PPU accuses education secretary of ‘misrepresentation’
Flawed methodology as 'researchers did not make comparisons between the impact of cadets and the impact of other youth organisations and services'
Peace campaigners have accused education secretary Gavin Williamson of ‘bending the truth’ over cadet forces in schools. According to the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), which includes Quaker members, the cabinet member has misrepresented research from the University of Northampton, claiming that it justifies the UK government’s decision to spend millions of pounds on creating new armed forces cadet units in schools.
The PPU pointed out flaws in the study’s methodology, saying ‘the researchers did not make comparisons between the impact of cadets and the impact of other youth organisations and services. They stated, “our terms of reference did not include comparing the Cadet Forces with other uniformed, or non-uniformed, youth groups”.’
Saffron Gallup, education service manager at the PPU, said: ‘The findings of this research do not come as a surprise: projects are often successful when millions of pounds are allocated to them.
‘What is missing, however, is honesty and transparency about the purpose of setting young people up for a career in the armed forces. The reported positive outcomes need to be considered in the light of research showing the significant negative impact on the mental and physical health of young recruits’.
The number of cadet forces in UK schools has more than doubled since the Cadet Expansion Programme was launched in 2012. It was given an extra £50 million of funding in 2016. Meanwhile, youth services in the UK faced combined cuts of more than £400 million between 2010 and 2019, according to calculations by Unison.
