Joining forces

It is a cold evening in the picturesque Dorset town of Sherborne. The Sherborne Astroturf pitch twinkles, diamonds of condensed fog glinting on its blue surface. Through the mist drifts the low chatter of girls and boys, smartly attired in military fatigues and readying for the sternest test of their cadet lives.

This evening is the ‘Beret Test’, when these young pupils from the separate boys’ and girls’ schools earn the right to wear the berets of fully fledged cadets. They’ve been working towards it for months, repeating drills until they can recite them by heart.

The preparedness of the pupils is a result of the training provided by their older peers: those who have walked in their boots and are now bringing the next generation up to speed. They are overseen by Sherborne Girls sixth-former Tamara Windham, this year’s head of the CCF.

Tamara certainly leads by example: her uniform is immaculate, and she delivers instructions with a calm assurance. Earlier in the year, she organised a CCF charity fundraiser in the form of a Military Question Time featuring Brigadier Rob Hedderwick, Colonel Erica Bridge and Brigadier Nick Pounds. The event raised over £7,500 for the Royal Naval Association, the Royal Marines Charity and the Army Benevolent Fund.

‘Tamara’s leadership is an illustration of the wider impact of the girls on our unit,’ says former army officer Rob Le Poidevin, Contingent Commander of the CCF alongside his role as a Housemaster and politics teacher at Sherborne School. ‘Since joining the Sherborne School CCF in 2021, the girls have made a real impression.’

Many of the boys agree, including Tamara’s triplet brothers Jake and Max – the latter of whom has secured a highly competitive army scholarship for university and was recently named as His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet for Dorset.

The Windhams like the fact Sherborne’s CCF may be the only one in the country to have triplets in its number. What is more, they say bringing girls and boys together in this way is great preparation for life beyond school.

Such cooperation is very much a feature of the Sherborne community. By teaming up for activities such as CCF, debating and drama, the schools deliver the best of both worlds: a single-sex classroom experience, and a horizon-expanding co-educational co-curricular and social offer.

‘Our pupils grow together,’ explains Jayne Dart, Deputy Head Operations and Co-Curricular at Sherborne Girls. ‘Outside the classroom, where single-sex education allows for more focus and room to be themselves, they’re used to being in mixed groups. They know how to communicate with each other, which alleviates the awkwardness that can creep into teenage encounters.’

As Jayne talks, another group of boys and girls leaves the Astro pitch, fresh berets proudly wielded in frozen fingers as they congratulate each other on a job well done. Watching the ease and mutual respect between them, it is easy to see the merits of Sherborne’s offer: co-education and single-sex education, combined in a way that is as unique as it is compelling.