Penyrheol offers the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Bronze Award. Year 9 pupils can sign up to our fantastic programme during the Summer term.
DofE supports young people to develop their mind, body and soul in a non-competitive environment. They will be offered unique experiences and enjoy the rewards that come from them. In addition, the skills and personal attributes developed through participation are recognised and valued by colleges, universities and employers.
There are four sections at Bronze level:
- Volunteering – 3 months
- Physical – 3 months
- Skills – 3 months
- Expedition – plan, train and complete a 2 day, 1 night expedition
During their programme, participants will need to complete each sectional activity for an average of an hour a week over the required time. Participants must also undertake a further 3 months in either the Volunteering, Physical or Skills section. Participants must organise their own activities and source an assessor who must not be a family member. The three sectional activities: volunteering, physical and skill, must be completed before the Practice Expedition in late Spring of Year 10.
There is a one-off payment of £100, non-refundable, which includes DofE enrolment fee, all training days, transport, campsite fees, use of equipment such as rucksack, compass, map, stove, stove fuel, tent, group shelter, group first aid kit. Participants will need their own walking boots, waterproof trousers and waterproof coat, sleeping bag and roll mat. Cotswold, Go Outdoors, Trespass, Mountain Warehouse and Millets all offer discounts for DofE participants on showing your DofE card that will be received after enrolment.
Initially, participants in Year 9 will need to focus on the three sectional activities and uploading evidence on to edofe. Edofe is the online system that is used to show evidence of all the activities and must be updated regularly. During Year 10, we will focus on the expedition section with the aim of holding up to three training days on a Saturday (9am – 5pm), one overnight training day, (Friday 4pm – Saturday 5pm), a practice expedition and a final expedition, (both Saturday 8am – Sunday 5pm).
This Award requires dedication and a desire to see things through to the end; it is not easy and will challenge each individual in many ways, though ultimately, it is a very worthwhile, exciting and rewarding experience. Participants must attend afterschool sessions and training days in order to successfully complete and achieve the Award. However, the Award is not an award for attendance and participants must engage with the programme and develop their skills.
We want to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity, should they so wish, to participate in this programme, therefore, if there are any concerns regarding the payment or purchase of personal equipment, please contact the school for a confidential discussion.
For more information on the DofE Award, visit https://www.dofe.org/
Penyrheol DofE team
Ms Steel | Mr Binding | Miss Evans | Mrs Fussell |
Mr Clarkson | Miss Doel | Miss Pow | Mrs Kingdom |
DofE during Covid19
Whilst the £100 payment would normally be paid at the time of enrolment, due to current restrictions in movement, we will postpone payment until we are back in school.
The conditions for the three sectional activities (skill, volunteering and physical) have been adapted for the current pandemic. This means that the activities can be done from home and the assessor can be a member of Penyrheol’s DofE team. In order for the assessor to be one of our team, regular evidence will need to be uploaded to edofe.
Ideas for activities during Coronavirus:
- Skill: learning to cook, sew, use technology, play an instrument. These can all be taught by a family member in the house or by watching programmes / online tutorials.
- Volunteering: doing dog walking or shopping for someone who is self-isolating, teaching a younger sibling to play an instrument or mentor them with their online schoolwork.
- Physical: Joe Wicks PE lessons, walking, cycling, circuit training in the garden.
This is a great opportunity for pupils to gain credit for activities they are doing at home during lockdown.
Enrolment
In order for your child to become a DofE Bronze Award participant, you will need to complete and return the enrolment form.
Click here to open the Enrolment form
Contact the DofE team
If you have any questions about the Duke of Edinburgh Award, please contact us: Click here to open the email contact form.