The DofE Mission
‘To inspire, guide and support young people in their self-development and recognise their achievements’.
Dear Parent / Carer,
I am really excited to be leading the Duke of Edinburgh Award at XP. It brings back so many great memories from when I did it at school. I was lucky enough to be able to complete and achieve my Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. I believe that this achievement opened many doors for me and gave me experiences I wouldn’t have otherwise discovered. The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme was introduced by Kurt Hahn, the same person who co-created Outward Bound, which Expeditionary Learning emerged from.
“There are so many rewards for young people who do DofE programmes and achieve an award. Its balanced programme of activities develops the whole person – mind, body and soul, in an environment of social interaction and team working”
The DofE Awards handbook for DofE Leaders
So at XP, all our students will begin their Duke of Edinburgh Award in year 9 starting with the Bronze award which they will complete by the end of the academic year.
The Bronze Award consists of a programme chosen by the student which includes a skill, physical and a voluntary section plus the completion of an outdoor expedition.
Volunteering: Undertaking service to individuals or the community
Physical: Improving in an area of sport, dance or fitness activities.
Skills: Developing practical and social skills and personal interests.
Expedition: Planning, training for and completion of an adventurous journey in the UK or abroad.
Two of the activities (excluding the expedition) must be done for at least an hour a week for a minimum of 3 months and the other activity for at least an hour a week for a minimum of 6 months. Each activity is monitored and finally assessed by someone with knowledge of that activity such as a coach (this can not be a family member). We expect students to continue these activities throughout the year, after the compulsory period where possible.
At the beginning of the year students were given access to their DofE online portfolios called ‘eDofE’. This is accessed through the DofE web site. Here they record their chosen activities along with their aims and goals. They must also upload evidence of their weekly activity which can be done in the form of scanned photos, images, notes etc. Students also need to ensure their paper activity log is signed by their assessor each week to confirm their participation.
XP provides a wide range of activities covering all three disciplines from cookery, gardening, clean up crew, table tennis, media crew, school magazine and more. A timetable of these activities is available to students in the DofE google classroom. It is also posted on the DofE section of the school website. If you would like to receive announcements and updates that are on the google classroom please ask your child to invite you to join.
As well as school-led activities, students can also choose activities outside of school, which we strongly encourage. There are lists of possible activity ideas posted in the DofE google classroom.
Although students are responsible for their own progress through the programme, their DofE leader and crew leader will be regularly tracking their progress. Every fortnight one crew session is allocated to DofE allowing students time to upload evidence to their portfolios and discuss any problems or issues they are having. We encourage you to actively monitor your child’s progress.
Students who do not need to do any school-led activities on Friday afternoon have the option of leaving school at 2:15pm, or staying in extended study.
In February, the friday afternoon activity sessions will end. This time will be used to prepare students for their outdoor expedition which takes place in May & June 2017. Following a successful practice expedition in May, students will then do their assessed expedition in June. Specific dates of the expedition weekends will be posted shortly.
Students will be trained in skills such as navigation, route planning and camp craft so that they are fully prepared for the expeditions. Bronze expeditions consist of 2 days hiking and one night camping.
I hope this helps you understand the DofE at XP. Our website is updated with all relevant information, however please feel free to email me if you need any more information.
Many thanks
Kate ap Harri
Voluntary DofE manager