School gives Army trainers skills

The school follows a point made in a report on Deepcut

A school for the people who train Army recruits has opened in Surrey.

It follows a recommendation by the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) in a report on the Army's duty of care and welfare provision for its recruits.

The ALI report in March 2005 was commissioned after four soldiers died at Deepcut Barracks in Surrey.

The school will provide professional mentoring, counselling and teacher training skills to Army trainers, including those working with recruits.

Armed forces minister Adam Ingram opened the school, which is close to Deepcut Barracks, at Pirbright, near Woking, on Wednesday.

They come into our training regiments with the same kind of problems that are out there in society Adjutant-general Lt Gen Freddie Viggers

The Army said its Recruiting and Training Division Staff Leadership School would ensure consistent quality and standards of training.

Lt Col Matt Fenson said the new course syllabus would include significant guidance on how to unlock a recruit's potential and the importance of treating each student as an individual.

Adjutant-general Lt Gen Freddie Viggers said: "We need to make sure we are equipped to pick up these young people, some of whom come from very challenging backgrounds.

"They come into our training regiments with the same kind of problems that are out there in society."

Deepcut deaths

The ALI report in 2005 found the risk of bullying, self-harm, injury and early drop-out by recruits at armed forces' training centres was "too high".

It called for Army training to be "better managed, better organised and better controlled".

The report said the armed forces' own data showed about one in 10 military personnel - or 20,000 across the three services - suffered bullying or harassment.

James Collinson, 17, from Perth, Geoff Gray, 17, from Seaham in County Durham, Sean Benton, 20, from Hastings in East Sussex, and Cheryl James, 18, from Llangollen in north Wales, all died from gunshot wounds at Deepcut.