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Seacroft school to get army and air cadets base
David Young Community Academy in Seacroft is set to have its very own purpose-built base for army and air cadets.
The 3.3m scheme at the David Young Community Academy in Seacroft was announced by School Secretary and Normanton MP Ed Balls.
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It will aim to provide training opportunities in the forces that are commonplace in public schools.
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Mr Balls said: "It's a really good way for young people to learn in a disciplined environment and get skills and often turn them on to wanting to make a career if they choose."
The army and air cadets centre will form part of a 'Wedge' building that will include an Army Cadet Force, an Air Cadet Detachment and a Scout facility, which could be used by academy pupils and other youngsters in east Leeds.
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The announcement follows a review last year which said that encouraging more state secondary school pupils to join the cadet corps would improve discipline among teenagers and help improve the public perception of the armed forces.
There is currently a small army cadet unit inside the school and another nearby. This facility will bring them both under the same roof.
The air cadet unit will be set up with the help of Leeds Grammar School.
International
Alan Bolton, the academy's assistant vice principle, said: "It provides them with transferable skills they will need in the future and it gives them the opportunity to get to places they would never have had the opportunity to do, both international camps and national camps."
Only 60 cadet forces exist among the England and Wales comprehensive system, with just two per cent of pupils being members.
This compares with 200 forces in the grammar and independent school sector, which represents only 10 per cent of schools.
Extending cadet forces is, however, controversial among teaching unions, who have claimed that they are used for military recruitment.
The National Union of Teachers last year pointed to evidence from the Rowntree Trust that suggested the MoD was focusing disproportionately on schools in the most disadvantaged areas and targeting vulnerable pupils without clearly outlining the risks of an army career.
However, Mr Balls said he "profoundly" disagreed with this and said that he did not see why cadet units should be "the preserve of independent schools".
"I think this is something we should really be driving forward," he added.
Senior staff at the academy are planning to open the Wedge facility by October 2010. It will also offer a range of community services, including advice from Job Centre Plus.
Mr Bolton added: "It is called Wedge because we are trying to drive a wedge into the kind of issues that create the disadvantage in this area in the first place."
News about funding for the Wedge has been welcomed by Leeds City Councillors Brian Selby and Graham Hyde (Lab, Killingbeck and Seacroft).
Delighted
"We are absolutely delighted at the news that the government have provided over 3m to build a fantastic new community hub which will provide exciting new learning opportunities," they said in a statement. "This is a vote of confidence in Seacroft and the wider East Leeds community.
"Congratulations should go to all those who played their part in getting this funding, and especially David Young Academy, who were leaders in this project."
The 3.3m grant was part of a 200m handout for 101 projects across England.
A 1.7m grant will also see the Fieldhead Junior, Infant and Nursery School and Children's Centre in Batley refurbished.
It will offer services including a child and family mental health service; educational psychology services; a family intervention project; speech and language therapy and housing services.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has also awarded 1.5m for accommodation in Wakefield for young people who are in the transition phase between leaving care and moving into permanent independent accommodation.
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