It is a four section programme with three progressive levels:
- Bronze (for year 9)
- Silver (for year 10)
- Gold (for year 12)
The four sections are:
- Volunteering: helping other people in the local community
- Skills: covering almost any hobby, skill or interest
- Physical recreation: sports, dance and fitness
- Expeditions: training for, planning and completing, on foot, two weekend expeditions (camping overnight).
It takes at least six months to achieve the Bronze Award, twelve months for Silver and eighteen months for Gold. This means that pupils need approximately four hours per week dedicated to this Award, comprising 1 hour per week after school for the expedition training and 2-3 hours for their chosen activities.
To take part, it costs as follows:
- £22 for a welcome pack, eDofE account and limited personal accident insurance
- £64 for the training day and expeditions (food and transport not included).
There is little or no cost for the volunteering section, generally negligible cost for the skills section (but this does depend on the skill chosen) and costs for the physical recreation section vary depending on the activity chosen and local availability.
Pupils will need some basic equipment for the expeditions. It can be expensive but can often be borrowed or hired. Pupils will need a minimum 65 litre rucksack, good waterproof walking boots with ankle protection, cagoule and over trousers with taped seams, a sleeping bag and a roll up carry mat to sleep on. The school provides tents, cooking equipment, fuel, maps and group first aid kits (a small personal kit will be required). The school also pays all campsite fees and helper expenses (all staff who support D o fE are volunteers).
The Award is a remote supervision activity and, when the pupils are on their expedition, members of staff will only meet them at checkpoints on their route and at the campsite. All pupils are expected to attend weekly training sessions to become proficient in navigation, camp-crafts, health & safety and emergency procedures.
Information will be given to pupils who wish to enrol on the D of E programmes. For any queries related to D of E, please contact Mr Witts.
Please note that, due to Covid-19 restrictions, we cannot confirm dates for the 2020-21 day training and weekend expeditions at the moment.