The Stores Number Is the Chain of Custody
Issuing a sleeping bag without logging its stores number against a cadet's student ID is not a stores system — it's an honor system. The distinction matters when the sleeping bag comes back damaged, doesn't come back at all, or when the cadet leaves the school and the quartermaster needs to account for everything issued over two years. Without a stores number tied to a consignee, you have stock counts. You don't have accountability.
This template builds the accountability chain directly into the issuance record. Every borrowable item — Sleeping Bag, Roll Mat, Basher, Water Bottle, Mess Tin, Bergen, Waterproofs, Daysack, Poncho — has both an issuance boolean and a dedicated Stores Number field. The Student ID barcode scan anchors the record to the individual. The Stores ID barcode field anchors the physical item to its serial identity. One record connects both.
The Split Between RAF and Army That the Template Enforces
A CCF with both RAF and Army sections has two uniform systems, two size conventions, and two sets of inspection standards. The Which Branch of CCF? field is the gate that determines which half of the uniform fields is relevant for a given cadet. RAF cadets draw the light blue shirt, dark blue shirt, utility jumper, brassard, and parade shoes. Army cadets draw MTP combat shirt, combat trousers, non-static t-shirt, smock, and green fleece. Rank insignia is branch-specific too — RAF Chevrons with a "Which Rank Chevrons?" text field, versus MTP Rank Slide with "Which Rank?" for Army.
The MTP Boots field carries an in-field instruction that most templates would put in documentation instead: "DO NOT TICK IF NOT PAID." Boots in CCF stores are typically purchased by cadets rather than issued, and the payment status determines whether the tick is valid. That operational constraint embedded in the field name is the kind of thing that prevents a quartermaster who's new to the role from issuing boots that weren't paid for, because the instruction is right there on the data entry screen.
Location Of Stores — Top Stores, Bottom Stores, or Checked Out — is the three-state field that answers the only question a stores audit cares about: where is this item right now? The default state is "Checked Out," which means any item not positively confirmed to be in a physical location is assumed to be in the field. That's the right default for a system where the failure mode is assuming something is on the shelf when it isn't.
What an Audit Looks Like at Year-End
Filter on "Checked Out" items. Cross-reference against Year Group. Cadets who have left the school but still have items flagged as Checked Out — those are the chases. The Pre Assigned Stores Number? boolean tells you whether a given item came into the system already numbered from a previous issuance cycle or was numbered fresh on checkout. Pre-assigned items have provenance; fresh-numbered items were clean when issued.
A CCF with 200 cadets across both sections, two field equipment cycles per year, and annual inspection requirements needs this data structured — not remembered.