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Introducing our new CCF Contingent Commander
September 22, 2020 by Dominic Glasgow

Introducing our new CCF Contingent Commander

A qualified Maths teacher, former Scout leader in Canada and with more than a decade of experience as a British Army Officer in the Royal Regiment of Artillery, Major Marjoribanks is a fantastic addition to our Combined Cadet Force. We caught up with her after the parade to hear her first thoughts on life at Strathallan...

Q. How does it feel to join Strathallan?

It’s very exciting to be working at Strathallan and to join the CCF at this time. The cadet RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major, our most senior cadet) is female and so are the head cadets of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines and Army sections. This is at a time when all roles in the forces are now open to women and it’s great that we represent the opportunities available for all our pupils here at Strathallan.

Q. What did you do before joining the Strath family?

I served for a fantastic ten years as a British Army officer in the Royal Regiment of Artillery. After that I moved to Canada and worked with the Scouts, cementing my aspiration to work with young people. I trained as a Maths teacher on my return to the UK and have taught in secondary and prep schools for the last six years, prior to starting at Strathallan. I am thoroughly looking forward to being able to combine both my careers!

Q. What are you looking forward to most this term?

I’m looking forward to visiting our CCF Sections, to see our cadets training and being led by the senior 6th Form cadets and getting to know all the members of the CCF.

Q. What can Cadets offer students beyond the classroom?

The CCF is an educational partnership between the Ministry of Defence and the school. This ensures our activities are well supported and creates amazing opportunities in our three sections-Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Army. The Navy afloat programme enables our cadets to sail, spend lots of time on the water and gain RYA qualifications. The Royal Marines section train and compete in the highly competitive Pringle trophy-a test of military skills, endurance and resilience. The Army section activities include drill, skill at arms, shooting, fieldcraft, navigation, first aid and adventurous training, for example, climbing.

Q. We offer over 64 activities at school, what makes CCF different?

The aim of the CCF is to enable the development of personal responsibility, leadership and discipline. The CCF gives our cadets the opportunity to develop their leadership skills on a weekly basis from planning training, running skill sessions to organising new recruits. Our cadets have amazing role models in our senior cadets and the dedicated staff who volunteer to ensure the success of Strathallan CCF.



Recent updates from Strathallan

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☀️ Our pupils took full advantage of the stunning Scottish weather recently to improve their skills and try new sports 😎 . . . #strathlife #strathfamily #blueandgold #Strathallan

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Strathallan music pupils will march to the beat of their own drumsticks this term thanks to the initiative of their teachers. Pupils taking music at Strathallan this year will all receive a pair of personal drumsticks, crafted by the Director of Music and Head of Design Technology. Director of Music Matt Gooch, who came up with the idea, said, “At the moment making music has been rather tricky due to regulations put in place by Scottish Government, so rather than thinking about what we can’t do, we have been prioritising on what we are able to do. “Whilst we cannot share instruments and even play some, we’ve focused this term on skills around rhythm which every pupil can take part in. “This has involved us making a pair of drumsticks for every single pupil from Year 4 in Prep School up to Third Form in our Senior School, so that they can continue to learn to read, compose and perform music individually and in small safe groups.” The drumsticks are made from doweling and are crafted under COVID-safe regulations in our state-of-the-art Design Technology department which during lockdown was used to create over 1,300 pieces of PPE for key workers. Most Music lessons are taught face-to-face however, Brass, Woodwind and Singing are delivered online following Strathallan’s blended approach to learning. More than 7,000 live lessons taught were taught via the school's online platforms during lockdown. The distribution of drumsticks to pupils follows the acquisition of Deger electric chanters in the school’s Piping and Drumming department which allows more than 70 pipers to continue practising.

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