The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme (DofE)

What is the DofE?

A Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is recognition of a young person’s successful journey of self-discovery and development, renowned by employers and universities alike for the qualities young people have, who have achieved a DofE Award.

Its balanced programme develops the whole person – mind, body and soul, in an environment of social interaction, fun and team working.

There are three progressive levels of the DofE Award scheme which, when successfully completed, lead to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Find out more about each level on the young people’s pages here.

To achieve each one, participants must pay for a participation place (currently £21) through a Licensed Organisation, Co-op Academy Priesthorpe is a Licensed Organisation (LO), and complete a programme of activities in four or five sections.

The programme of activities in each of the sections involve helping the community/environment (Volunteering), developing fitness (Physical), developing new talent like learning a language, playing a sport, learning to play an instrument (Skill), and finally the one they all talk about, the planning, training for and completing an overnight expedition and, for Gold only, working with a team on a residential activity.

Find out more about each section on the young people’s pages here.

To help you get started here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need to think about:

• You decide: It is up to you to find an activity that you wish to do in your own personal time; maybe something you’re already doing or something you are interested in. Most of all pick something you’ll enjoy – it’ll make it easier to stick at it !

• Where can I do an activity: Find out whether this activity can be done in your local area. If it can’t, then it might involve you looking further away or searching for another activity. Part of the challenge of doing your DofE is finding a local opportunity.

• How long do I have to do it: That depends on which Award (Bronze, Silver or Gold) you are working towards and on which section you are completing. Please see the section pages for the different time requirements by level.

• Insurance and safety for an activity: You may need to ask the provider of that activity what training and insurance cover is required or is in place.

• Check the activity: Remember to check if what you are planning to do is permitted for the section. The DofE is very firm on what activities fall into which sections and they cannot be used for more than one section.

• Changing your activity: Even though we don’t encourage this, if absolutely necessary, you may make one change of activity in each section at each level. You must restart the preparation, training, activity and assessment process and the time spent on both activities will add up to meet the overall time requirements for that section.

• Repeating activities for the next level: If you did a previous level (Bronze/Silver), you can choose the same activity for your next level (Silver/Gold), but you need to show development in it. It’s best to try something new !

• Remember to tell your Leader about your plans before you start so you don’t waste time on activities which won’t count or don’t fit into the right section!

Please speak to Miss Butterworth for more information (megan.butterworth@coopacademies.co.uk)

With the help of our DofE Leader, participants select their own programme of activities and set themselves objectives, which will challenge, and stretch abilities and above all be fun. It’s not a competition or about being first. It’s all about self-development.