DofE

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of practical, cultural and adventurous activities, designed to support the personal and social development of young people. Here at Pittville School our aim is to encourage young people to undertake exciting, constructive, challenging and enjoyable activities in their free time, under the supervision of the school. The Award is internationally recognised for providing a qualification widely revered by colleges, universities and employers, and is an amazing opportunity for our students to develop and discover the following:

The Award is split into 4 sections. Each participant chooses to do two sections for 3 months and one for 6.

Volunteering

Each participant volunteers their time to the community. This might be taking on responsibilities in and around the school, helping at a local charity, or volunteering their services to someone in need.

Physical

A physical activity, usually a sport or fitness related, where each participant can show improvement, achieve specific goals and learn competitiveness.

Skill

Defined as an activity that requires a skill set to accomplish. A skill could be something creative, such as learning a musical instrument, cooking or sewing. This could also be a table top game such as chess, or perhaps something academic like learning a new language outside the curriculum.

Expedition

The expedition section requires participants to undertake an assessed two day backpacking and camping expedition in small groups. They will learn how to plan and navigate a route, erect tents, cook for themselves, and complete a physically challenging walk.

Here at Pittville School we are dedicated to offering the DofE to all students by running it completely in-house. Therefore we do not pay for outside activity providers, or anyone outside the school to run training. This keeps the cost at a mere £60 per student, and allows us to give dispensation to families on lower income. All our expedition supervisors are fully trained by the Duke of Edinburgh’s charity, and our Award Leader Mr Lawton is a qualified Hill and Moorland Leader who has led our Bronze students on expeditions in the local Cotswold area, and our Silver groups on expeditions to the Malvern Hills and the Brecon Beacons.

We are always looking for new ways to build the resources available to us as a school, therefore we welcome any financial donations or contributions to the expedition equipment cupboard. We also welcome any parent to volunteer their time on expeditions, as an assessor for other children’s sections, or purely as a supporting their own children through the Award and encouraging them to achieve things outside their comfort zone.

We are proud to have registered over 150 students onto the Award in the last four years since beginning to offer The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and have built up nearly 200 hours of community service from our participants volunteering locally. As a team, we will strive to continue this trend and to develop the DofE further as part of Pittville’s inclusive culture, helping all our students to challenge themselves in ways they will remember forever.