Duke Of Edinburgh Award

Starting in Year Ten, we help pupils find and complete the Volunteering, Skill, Physical and Expeditions sections. On average two-thirds of the year group join us, recognising how closely the Scheme's ideas match our own ethos of helping individuals develop their potential and having lots of fun along the way. While many have existing activities, we provide opportunities for those who are less confident or need guidance to complete all four sections. Instrumental lessons, Art Club, Eco Club, Computing and CDT Club are popular Skills while sports squad training, Badminton Club and Climbing Club are enjoyable ways of fulfilling the Physical requirements. We also offer a Volunteering opportunity through litter clearing in local beauty spots. Bronze expedition training takes place during some Friday games lessons and two weekends before the groups venture off to tackle a thirty-two kilometre journey, involving route finding and camping. The Silver and Gold Awards are tackled during Years Eleven and the Lower Sixth; these challenges being similar but for longer periods of time and over harder terrain for expedition. Each of the thirty to forty Awards per year is a real achievement and the pupils are warmly applauded in Assembly as they receive their certificates and badges. Those achieving Gold have their names added to the Honours Boards in the Library and, of course, visit the Palace. There is usually one of our D of E groups out on the hills every other weekend throughout the year and these are certainly the trips that pupils remember for years - for the challenge, the freedom, the fun and the sense of achieving more than they believed they could.