Army helps college students prepare for Remembrance Parade

Protective Services students at Barking & Dagenham College have been put through their paces by the British Army Engagement Team as they prepare to showcase their marching skills at a Remembrance Parade on 11 November.

The team visited the College this week to deliver practical marching drill training, supporting an essential part of the students’ course and helping them prepare to take part in the forthcoming act of remembrance.

Students practised a range of drill commands and learnt to march together as a coordinated squad. Through instruction and repetition, they worked on responding accurately to commands, maintaining timing and moving collectively as a disciplined unit.

Marching as a squad requires each student to consider their own movements alongside those of the people around them. Keeping in step, listening carefully and responding together all contribute to the squad’s overall performance, making cooperation central to the exercise.

The sessions challenged students to sustain their concentration, build confidence and support one another to achieve a shared goal. Alongside their marching technique, they demonstrated resilience, coordination, teamwork, leadership and commitment.

Working directly with the British Army Engagement Team provided a practical setting in which to develop these qualities. Students could connect the expectations discussed during their course with the focus and precision required to carry out drill commands together.

Their training will culminate in the opportunity to put these skills into practice at the Remembrance Parade, demonstrating discipline, teamwork and respect as they take part in the act of remembrance.

Preparing for the parade gives the students a shared objective and an opportunity to represent their College. It also connects their practical training with an occasion dedicated to remembering those who served and lost their lives in conflict.

The visit also gave students an insight into the standards expected within the uniformed services, helping them develop practical skills and personal qualities relevant to future careers in the British Army and other protective services professions.

Following instructions, taking responsibility and contributing to a team are qualities students can continue to develop throughout their studies. The marching sessions brought these expectations together in an activity that depended on everyone playing their part.

Gwen Edwards, Sport & Protective Services Curriculum Manager at Barking & Dagenham College explains:

“Marching as a squad requires every student to concentrate, respond to instructions and take responsibility for their part in the team. Working with the British Army Engagement Team has given our students valuable practical experience of those expectations.

“The opportunity to use these skills at the Remembrance Parade gives their training a real sense of purpose. It will be a chance to demonstrate what they have learnt while paying their respects.”