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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award [DofE] at The Bulmershe School is a thriving as aspect of our curriculum Leadership and Challenge block taught in year 9. There is an opportunity for students to complete Silver Award in 6th form and Year 10 in extra-curricular time. New this year, Gold Award has been launched to year 12 students.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme is the world leading youth achievement award. From volunteering to physical activities, life skills to expeditions, achieving a D of E award is a passport to a brighter future, valued by employers and universities alike.
These Awards give you the chance to do something completely new and improve on things you’re already doing. It takes you out of your comfort zone and into a place where you’ll push yourself and have amazing new experiences.
A DofE Award not only enhances CVs and University applications, but also provides participants with plenty of opportunities to build on teamwork, survival and life skills.
Through DofE, Students will build independence, confidence, resilience and organisational skills. And you’ll have a brilliant time doing it!
Click on the links below for more information:
DofE Awards
Dates for 2024- 2025:
Bronze (Year 9) DofE
Practice expedition: 8th - 9th May 2025
Qualifying expedition: 22md - 23rd May 2025
Silver (Y10 and y12) DofE
Practice expedition: 25th - 27th April (Note - previously advertised as 2nd - 4th May 2025)
Qualifying expedition: 4th - 6th July 2025
Gold DofE
Practice expedition: 28th - 31st May 2025
Qualifying expedition: 18th - 21st July 2025
Bulmershe Duke of Edinburgh Leads
DofE Manager for the Bulmershe school
Dr Harris
Nharris@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk
Assistant DofE manager
Miss Pooler
Outline of the Scheme
There are 4 sections for both the Bronze and Silver Awards.
|
COMPONENT |
EXPLANATION |
|---|---|
|
Volunteering |
Students undertake service to individuals or the community |
|
Physical |
Students aim to improve in an area of sport, dance or fitness |
|
Skills |
Students develop practical and social skills and personal interests |
|
Expedition |
Students plan and train for the completion of an adventurous journey and camping in the UK |
For more information about the award and how you can support your child in completion please visit the DofE website.
DofE Kit List
Students are expected to provide personal items for their expeditions. Group kit is provided by the school.
Kit: The kit list contains essential items, and it's crucial that it's up to the task. Rucksacks should be of a suitable size, and walking boots should be worn correctly to support the feet and ankles, ensuring safety and enjoyment. Excess gear can slow the team down and detract from the experience. The DofE guide provides detailed insights into key aspects of the kit: DofE Kit Guide.
Kit Packing: Ensure all bags are comfortable to carry and protected from getting wet, damaged, or lost. All items (except large foam roll mats if they really don't fit) should be packed inside the bag. It's also important for students to pack their own kit as they're responsible for its use and repacking. For more information, see the DofE article: Everything You Need to Know About Packing Your Expedition Rucksack.
Food: Students need to bring food for two lunches, an evening meal (two courses), and breakfast. Meals should be balanced, containing major food groups and providing the energy needed for exercise. Students also need to consider weight, pack size, and ease of cooking. Avoiding fried food can save hours of scrubbing grease off pans.
EDofE App
The eDofE is thedigital system where participants record their DofE programme and activities online, and get each section approved by their DofE Leader.
On eDofE you can easily select what you want to do for each section, and get your DofE Leader to approve your choices and Assessor. You can check your progress throughout your programme and submit evidence in a variety of formats. You can message your DofE Leader and other participants in your group from within eDofE. You can also download your DofE Voucher from eDofE, giving you savings of at least 10% at our recommended retailers.
Find out more on the official DofE website
How long does the DofE Programme take to complete?
DofE Responsibility
Responsibility is a school value, so we encourage our DofE students to take responsibility for their own award (with your support). They can do this by speaking to their DofE teacher or DofE Manager directly about any concerns or queries. There is also a google classroom set up for all of the DofE groups which should answer most of their questions. Parents should be able to see all the resources posted so that you can best support your child.
More ideas about how you can support your child here. https://www.dofe.org/do/parents/
To get an assessor's report uploaded once you have completed a section: send your assessor the link - https://www.dofe.org/assessor/ along with your ID number, section and level
Adding evidence to eDofE
Each section should show an hour a week for the assessment period. We are looking for consistency and progress towards their goal.
The evidence could be photographs or completion of these record logs:
