Living and Breathing Respect

Respect is one of the five Alleyn’s core ROCCK values of respect, opportunity, curiosity, courage and kindness which pupils, parents, staff, governor’s, and alumni agreed defines our school’s identity. 

As Mrs Lunnon described it in our first Alleyn’s ROCCK On podcast: “Respect is born out of a belief in or a due regard for the feelings and rights of other people. We see respect in the classrooms and corridors and pitches of Alleyn’s every single day because respect is about how you treat each other and how you connect with people and that warmth and that connection and that belief.” 

We hear from Year 13 student, Níamh, in our latest school blog about what respect means for her in her role as Head of CCF’s RAF section at Alleyn’s and why CCF is so important to her.

Respect is something that forms part of the CCF. A lot of CCF is leading by example, so the cadets usually learn the importance of respecting the CCF rules and standards by seeing how their NCOs carry themselves. All the NCOs and staff dedicate personal time into preparing lessons, organising events, issuing kits, and much more so we aim for respect from the cadets in CCF. It is something I see and feel in all our CCF activities, but I think it is especially important as we mark our respect for those who serve or have served in the armed forces through Remembrance Services.

Taking part in Remembrance Services is an honour. It is always a wonderful feeling to see all three services in their respective uniform, prepped and polished. In a perfect world we wouldn’t have to remember, but taking this time every year to have the community reflect on the people who lost their lives at war, reminds us to make the world a better place and prevent such tragedies in the future.

Such a lot of preparation goes into the Remembrance Services. Every single cadet has put more effort into their uniform this week than ever before. For RAF we have a separate formal uniform which we have had to prepare consisting of a light blue shirt and tie, tied with a full windsor, to replace our usual shirt. The staff who wear their formal dress have also had to prepare a uniform which they wear only on occasion. The band who will be leading the parade on Sunday 13 November and the flag bearers and guards of honour for the service on 11 November have dedicated their own break times and lunch times to perfect their drill for the services.

CCF offers so much and it’s an honour to be involved. I got involved with CCF as I liked doing co-curricular activities and I specifically chose to join RAF to get over my fear of heights. The more I progressed with CCF, the more I cared and the more competitive I was. I stayed in CCF past CADRE and realised after CADRE my passion for the thrill and adventure of CCF. This led me to desire a life in the military. Having already been in the RAF CCF, I was fond of RAF and found modern military aircraft enticing, thus grew my intent to join the RAF. Now desiring a career in the RAF, I care about the CCF a lot and am thankful for the opportunities available to me through the CCF.

You can find out more about the CCF at Alleyn's on the co-curricular pages of our website.