# St John Ambulance Cadets (England)

St John Ambulance Cadets is a youth organisation of St John Ambulance founded in England in 1922 for people aged between 10 and 17 to train them in first aid, social actions, wellbeing, communication and other essential skills. As of December 2019, there were 8,071 Cadets in England. Cadets take part in a variety of activities that consist of providing first aid at community events, learning leadership and training skills.
In 2020, the Cadet program was reviewed in which a new program was launched to reflect a more modern approach for young people. This includes the Grand Prior's Award, leadership courses and the development of the first aid courses provided. The program had been under design since 2017 and was an inclusive process including youth leaders from all four regions of the priory in England, St John Ambulance Wales, cadets from across the four regions and other stakeholders.

## Training

* First Aid – there are two first aid courses: a basic induction "First Aid for Cadets", an introductory 10-hour course to providing first aid at events; a "Cadet Operational First Aider" qualification, mimicking the adult first aid role, allowing them to treat under supervision. First aid training is also completed as a module with the Membership Award that all Cadets undertake. They are trained in the use of an Automated external defibrillator (AED) in both courses.
* Cadet Leadership – it is encouraged to attend leadership courses taking place at two levels. They teach skills which enable cadets to be promoted to Cadet Young Leaders (NCOs) with their units. The courses count towards the Cadet's Grand Prior Award.
* Peer Education – completion of this course allows cadets to gain a BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Peer Education, an externally accredited qualification. Following the completion of the qualification, Cadet Peer Educators can give first aid training to young people and teach Grand Prior Award subjects in which they are already competent. Cadets who complete the course but do not gain the qualification can become Cadet Assistant Peer Educator; they cannot solely give first aid training, but can assist their qualified counterparts in training others. This qualification is unavailable because the awarding body responsible withdrew. The Demonstrator and assessor awards have been brought in to replace this and still offer cadets the chance to learn skills to teach others how to do first aid.

## Activities

Cadets can take part in a variety of other activities that are not first aid, and assist adult members of St John Ambulance. Some of them are listed below.
* Assisting St John Ambulance adult members while providing first aid at events (e.g. football matches, firework displays, local events).
* Radio communication work.
* Leading and training groups of Cadets.
* Competitions such as "Cadet of the Year".
* Fundraising for St John Ambulance and other charities.
* Completing awards such as the Grand Prior Award and Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
* Taking part in drills; in some areas, the Remembrance Sunday parade.
* Socializing at organised recreation events (e.g. "fun nights", camping, youth balls and other trips).

## Cadet of the Year (COTY)

The Cadet of the Year competition is an annual event held by St John Ambulance (England) to recognise outstanding cadets who demonstrate exceptional first aid knowledge, leadership, communication, and teamwork skills. The competition provides a platform for cadets to showcase their abilities in practical first aid scenarios, interviews, and leadership exercises.
The Cadet of the Year competition has been running for several decades, evolving over time to reflect the changing role of cadets within St John Ambulance. Initially focused on first aid proficiency, it has since expanded to assess wider skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, and public speaking. The competition aims to develop young leaders and give cadets the opportunity to take on greater responsibilities within the organisation.

### Competition Stages

The Cadet of the Year competition is structured into multiple stages, starting at the local level and culminating in the national finals. Each stage tests cadets on their first aid skills, leadership, communication, teamwork, and public speaking, ensuring that those who progress demonstrate well-rounded abilities.

#### County Cadet of the Year (CCOTY)

* The competition begins at the county level, where cadets compete within their respective counties or, in some cases, a combined county competition if smaller counties are grouped together.
* Participants undergo a series of assessments, including first aid scenarios, leadership tasks, and interviews.
* The winners from each county or combined county earn the title of County Cadet of the Year (CCOTY) and progress to the Regional Cadet of the Year (RCOTY) weekend.

#### Regional Cadet of the Year (RCOTY) & National Cadet of the Year (NCOTY)

* All CCOTY winners from across the country attend a regional competition weekend, where they compete against other county winners within their respective regions.
* During this weekend, cadets take part in additional assessments, such as:
** Advanced first aid scenarios that simulate real-life emergency situations.
** Leadership challenges, requiring them to demonstrate teamwork and decision-making under pressure.
** Formal interviews with senior members of St John Ambulance.
** Public speaking exercises, where cadets present on key topics related to the organisation and youth engagement.
* At the end of the weekend, one cadet from each region is selected as Regional Cadet of the Year (RCOTY).
* At the same time, all CCOTYs also compete for the title of National Cadet of the Year (NCOTY), with one cadet being chosen as the overall national representative.

### National Cadet of the Year (NCOTY)

The National Cadet of the Year (NCOTY) is the highest title awarded to a cadet in St John Ambulance (England). Each year, one cadet is selected through a rigorous competition to serve as the national youth representative for the organisation. The titleholder represents the thousands of young volunteers across England and plays a key role in ceremonial, leadership, and advocacy duties.

#### Role and Responsibilities

The National Cadet of the Year is expected to:
* Represent young people in St John Ambulance at national events, including royal receptions, St John Day at St Paul’s Cathedral, and high-profile ceremonies.
* Engage with senior leaders within St John Ambulance and The Order of St John.
* Advocate for youth involvement, speaking at events and promoting first aid training for young people.
* Support and mentor cadets, working alongside the Regional Cadets of the Year (RCOTYs) to ensure cadet voices are heard.
* Take part in fundraising, recruitment, and promotional activities to encourage more young people to join the organisation.
Many past NCOTYs have gone on to take leadership roles within St John Ambulance, the healthcare sector, or emergency services.
| Year | Winner |
| 2025 | Dylan Hurst |
| 2024 | Malachi Hutchful |
| 2023 | Kyle Dean-Curtis |
| 2022 | Georgina Heron-Edmends |

## Cadet Code of Chivalry

As part of their enrolment, cadets pledge a Code of Chivalry, similar to how Scouts make a Scout Promise when they join. Cadets promise to observe the Code of Chivalry and will often recite it on special occasions.

## Awards

There are a number of awards that cadets can achieve during their time at St John Ambulance:
* Membership Award ‒ this is the first award that new members will complete, which involves completion of worksheets and activities about various aspects of St John life. Each unit may run this in other ways.
* Grand Prior Award Scheme ‒ this is the highest award a cadet can achieve, named for the Grand Prior of The Order of St John. This award scheme involves Cadets completing 24 subjects at different levels (bronze, silver, gold and Grand). This usually takes about 3– 6 years to complete.
* Service Awards ‒ every time a cadet completes any volunteering for St John Ambulance, their hours are logged. When a certain number of hours are completed, they are awarded a badge (after 50 hours, 100 hours, and every 100 hours up to 1000 hours).
* Other awards ‒ The Duke of Edinburgh's Award can also be completed; St John Ambulance recently recommitted to providing this award for all cadets eligible.

## Cadet roles

In 2017‒2018, St John Ambulance reviewed the roles cadets can hold. When the new service delivery uniform (SDU) was introduced, the following role bars were available to achieve with training.
* Cadet Observer (Discontinued)
* Cadet Trainee First Aider (Discontinued)
* Cadet First Aider
* Cadet Advanced First Aider (Discontinued)
* Cadet Peer Educator (Discontinued Changed to Demonstrator)
* Cadet Assistant Peer Educator (Discontinued Changed to Demonstrator)
As of 1 January 2018, there are no more Cadet Trainee First Aider courses or Cadet Advanced First Aider courses following a review in mid-2017. Those with the roles still hold their qualifications; the only two clinical roles available are Cadet and Cadet First Aider
Those who already hold a Cadet Advanced First Aider role are permitted to keep this qualification and role bar until they turn 18 years old. After that and assuming they complete a transfer course, which introduces medical drugs and medical gases, they can directly transition to an adult Advanced First Aider.
Cadets have to be 13 to complete their Cadet Operational First Aider Course, allowing them to deliver first aid at events. Cadets and Cadet First Aiders are trained in the use of AEDs.
Roles of St John Ambulance Cadets :
| Role | Cadet Observer (role discontinued - replaced with "Cadet") | Cadet Trainee First Aider (role discontinued) | Cadet First Aider |
| Role bar | | | |

## Rank structure

The ranking structure for Cadets is as follows; they can only attain the title of non-commissioned officer (NCO).
Ranks and Insignia of St John Ambulance Cadets :
| UK Cadets | Officers | Cadet Senior NCOs | Cadet Senior NCOs | Cadet Senior NCOs | Cadet Senior NCOs | Cadet Junior NCOs | Cadet Junior NCOs | Cadets | Recruits |
| UK Cadets | CDT 8 | CDT 7 | CDT 6 | CDT 5 | CDT 4 | CDT 3 | CDT2 | CDT1 | CDT (R) |
| St John Ambulance Cadets ranks and shoulder marks | No equivalent | Leading Cadets LCDT | No equivalent | Cadet Sergeant CdtS | No equivalent | Cadets Corporal CdtC | No equivalent | Cadets CDT | No insignia Recruit RcT |
To be promoted to the rank of Cadet Corporal or Sergeant, they must have completed Cadet Leadership 1 training. For promotion to Leading Cadet, completion of Cadet Leadership 2 is essential. Once the leadership course is complete, they may have an interview with a panel usually consisting of the Unit Manager, Youth Leader, and District Youth Officers; some panels may also include a young person representative.

## Uniform

Uniform for St John Ambulance Cadets consists of two types - service delivery uniform, and non-clinical uniform.
The Service Delivery Uniform [commonly abbreviated as SDU] is used for operational activity, it's commonly worn when:
* providing first aid in an operational activity
* attending formal events, such as Remembrance Sunday
* taking part in drills
The standard issue to Cadets who have not yet completed their Operational First Aider qualification is a branded black polo shirt and a "Cadet" role bar.
Cadets who are registered as Cadet Operational First Aiders are entitled to SDU, provided by the organisation.