reveal the full details but provides anunderstanding of the underlying issues, is nowcommonplace at all other military trainingestablishments.

The support given to recruits who withdrawfrom training is a new area for development.Recruits who decide to withdraw are unclearabout how and when they can leave. Staffclearly understand how long it will take, butsome give mixed messages to recruits. Duringthe two weeks or more it may take to withdrawfrom the course, recruits are not purposefullyemployed and have no clear exit plan.

Completion rates remain an area fordevelopment. Almost half of all recruits fail tocomplete the gunners course. The training wingat RAF Honington has implemented a number ofmeasures to try to remedy this. The course hasbeen lengthened by three weeks and is nowmodular and better balanced. However, theamount of material to be covered and the way itis programmed still places some recruits underconsiderable pressure.

The physical education elements of the courseare concentrated in the first phase, and this iswhen most physical injuries occur. Many recruitscontinue to be reluctant to report acute injuriesfor fear of having to leave their intake and start

the course again. The vast majority of injuries arerelated to the early introduction of load-bearingactivities, particularly running with weightedpacks. In many cases the poor fitness level andlow body weight of recruits on entry exacerbatethe problem.

Despite significant improvements, theadditional activities available to recruits in therehabilitation flight remain an area forimprovement. Recruits do not have sufficientstructure to their training and often have too littleto occupy their time. Some recruits havereceived particularly good individual training,but most spend long periods unoccupied orperforming cleaning or gardening tasks whichare demotivating.

The information given to recruits by someArmed Forces Careers Offices remains an areafor development. Despite some improvements,too many recruits are still poorly informed aboutthe requirements of the course and the service,and particularly about the intense physicaldemands that will be placed on them. RAFHonington has arranged for Armed ForcesCareers Office staff to observe a potentialgunners acquaintance course during their firstyear of service, and to visit the unit as part oftheir pre-employment training. There have alsobeen improvements to the joining instructionssupplied to applicants, and a new DVD hasbeen produced for careers offices highlightingthe realities of training for the regiment.

The language and behaviour of someinstructors remains an area for development.Some staff react to unsuccessful kit inspectionsby throwing kit around the rooms and upturningbedding and belongings. This puts undue stresson recruits who are keen to do their best. Someinstructors’ foul language intimidates recruitsinto making more mistakes.

RAF Honington

Inspected June 2006


88

Number ofunder-18s

20


26


1

Summary reports

77


76

The School of Electronic and AeronauticalEngineering (SEAE) Arborfield trains technicianswho are joining the Royal Electrical andMechanical Engineers (REME), and a few RoyalMarines and Royal Air Force personnel. The vastmajority of the training is academic andtechnical.

This was the ALI’s second visit to SEAEArborfield, and focused on the strengths andareas for development identified during the firstinspection in January 2005. There have beenimprovements in some aspects of welfare andthe duty of care, particularly in developing thephysical resources and estate to improve thetrainees’ quality of life. However, four of theseven previous areas for development remain.

Trainees have good access to a wide range ofwelfare facilities and recreational resources.Most of the welfare and support services andstaff, including the padre, are based in a newwelfare building in the centre of the base. Thesame building houses a large gymnasium andfitness suites, a coffee bar, WRVS staff and acyber café. Many trainees use the computerfacilities to keep in touch with family and friendsby email and all have Wednesday afternoons offto take part in sport or other physical recreation.Representatives of all the welfare servicesregularly meet senior military officers to shareinformation and highlight any concerns.

Support for the trainees during their phase 2academic and technical training is good.Trainees are under considerable pressurethroughout their foundation training, but receivea great deal of support from the academic staff,including examination practice and additionaltutorials. Regular tests help to inform trainees ontheir progress. Trainees are also assigned mentorsfrom among the military technical staff.

Trainees have good opportunities for personal,physical and sporting development. SEAEArborfield’s physical development system is anexample of good practice. The system is wellplanned and structured, and facilitatesindependence and self-reliance for maintainingor developing personal fitness. It incorporates abalanced approach to nutrition, exercise, andrest. Since the system was implemented, sportsinjuries have fallen by 50 per cent, attendance atbreakfast has increased, and fewer trainees arereporting for sick parade.

The following areas are satisfactory: strategicmanagement of welfare and the duty of care;support given to trainees by duty of care staff;allocation of guard duties; livingaccommodation; food; the complaintsprocedure; the approach to equality anddiversity; the management of trainees’ dischargeand reallocation; rehabilitation support; medicalsupport; completion and retention rates; and theuse of data.

The detailed information trainees are given ontheir course and career by Armed ForcesCareers Offices remains an area fordevelopment despite some actions forimprovement. Too many trainees expect to workprimarily, if not exclusively, in aircraft-relatedengineering, and do not realise that the needs ofthe service and their academic progress willdetermine their trade. Most are unaware, onarrival, of the strict pass/fail criteria applied tothe courses, and many find that they do not havethe maths and science skills they need. Stafffrom SEAE Arborfield now visit trainees at phase1 training establishments to raise their awarenessof the courses and trades available, and phase 1trainees have begun a series of visits to SEAEArborfield.

Despite some improvement, the sharing ofinformation on trainees between trade trainingand training staff remains an area fordevelopment. Informal communication ontrainees’ progress is generally good, but there isno formal, recorded process for the routinemonitoring of all trainees, or for sharinginformation between the training wing andcompany staff. If a trainee fails an examination,a review board formally alerts the platoon staff.Until this point, they are often unaware that thetrainee has been experiencing any difficulties.Many platoon and section commanders haveonly a partial understanding of all the factorsaffecting each trainee, and this limits their abilityto offer support and advice.

The use of trainees’ time when they are not intraining remains an area for development, andthere have been few substantive improvements.Many trainees experience delays in startingcourses, and enter a holding period of up to fivemonths. In 2006, there has been an average of94 trainees in holding each month. The onlystructured activity for a trainee in the holdingplatoon is guarding, and too many waste timeand do not achieve any recognisable outcomes.There are insufficient physical training staff toallow all the trainees in holding to take part inregular programmed physical training. Recently,staff have begun to identify in advance thenumber of trainees who will be waiting for theircourses to start each month, and to improve thescheduling of their time.

Staff training on duty of care matters remainsan area for development, despite someimprovements. The new four-day DefenceCollege of Electrical and Mechanical Engineersstaff development course includes training ininterview techniques and counselling skills. Eightstaff have attended to date, of whom six wereNCOs. Almost half the company NCOs have yetto attend the mandatory phase 2 instructorcourse. High demand for these courses meansthat staff at SEAE Arborfield have to wait up to10 months for a place. No NCOs have attendedeither the care of trainees or the coaching andmotivation courses. Many NCOs at SEAEArborfield have not volunteered for a posting tothe establishment.

School of Electronic and Aeronautical Engineering Arborfield

Inspected June 2006


372

Number ofunder-18s

25


161


5


-

Summary reports

79


78

The Army Foundation College (AFC) Harrogatetakes recruits aged 16 and 17 years, who havescored well in the entry tests for the Army.

This was the second inspection of AFCHarrogate, and focused on the 10 areas fordevelopment identified during the previousinspection in February 2005. Two of these arenow strengths, six are satisfactory, and tworemain areas for development. AFC Harrogatewas not informed of the inspection visit until theday before it began.

The strategic management of welfare and theduty of care is now a strength, havingpreviously been an area for development, andoperational management of welfare and duty ofcare is particularly good. Problems are dealtwith quickly, and improvements are continuallymade. A wide range of data is used very well indecision-making. There is a highly effective,well-structured management and developmentsystem to promote appropriate change. Anetwork of meetings and working groups hasincreased the pace of decision-making, andencouraged the consistent understanding of awide range of issues by senior staff.

The AFC estate is now very effectivelymanaged through a good and productiveworking relationship with the private financeinitiative contractors. There is now a much betterbalance between the time senior staff spend oncontractual, operational, and welfare and duty ofcare issues. Most maintenance requests arecompleted within the contracted period.

The co-ordination and monitoring of recruits’welfare issues is now good. The welfare workinggroup effectively manages all agencies involvedin the welfare of, and duty of care for, recruitsand permanent staff. Confidentiality isparticularly well maintained, but sufficient

information is shared to enable the group tomake appropriate, informed actions. Welfareinformation is systematically collated online.Reports on those considered to be at risk areheld on a password-protected database. Duringthe first six weeks of each new training course,there is one JNCO to each platoon in camp at alltimes.

AFC Harrogate’s recreational and sportingfacilities and activities are very good. Recruitscan choose from a list of over 60 sports andskills development opportunities. Thegymnasium and swimming pool are impressive,and there is a very good range of cardiovascularand local muscular conditioning equipment. TheAFC has a snack bar and games area, a shop, alearning resource centre and a lecture theatrethat doubles as a cinema at weekends.

Accommodation at the AFC is very good. Thecampus is purpose built with well-designed andwell-laid-out buildings. The sleepingaccommodation is satisfactory, and there aregood toilets, showers, and baths with plentifulhot water.

Permanent staff provide good support andunderstanding for the recruits in their platoons.They maintain appropriate discipline, butrespond sensitively and constructively to a verywide range of challenging personal, social andacademic problems, and to tensions in thesections. Most recruits are happy to ask thechain of command for help with their problems.

Learning support arrangements are particularlygood. All the recruits are assessed and agreeindividual learning plans. These are reviewedregularly and progress is recorded in detail.Well-staffed literacy and numeracy workshopsare run several times a week.

The confidence and motivation of the recruitsremains a strength. Recruits recognise theirachievements and are very proud of them. Manydescribe how they have matured and becomeself-confident. They quickly develop a goodunderstanding of teamwork and the need tosupport their peers. There is particularly goodrecognition by military and educational staff ofrecruits’ achievements, including the awarding ofrank, trophies and medals.

The AFC has a good range of appropriatepurpose-built medical facilities, including a 20-bed unit for recruits with minor illnesses, and awell-equipped and staffed physiotherapy unit.Recruits’ records now arrive early in the trainingprogramme, enabling medical staff to completerisk assessments on possible self-harm. Medicalstaff liaise effectively with permanent staff whenrecruits express significant unhappiness orpresent unexplained injuries.

The arrangements for the rehabilitation ofinjured recruits are good. The facilities are goodand are used effectively. Injuries are assessedand recruits are given an individual programmecard that explains what they must do to make afull recovery. They record the work that they doin each session and monitor their own progress.Recruits who are injured march at their ownpace. The training injury group uses data oninjuries to monitor trends and makeimprovements.

The leadership and initiative trainingprogramme continues to be a strength. Theprogramme consists of five weeks of activities totest and promote leadership skills and initiative.Well-qualified civilian and military staff provideelements of the programme, but military staffmaintain continuity. Ratios of staff to recruits aregood, and there is rigorous assessment of therisks associated with each activity.

The arrangements for training recruits in theholding platoon are now a strength, havingpreviously been an area for development. Mostinjured recruits remain with their platoons andcontinue their training alongside their peers,attending rehabilitation and physiotherapysessions during the working day. Recruits withmore serious injuries or illnesses are moved tothe holding platoon and participate in purposeful

individual development activities which includeeducation, and training in military andcommunication skills.

The following areas are satisfactory: food;management of access to alcohol;implementation and recording of formaldisciplinary procedures; health and safety;arrangements for equality, diversity andcomplaints; welfare resources; staffing andorganisational resource to maintain consistentwelfare and duty of care; initial induction forrecruits; planning and maintenance of the assaultcourse; and the behaviour of staff and recruits.

The selection and training of staff for welfareand care duties is an area for development. Theselection process for instructors has improved,but there are still too many who have notvolunteered for the posting and who see it asdisadvantageous to their promotion prospects.Instructors are pressured to begin their work withrecruits before they have attended a trainingcourse. Some staff, particularly junior officers,only remain at the AFC for 12 to 18 months andhave little time to understand the demands of thepost, or to appreciate how to improve theirperformance or operating practices.

Many recruits are still given incorrectinformation by Armed Forces Careers Officeson matters such as the duration of the course orthe clothing or equipment they need to provide.In an effort to manage this issue, AFC staff havedeveloped new briefing packs and brochures, acollege prospectus and a glossy magazine.However, these have not yet reached the careersoffices.

Army Foundation College Harrogate

Inspected July 2006


-

Number ofunder-18s

1054


332


8


1054

Summary reports

81


80

The No 4 School of Technical Training (No 4SofTT) is at RAF St Athan near Cardiff, and trainsground engineers for the RAF.

This inspection focused on the 10 areas fordevelopment identified during the ALI’s previousinspection in March 2005. Eight of these haveimproved to satisfactory, two remain and onenew area for development has been identified.Seven of the original strengths remain. Theestablishment was not informed of the inspectionvisit until the day before it began.

Completion rates are good. In 2003-04, the lastyear for which there are full records, the successrate was over 90 per cent. Only 4 per cent of thecurrent intake have withdrawn from training.

Communication between welfare services,military staff and instructors remains a strength.There are planned meetings between the widerange of health and care staff, as well as effectiveinformal communication. Regular meetingsbetween service staff and welfare teams outsidethe chain of command discuss duty of care andwelfare issues at school and station level. Forreasons of confidentiality these are seldomminuted, but they do result in agreed actions.The range of support services at RAF St Athan issatisfactory. Trainees find their instructors andmentors very approachable and helpful indealing with training and personal issues.

The learning support available to trainees isvery good and contributes to their motivation.All trainees are initially assessed using computer-based versions of the Basic Skills Agency tests.The results are used to plan key skills and otherremedial training. Trainees who have particularneeds in literacy or numeracy receive exemplarysupport either from a dyslexia specialist or fromthe key skills tutor. Trainees can attend weeklyadditional skills development sessions andreceive coaching or general support as required.

There is no stigma attached to receiving help orattending support sessions.

The mess is managed in a responsive andflexible way. Queuing is well supervised, andlesson end times have been staggered in order toreduce delays. The quantity, choice and qualityof food are good, and most trainees commentpositively on them. Menus are varied, and high-fat, high-carbohydrate and vegetarian menus arecolour-coded for easy identification.

The promotion of appropriate attitudes, valuesand respect through the airmen developmentprogramme remains a strength. This mandatoryweekly evening programme is attended by alltrainees and provides learning activities whichpromote high standards of personal conduct,mutual respect and responsibility towards others.The sessions are taught well and involve traineeswell in the discussion of topics such as diversity,stress, bereavement, and the misuse of alcoholand drugs.

Sports accommodation and facilities are good.There are two sports halls, a conditioninggymnasium, and a synthetic five-a-side footballpitch. The sports halls are very spacious, well litand warm enough for activities. The range andquality of equipment are good. Trainees have atotal of five two-hour timetabled physicaltraining sessions every fortnight.

The following areas are now satisfactory:preparation of trainees for transfer to RAF StAthan; training for staff with duty of careresponsibilities; trainees’ progress; the co-ordination of training; the management,recording and use of additional disciplinarytraining; monitoring of under 18s’ access toalcohol; recording of trainees leaving the site;and the safety of working practices in physicaltraining.

Trainees’ rehabilitation and recovery frominjuries remains an area for development. Formost trainees it is well managed andappropriate. However, some trainees with moreserious injuries have insufficient supervisedrehabilitation sessions to manage their recoveryeffectively. The rehabilitation physical traininginstructor only works a 50 per cent programmeand has to cover rehabilitation for the wholestation. The physical training timetable onlyallows five rehabilitation sessions over a two-week period. This means that trainees cancomplete the technical training programme atNo 4 SofTT and be deployed while still unfit tocarry out their duties.

The monitoring of complaints and theevaluation of equality and diversity remainareas for development. There is still noappropriate system to record or collate minorcomplaints. Although staff deal with minorcomplaints appropriately, they are notsufficiently aware of the need to record them.There are posters around the site that clearlyadvertise the independent complaints officer as aperson outside of the chain of command whocan help resolve matters concerning unfairtreatment. Trainees interviewed felt that theycould complain to their NCOs and SNCOs, andsome had raised concerns about particulartrainers. Trainees who have complained aboutteaching are unsure how their complaints havebeen resolved as they have not receivedfeedback.

No 4 School of Technical Training, RAF St Athan

Inspected July 2006


248

Number ofunder-18s

25


98


1


-

Summary reports

83


82

by experienced staff. There is no stigma attachedto recruits going to, or returning to training from,the rehabilitation platoon.

The following areas are satisfactory: recruits’understanding of the complaints procedure;formal communication between support servicestaff; literacy, numeracy and language supportpractices; monitoring of progress; and use ofadditional remedial training.

Monitoring of the performance of training staffremains an area for development. There is anappropriate system for observing all instructorsand subject areas, but the shortage of staff meansthis is not being used.

Despite some improvements, the use of dataremains an area for development. Data is stillnot being used sufficiently to identify potentialcare issues. There has been insufficient analysisof test and assessment results, and recent trendshave not been identified. There is no analysis ofrecruits’ performance by age or ethnic group.Staff in the medical centre, rehabilitation and thegymnasium collate fitness and injury data andreview it to identify trends.

The preparation of instructors for their postsremains an area for development. Manyinstructors are still not qualified at the start oftheir posting. Some come directly from activeservice in the Middle East and exhibit behaviourthat is inappropriate for a recruit trainingestablishment. There are still significant delaysand difficulties in getting places on the ‘DefenceTrain-the-Trainer’ course, and there are too fewstaff to cover training and sickness absence.

Access to information about recruits remainsan area for development. Twelve per cent ofmedical records still arrive at the establishmentafter the recruit. ATR Winchester’s medicalexaminations are still finding medical conditionsthat have not been picked up at the ArmyDevelopment and Selection Centre, and thatimmediately render recruits unfit for Armyservice.

The promotion of equality and diversityremains an area for development. Recruits havea single two-and-a-half hour training session onequality and diversity during week three of theirtraining which also covers the complaints

procedures. There is no further reinforcement ofthe subject.

Staff are insufficiently trained and equipped tomanage equality and diversity issues in thetraining environment. Many junior NCOs behaveinappropriately and have little understanding ofhow to deal with problems. The new mandatoryequality and diversity training programmesissued by the Army Recruiting and TrainingDivision are inadequate and fail to deal with theoperational needs of staff in a trainingenvironment.

There is insufficient overall co-ordination ofwelfare and risk assessment for vulnerablerecruits. Officers commanding squadronsoperate a squadron at risk register for under 18sand for some other vulnerable recruits. Theregisters are often incomplete and are not usedas ongoing records of risk or vulnerabilitymanagement. In many cases, section and troopcommanders know which recruits are mostvulnerable, and welfare staff are often contactedabout them directly. The welfare forum helps toprovide a co-ordinated approach to welfare butis used to consider retrospective actions anddecisions, rather than mitigate risk. Night dutystaff are not routinely informed of recruitsdeemed to be at risk or vulnerable.

The Army Training Regiment (ATR) Winchester isone of six Army establishments which offerphase 1 training for Army recruits.

This was the ALI’s second inspection of ATRWinchester, the first having taken place inNovember 2004. It focused on the nine areas fordevelopment identified during the previousinspection. Five of these remain, and one newarea of development has been identified.

The care and safety of recruits remains astrength. Recruits are supervised well. There is asatisfactory number of welfare staff available atnight, and staff are well aware of theirresponsibilities for care and welfare. Training andwelfare staff work long hours and are fullystretched. The course has been extended to 14weeks, allowing recruits more time betweensessions. The number of cases of minorindiscipline has reduced drastically since a no-alcohol regime was introduced.

ATR Winchester has an appropriate supervisorycare directive. Many Junior NCOs are unawareof its contents, but still behave in the way itrequires of them. The directive clearly identifiesthe key issues affecting recruits but does notalways tell staff how these should be managed.

Physical training is good. The demands placedon recruits are progressively increased during thetraining period. Hydration is properly reinforcedduring all exercises. During swimming andexercise sessions, recruits are split into abilitygroups.

Recruits’ motivation and focus remain astrength. Army Development and SelectionCentres provide a good introduction to thetraining, giving recruits effective advice andguidance. The training regime and the attitude ofstaff successfully contribute to a growing sense

of pride and achievement in the recruits.

Support for recruits who leave training earlyremains a strength. Recruits who leave the Armybefore the end of their training are wellsupported back into civilian life. They areinterviewed by staff at a variety of levels in thechain of command before a final decision ismade on their future. Once a recruit decides toleave, a good balance is struck betweenencouraging him to reconsider and allowing himto leave. An action plan is created for eachleaver, and where appropriate, recruits who haveshown potential for success in the Army areactively encouraged to consider rejoining theservice at a later date.

The accommodation at ATR Winchesterremains a strength and plays an important partin providing a positive training environment. Thecamp is well laid out and there are very goodgymnasium and cardiovascular facilities, and anexcellent swimming pool. The domesticaccommodation is satisfactory. However, thestreet lighting is poor, and building repairssometimes take far too long to arrange.

There is no process for ensuring that contractorshave been appropriately cleared with theCriminal Records Bureau. Contractors are nolonger required to book in with thequartermaster’s department, and they often workon their own in accommodation blocks withrecruits under the age of 18 years.

The rehabilitation of recruits from injury isgood. Recruits suffering an injury or illness aretreated well and given appropriate support.Those in the rehabilitation platoon followindividual programmes that include specialistphysical training classes. The platoon isrecognised as an important component of thetraining recovery regime and is well supported

Army Training Regiment Winchester

Inspected September 2006


-

Number ofunder-18s

126


98


2


420

Summary reports

85


84

Medical cases, discharges and absences withoutleave are recorded, monitored, analysed againstprevious trends and discussed in the welfareforum to decide how best to deal withindividuals. Good use is made of detailed traineesurveys.

Trainees are prepared well for phase 2 training.Staff from RAC Bovington visit phase 1establishments to speak to trainees, and acomprehensive and well-established three-dayinduction programme prepares them well for thetransition to phase 2 training. Good, clearreports on each trainee arrive with them fromtheir phase 1 establishment. Trainees’ medicalrecords now arrive more promptly. All newarrivals start out on a two-week ‘baseline’regime. Once they show they have settled intoArmy life, they move on to a more relaxed‘mainstream’ regime. Trainees wear additionalstripes on their troop colours to show their statusand the stage they have reached in their training.

The following areas are satisfactory: food; thestrategic management of trainees with physicalinjuries; remedial physical training; the timing ofphysical training sessions; arrangements forsoldiers awaiting trade training; weekendrecreational facilities; and equality ofopportunity and diversity.

Some trainees are still being given poorinformation and support by Armed ForcesCareers Offices. A few believe that they weresteered towards unsuitable trades, while othersstate that that information on the fitness levelrequired was inadequate. The basic tests carriedout at the careers offices are too crude toaccurately identify whether candidates have theacademic and vocational skills they will need tosucceed in the RAC.

The sports and rehabilitation facility is now anarea for improvement, having previously beenjudged satisfactory. Changes in the sports andrehabilitation programme since the previousinspection mean that many more trainees use thefacility at peak times. The cardiovascular andlocal muscular exercise equipment is adequate,and good indoor space is available for training.However, changing facilities are inadequate.There are too few toilets and showers availableat peak times. There are not enough drinking

fountains and trainees have to refill water bottlesfrom taps in the toilets. There is no securestorage for personal kit, and staff and traineeshave to use the same showering and changingareas.

Access to remedial swimming instruction isinadequate. Since January 2006, 51 traineeshave failed the swimming element of thepersonal fitness test. Ten of these were completenon-swimmers and 10 were very weakswimmers. There are too few trained staffavailable to work with those who need remedialswimming instruction.

Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) Training Regimentis based at Bovington near Wareham in Dorset.It is part of the Armour Centre, and isresponsible for all phase 2 training of crews forarmoured fighting vehicles.

The ALI first inspected RAC Bovington inFebruary 2005. This second inspection focusedon seven strengths, five satisfactory aspects andall five areas for development identified duringthe 2005 inspection. It identified two newstrengths. One aspect of the provision which waspreviously an area for improvement is now astrength and two others are satisfactory. Thereare three new areas for development.

The selection and training of staff was an areafor development at the previous inspection butis now a strength. NCOs are selected byaptitude and attitude. Training arrangements aregood and NCOs are trained as quickly aspossible. New NCOs receive good training andmentoring on site from more experienced staff.Tight staffing levels make it difficult for NCOs toattend long training courses, but short courseshave now been developed to extend theirpractical skills and knowledge.

The regiment employs good strategies todevelop confident and skilled soldiers.Individual trainees take personal responsibilityfor their professional and personal development.The commanding officer’s supervisory caredirective clearly and directly reflects hisapproach to training, welfare and the duty ofcare. It is well understood and supported bystaff, particularly since they contributed to itsdevelopment.

Activities, communication and facilities tosupport welfare and duty of care continue tobe good. Good, well-informed risk assessmentand monitoring of trainees takes place weekly at

troop, squadron and regiment levels.Experienced welfare workers, with suitablecounselling qualifications, provide objective,confidential support and regularly visit theaccommodation to talk to trainees and dutyNCOs. There are NCOs in the accommodationblocks night and day. Details of any vulnerabletrainees are reviewed daily and on handoverbetween NCOs. Troop NCOs are familiar withindividual trainees and their concerns, andtrainees appreciate the informal support andadvice they provide. Training squadron andwelfare staff communicate directly with trainees’families when appropriate, recording the contactand sharing the details appropriately. The well-equipped WRVS centre has a lounge and activityareas, and it is open every day and in theevening. There is an identification system toprevent under 18s drinking alcohol or usinggambling machines.

The management of trainees’ movementbetween courses is good. Trainees are clearlybriefed at induction on how their training will berun. Those who already hold a car drivinglicence move swiftly to the next course andcomplete the programme in a shorter time. Thetime between training modules is used fordevelopmental training. Troop NCOs andplanning staff adopt a flexible approach to fillingplaces on technical courses, and keep theinterests of each trainee at the centre of theirdecision-making.

Staff make very good use of a wide range ofdata to record, monitor and manage thetraining programme and trainees’ progress.There are effective procedures to ensure thetimeliness and accuracy of trainees’ records.Data is shared between staff at different levelsand used to make training decisions. Individualtrainees’ progress and success is easy to see.

Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment, Bovington



221

Number ofunder-18s

-


44


3


-

Summary reports

87


86

The Central Air Traffic Control School (CATCS) atRAF Shawbury near Shrewsbury trains air trafficcontrol officers for the RAF and the Royal Navy,and flight operations personnel and assistants forthe RAF.

This unannounced inspection focused primarilyon the areas for development identified duringthe ALI’s previous inspection in November 2004.Of these areas, four have improved tosatisfactory and one remains an area fordevelopment. Four of the six strengths from theprevious inspection have been maintained.

Completion rates remain a strength. All thetrainees pre-selected as potential air trafficcontrollers pass the course, as do 90 per cent ofthe flight operations assistants.

The management of the duty of care and thearrangements for welfare support both remainstrengths. Comprehensive policies andprocedures have been developed, and traineesare happy to approach any member of staff todiscuss their problems. The good instructor-to-trainee ratio helps promote a ‘family’ ethos, andtrainees are effectively encouraged to care foreach other and to report incidents or concerns.Arrangements for identifying trainees at risk aresatisfactory. When trainees arrive at CATCS, theywrite a brief pen portrait of themselves which isused to identify any support needs. Throughoutthe course, trainees receive very effectivefeedback on their academic and personalperformance. There is no clear system to managevulnerable trainees, but the small numbers onprogrammes prevent this from being a problem.

Trainees’ accommodation is good and providesa good environment for group working as wellas offering space for individuals.

Support for trainees remains a strength.Trainees receive good individual and groupsupport from their instructors throughout their

training. A duty instructor is available on siteuntil 2100 hours, and by pager after that, toprovide additional tuition and welfare support.Trainees and instructors have a very goodrapport. The instructors have been through theprogramme themselves, and they are patient andsympathetic. Trainees’ performance and attitudeare assessed regularly, and a programme ofindividual reviews can be escalated to a reviewboard involving senior staff if academic orattitudinal problems arise. Instructors giveconstructive and helpful feedback, and therecords in trainees’ personal files provide goodevidence of academic and welfare issues.Discipline problems are rare and there is nonegative reinforcement of behaviour or militarystandards.

The following areas are satisfactory: instructortraining and development; trainees’ opportunitiesto maintain physical fitness; testing of traineesbefore entry; the independent civilian supportservice; access to, and use of, the learningcentre; and access to social areas that do notserve alcohol.

The information trainees are given by ArmedForces Careers Offices does not prepare themadequately for training or tell them enoughabout the trade they will learn. One reportedthat although the careers office staff were veryhelpful, the information sheet they gave her wasout of date and inaccurate.

The use of data to support the duty of careremains an area for development, althoughthere has been some good progress in collectingappropriate data to be used in planningimprovements. Data collected on a programmefor instructors has been used effectively tochange recruitment methods. Across the phase 2programmes, analysis of performance isunsophisticated and does not take into accounttrainees’ gender, ethnicity and age. Data is notused routinely as a tool to evaluate performance.

Central Air Traffic Control School, RAF Shawbury



19

Number ofunder-18s

-


15


1


-

Army Training Regiment (ATR) Pirbright isprimarily responsible for the initial training ofrecruits to the Royal Regiment of Artillery, theHousehold Cavalry, the Royal Logistic Corps,and the Royal Mechanical and ElectricalEngineers.

ATR Pirbright was first inspected by the ALI inFebruary 2005. At that time, inspectors identifiedfour strengths and 14 areas for development. InNovember 2005, six of the areas fordevelopment were reinspected and all werejudged satisfactory. The remaining areas fordevelopment were considered during theinspection reported below, and all but two hadimproved to satisfactory or better.

ATR Pirbright uses rehabilitation and injurydata well to identify and analyse when and howinjuries occur. This has shown that men andwomen sustain different injuries and at differentstages of the training programme. Staff are nowmore aware of the risks and the need to takesensible preventative measures. For example,they realise that injuries arising from extremes oftemperature are not to be seen as signs ofweakness, but as preventable occupationalhazards. An injury steering group meets every sixmonths, and medical staff are now deployed onexercises.

Physical training is good. Facilities arecomprehensive, and recruits’ physical conditionis carefully developed through an appropriatelyprogressive training programme. On runs andmarches, the pace and the weights carried areincreased slowly. Recruits are encouraged todrink regularly during physical training, and aregiven detailed instructions to prevent injury.Many recruits believe that training sessions aresometimes used as group punishments, butduring the inspection physical traininginstructors made no entries in their remedialtraining log.

The following areas are satisfactory: selectionand training of instructors; awareness andunderstanding of equality and diversity issuesamong staff and recruits; literacy and numeracysupport; accommodation, food, support andwelfare, including contact with families and themanagement of those leaving training; andawareness of the establishment’s policy andprocedures on complaints, bullying andharassment.

Some recruits’ medical records still arrive late.In one platoon formed during the inspection, 11per cent of the medical records had not arrivedby day three. This put significant pressure on thestaff to try to locate the records, and on therecruits who did not know if they were going tobe allowed to continue in training.

The recruitment process remains an area fordevelopment. Armed Forces Careers Officesoften give recruits inaccurate information. Somehand out joining instructions that are out of dateand tell recruits to purchase equipment they donot need. Some do not test recruits’ literacy andnumeracy skills appropriately. Foreign andCommonwealth recruits sometimes find itdifficult to understand spoken Englishcommands, but there is insufficient languagesupport for them during phase 1 training.

Complaints and problems, especially thosedealt with by NCOs, are not systematicallyrecorded in a way that would enable theirprogress to be monitored and provide a clearpicture of all the issues across the establishment.Various logs and notebooks are used to recordincidents, but there is no clear process to ensurethis information can be collated. Similarly, therecording of minor concerns about vulnerablerecruits is insufficiently systematic. However,when significant issues such as self-harm arise,training teams take swift and immediate action.

Army Training Regiment Pirbright

Inspected November 2006


-

Number ofunder-18s

176


201


3


857

Summary reports

89


88

Medical support remains a strength. Themedical and dentistry centres are well staffedand trainees can get same-day appointments.There is emergency out-of-hours medical anddental cover. The range of medical staff includesan occupation health nurse, physiotherapists,doctors, and an environmental health specialist.The medical team collates useful data which isused to analyse trends and develop preventativetreatments.

Trainees with additional learning needs receivegood, appropriate and very effective support.The results of tests taken at RAF Halton areforwarded to DCAE Cosford, and individualswith identified needs are given additionalsupport. Each trainee has a learning contract andan individual programme of support.Instructional staff have good awareness of thetools and techniques required to supportindividuals with specific learning difficulties.Some training development co-ordinators haveattended awareness sessions about dyslexia,dyspraxia and dyscalculia.

Data is used well at DCAE Cosford to helpmake management decisions. Detailed recordsare held on each trainee, and there is a thoroughanalysis of trainees’ performance through thechain of command. Each course hasperformance targets which are monitored atsquadron level. Monthly performance reports areused to identify poorly performing courses andindividuals. The training performancedevelopment committee monitors each coursequarterly. Data on medical and voluntarydischarges, complaints, and incidents of self-harm, bullying and harassment is all collectedand analysed by trainees’ age and gender.Training development co-ordinators and flightcommanders interview any trainees whowithdraw from the course early, and record theirreasons for doing so. Data on trainees’ ethnicityis not routinely recorded, analysed or used toidentify performance trends for minority ethnicgroups.

The following areas are satisfactory:accommodation; rehabilitation of injuredtrainees; the reinforcement of physical traininginstructors’ welfare responsibilities; food;cleaning arrangements in the recruits’

accommodation; monitoring of alcoholconsumption and gambling; recording ofpunishments; supervision of trainees outsideworking hours; the approach to complaints; andequality and diversity.

Laundry facilities at DCAE Cosford remaininadequate. The on-site launderette is only openduring the day when trainees are at work, andthere are still too few washing machines in thebarrack blocks. However, work is underway toimprove the facilities.

The Defence College of AeronauticalEngineering (DCAE) Cosford provides training inaeronautical engineering, mainly to RAFpersonnel. It includes the No 1 School ofTechnical Training, No 1 Radio School, the RAFSchool of Physical Training, and the DefenceSchool of Photography.

The ALI first inspected DCAE Cosford in January2005. This second inspection was unannounced.It focused on the management of welfare and theduty of care for trainees. The inspectorsconcentrated on the 10 areas for developmentidentified during the 2005 inspection. Nine ofthe areas for development have improved andare now satisfactory. All the original strengthsremain. There are no new strengths or areas fordevelopment.

The strategic management of welfare and theduty of care is good. The executive managementteam provides strong direction, and a coherentand co-ordinated strategic and operationalapproach provides a good system to managetrainees and staff identified as being at risk. Thesystem comprises a welfare and duty of caresteering group, a supervisory care workinggroup, and a welfare committee. A risk register isused appropriately to monitor permanent staffand trainees and ensure cohesive support isprovided. Communication between staff is good,and the supervisory care directive provides agood framework for appropriate supportarrangements. There are very clear and strictlyobserved directives for the supervision oftrainees outside working hours. However, No 1Radio School has too few staff to manage andco-ordinate welfare and the duty of care, and iscurrently understaffed by approximately 60 percent. The training development co-ordinators arenot able to carry out all the duties expected of

them. During the inspection and the followingweek, no training development co-ordinator wasavailable for ‘out of training hours’ duty.

Completion rates on programmes for phase 2trainees are good, and show signs of continuingto improve. The overall completion rate is 92 percent, with 88 per cent successfully achieving atthe first attempt. The completion rate for under18s is slightly lower at 84 per cent.

Trainees’ induction to DCAE Cosford continuesto be a strength. Staff from the establishmentvisit recruits at RAF Halton during their phase 1training and provide them with a usefulbackground briefing. The two-day inductionprogramme is structured well and introducestrainees to life at DCAE Cosford and to theirtrade training programme. Trainees are briefedon the welfare support services and thearrangements for under 18s, and are given a listof contact numbers for staff on and off site, andan induction handbook. They are asked tocommit themselves to the principles of thetrainee code, which guarantees them access to acommissioned officer with whom they can raiseany problems.

DCAE Cosford has excellent and well-usedsports and leisure facilities. They are wellmaintained and staff carry out appropriate riskassessments to ensure that activities are safe.Trainees receive a satisfactory programme of fivehours of physical activity a week. They warm upbefore and cool down after sessions, and haveaccess to appropriate hydration. The generalphysical education programme includes healtheducation and an induction to the gymnasium.Trainees are taught how to develop and maintaintheir fitness for life in the RAF. Instructors treattrainees with respect, and keep good records ofall physical training sessions.

Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering Cosford

Inspected 30 November 2006


306

Number ofunder-18s

16


396


3


-

90

AFC Army Foundation College

ATR Army Training Regiment

ATRA Army Training and Recruitment Agency. Formally renamed Army Recruitment and Training Division (ARTD) in July 2006

Blake Report Report by Nicholas Blake QC into the deaths of recruits at Deepcut Barracks between 1995 and 2002

Bergen A type of rucksack incorporating a supporting frame

BRNC Britannia Royal Naval College

CTCRM Commando Training Centre Royal Marines

DCAE Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering

DCL Defence College of Logistics

DGT&E Directorate General Training and Education

DITC Directorate of Individual Training Capability

ITC Infantry Training Centre

MWS Marine Warfare School

NAAFI Navy, Army and Air-force Institute

NCO Non-commissioned Officer

OACTU Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit

RAC Royal Armoured Corps

Red Shield Salvation Army

RMAS Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

RSME Royal School of Military Engineering

RSS Royal School of Signals

SR Signals Regiment

WRVS Women’s Royal Volunteer Service

Glossary


91

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