Duke of Edinburgh Award
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a high quality, enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme of personal development activities for young people aged 14 – 25.
Bronze Award for Year 10
We have successfully launched our Bronze award to our Year 10 students and are pleased to have signed up over 90 students. They will be completing their physical, skill and volunteering sections for either 3 or 6 months and will finish their award by completing their expedition in the Chilterns to sign off their Bronze award.
This year we held two separate expeditions in May and, in preparation, students attended meetings for kit & packing, food planning and navigation & first aid.
Silver Award for Year 11
We are excited to have signed up 28 students to the Silver award both from our signed off Bronze cohort as well as direct participants. All participants will complete 6 months of volunteering as well as 3 and 6 months in either their physical and skills sections.
This year, as well as completing their three sections, they will have a practice expedition in the rolling hills of the South Downs and a qualifying expedition in the beautiful Peak District to look forward to.
Dates for expeditions are as follows:
- Practice expedition Thursday 21 March - Sunday 24 March
- Qualifying expedition Monday 15 July - Thursday 18 July
Students will also need to attend compulsory meetings at school:
- Thursday 1 February – Team building/food planning, kit & packing
- Monday 11 March – Final meeting before practice expedition
In addition there will be other meetings either at break or lunchtimes that will be communicated to you via the google classroom.
There will be a final meeting the week before the qualifying expedition to ensure that all groups know the final details for their expedition weekend. A letter will also come out nearer the time to confirm this.
Gold Award for Years 12/13
This year we are pleased to have signed up 6 students to complete their Gold award.
We will be supporting these students with their sections, however they will be undertaking their expeditions with an external activity provider and will be completing a 4-day practice, a 5-day qualifying expedition as well as a residential expedition.
Please see below an great example of a Duke of Edinburgh presentation
EXPEDITION KIT
Wildside Outdoors will provide tents, Trangia stoves, stove fuel, maps of the area and compasses. This equipment will be split between team members to be carried throughout the expedition. Students should ensure they keep room in their rucksack for shared group kit. You can find a list of personal kit that you will need to obtain at this link: https://wildsideoutdoors.co.uk/expedition-guide/personal-expedition-kit-not-provided-by-wildside/
Please don’t feel like you need to head out and buy new equipment. Tring School has a small supply of items that we can loan if needed. Remember, you can use the DofE card you will have received in your welcome pack to get a discount at a range of outdoor stores. If you have not received this, please get in touch and we can reissue one.
Skills
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme?
The Duke of Edinburgh award was founded in 1956 by Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, and recognises the achievements of young people completing a specified series of activities that not only benefit the young person but also their community. Tring School has been running DofE awards since 2015 and currently have over 150 in the programme. Further information What is the DofE Award?
Why would my child benefit from completing the award?
There are a number of benefits to taking part: pushing personal boundaries; experiencing new activities and challenges; acquiring new skills; and enhancing a CV. DofE also makes participants highly attractive applicants to universities and potential employers. DofE helps participants develop leadership, teamwork, self-motivation, communication, confidence, consideration and the ability to learn. Further information.
Which year groups can participate in the DofE award scheme?
There are 3 progressive levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. At Tring School, we run DofE programmes in the following year groups:
- Year 9 – Bronze (new for 2024/25)
- Year 11 – Bronze or Silver, they will not be able to switch schemes (for 2024/25 only)
- Year 12 – Gold (Offered if minimum number of participants met)
Participants embarking on the Silver award do not need to have completed the Bronze award beforehand; similarly, participants about to start the Gold award do not need to have completed the Bronze or Silver awards, although they will find completing the award more straightforward and shorter if they have done.
How long does a DofE award take?
There are three levels of programme you can do which, when you’ve successfully completed them, lead to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The main differences between them are the minimum length of time it takes to complete them and how challenging it is.
Please click on this link to head to the DofE website to read their information about timescales.
Does it matter if my son/daughter cannot commit to one of the expedition dates or the training day?
Unfortunately, yes, participants do need to commit to the training day in full, the practice expedition and the qualifying expedition in order to successfully complete their DofE award. The training day forms part of the award itself and teaches participants the skills they will need to successfully complete their expeditions. These will include basic navigation, cooking a meal, using a stove, pitching a tent, packing a rucksack and first aid.
What activities can my son/daughter choose for the Volunteering, Physical and Skill sections?
There are a vast array of activities to choose from – participants need to check the official Approved List of possible activities on the official DofE website (www.dofe.org/sections).
If the above does not answer your questions, please look on the DofE website or email dofe@tringschool.org
