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 9
After running a successful Bronze award with our Year 10 students last year we are pleased to be introducing the award to our Year 9 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.
There will be various meetings throughout the term to encourage and support the students with their award and their final expedition will take place around May 25 to complete their award.
Please see below the slides from the DofE Bronze & Silver Information Evening 30 September 2024
Bronze or Silver Award for Year 10
This year we will be giving the choice of awards to our Year 10 students. Once chosen, they will not be able to switch awards.
The Bronze award information is as above, whereas the Silver award varies slightly.
For the Silver award, participants will complete 6 months of volunteering as well as 3 and 6 months in either their physical and skills sections
*If you have not already done your Bronze award, you must undertake a further 6 months in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills 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.
Silver Award for Year 11
We will be offering the Silver award to our current Year 11 students.
For the Silver award, participants will complete 6 months of volunteering as well as 3 and 6 months in either their physical and skills sections
*If you have not already done your Bronze award, you must undertake a further 6 months in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections.
There will be various meetings throughout the term to encourage and support the students with their award and their final expedition will take place around July 25 to complete their award
Gold Award for Year 12
This year we are pleased to be launching the Gold award to our Year 12 students.
They will be completing their Volunteering section for 12 months and their Physical and Skills sections: One section for 12 months and the other section for 6 months
*If you didn’t do Silver, you must undertake a further 6 months in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections
They will also complete a 4-day practice, a 5-day qualifying expedition as well as a residential expedition.
Please see below the slides from the DofE Gold Information Evening 23 September 2024
If you would like further information on the award, information can be found on the main DofE website. There is also a useful booklet for parents/carers on how to support their child through the award, this can be found here.
If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact dofe@tringschool.org
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
