Army Foundation College

As of 2018, the cost of fully training an infantry soldier through AFC, at £103,000, was twice that of training an adult recruit to the same standard for the same job at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick, at £53,000.[22]

The British Army's policy of enlisting from age 16 has also been criticised for leading to lower trainee retention than is found among adult recruits.[23]

In view of developing children's rights standards and evidence showing a detrimental impact of military training and employment on younger recruits,[24][25][26][27][28][29] several bodies, including the Children's Commissioners for each of the four nations of the UK and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, have also called on the armed forces to raise the minimum age of enlistment to 18.[25][30][31]

In response to these concerns, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has defended the current policy, stating in 2016: 'The army needs to attract school and college leavers at the earliest opportunity.'[32] In the same year, the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nick Carter, added: '[T]he fact that our junior entry is always 100% manned is indicative of people finding that it is something that is really positive to do.'[33]

In 2018 and 2021, the education inspectorate Ofsted awarded the college an 'outstanding' grade for its duty of care. The 2021 report noted: 'Recruits speak consistently of fair and respectful treatment from all staff...'[34]

Between 2014 and 2022, recruits made 72 formal complaints of allegations of assault or other ill-treatment by staff at the college.[35][36] 13 of the allegations were proven following investigation, of which seven occurred since 2017.[37]

In 2021, nine investigations were opened into sexual offences against 22 girls at AFC; in one investigation, three of the suspected perpetrators were members of staff.[38][39] The revelations were the subject of a Vice News report in July 2022.[40]

In 2021, an instructor was convicted for abusing recruits.[41][42] In 2023, another instructor was convicted of eight counts of disgraceful conduct of a cruel or indecent kind and one count of sexual assault, which took place over nine months between 2020 and 2021.[43]

In 2017, the MOD confirmed reports that 17 instructors at AFC would be standing trial at court martial for 40 counts of alleged physical abuse of recruits during battle camp at Kirkudbright, Scotland, in 2014.[44] ForcesTV, and the Guardian reported that the allegations included assault, holding trainees' heads under water, and forcing animal dung into their mouths.[45][46][47] The case was reported as the British Army's largest ever investigation of abuse.[48][49]

At a preliminary hearing in September 2017, the accused pleaded not guilty to all charges.[47] The trial in February 2018 collapsed after the judge ruled that the investigation by the Royal Military Police had been 'seriously flawed', and that a fair trial for the defendants would no longer be possible.[50]

An internal review confirmed multiple failings by the Royal Military Police. It noted that, in addition to recruits who had lodged formal complaints, 'a considerable number of JS [junior soldier recruits] who had been the subject of ill treatment / assaults' had not wished to do so.[51]