Kingham Hill CCF Achieves 7th Place in UK STEM Challenge
Published by Kingham Hill School on Thursday 6th of November 2025
Over the half-term break, our 4th and 5th Form cadets travelled to Bovington Camp, the home of the Royal Armoured Corps, to take part in the Combined Cadet Force Associations’ Exercise STEM Challenge 2025 — a national event designed to test problem-solving, technical skill, and teamwork.
Competing against 26 teams from across the UK, the Kingham Hill CCF contingent finished an impressive 7th place!
The challenge brought together 260 cadets for a dynamic week of hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics activities. Tasks ranged from military communications and engineering design to transport logistics and weaponry technology, giving participants a unique glimpse into real-world STEM applications.
Cadet, Ruby, reflected on her experience: “We tried out various simulators, including an Apache helicopter simulator and an Ajax Armoured Fighting Vehicle simulator used for training in the army. We also worked on setups with the Royal Signals, tackling a scenario where an airport had been taken over – our task was to figure out how to get it back under our control. One of the highlights was another detective-style challenge, where we had to decode messages encrypted with various forms of cipher, including scytale, morse code and scrambled audio – we actually won that task! The Royal Engineers were also there to give us a debrief about what they do and how to join. After that, we took part in different activities that tested our skills.”
“It’s easy to think of the army as just fighting on the front line, but there are so many roles behind the scenes – working with computers, decrypting secret information, or supporting operations in other ways. I now see that there are so many opportunities with the army, more than many people realise.”
Beyond the competition, the cadets had the unique opportunity to explore innovation and the cutting-edge applications of STEM in the military, while developing teamwork, resilience, and creativity.
Contingent Commander, Simon Terry, commented “This was a fantastic opportunity for the cadets. We are very grateful for the various service engagement teams, Dorset ACF and the Royal Armoured Corps for coming together to deliver this outstanding experience. Throughout the week all cadets were challenged and stimulated to complete the tasks set before them, encouraging unit cohesion and expanding their understanding and appreciation of varying platforms, skills and methods in use in the British Army.”
