Duke of Edinburgh
The Hart School is delighted to offer The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
For the past seven decades, The Duke of Edinburgh awards, the world’s leading youth achievement award, has inspired and transformed the lives of millions of young people from all walks of life. From volunteering to physical activities, life skills to expeditions, achieving a DofE Award is a passport to a brighter future, valued by employers and universities.
The DofE is a great chance for your child to broaden their horizons, discover new interests and talents, have fun with friends, develop essential skills for their future and achieve an internationally renowned Award.
What is DofE?
The DofE is non-competitive and open to all young people – it’s about setting personal challenges and pushing personal boundaries.
Through their DofE, students will make friends and memories and build traits like confidence, resilience and self-esteem, which can benefit mental health. They’ll gain skills and attributes for work and life, like problem-solving, team-working and self-motivation – and they’ll achieve an Award that’s recognised by top employers and can help them stand out when applying for university or jobs.
To achieve their Bronze or Silver Awards, participants must complete four sections: Skills, Volunteering, Physical and their Expedition.
Every young person’s DofE programme is personal to them – they can choose what they’d like to do for their Skills, Volunteering and Physical sections, and most activities can count. We will provide guidance and support, and students can either choose to continue an activity they already do or discover something completely new.
Activities for each section take a minimum of one hour a week over a set period of time, so they can fit around studying, hobbies and social lives. For more details about programmes and timescales.
Who can take part in DofE at the Hart School?
DofE bronze award is open to all Year 9 students. Sign up will take place from the summer term in Year 8 before commencing the award from the start of year 9.
Students in Year 10 who have completed Bronze the award in year 9 will have the opportunity to progress completing the Silver award.
Why do DofE?
It’s hard to list all the benefits of achieving your Award, so here’s a quick snapshot. You’ll…
- Have lots of fun
- Get healthier and happier
- Meet incredible people and make lasting friendships
- Have amazing new experiences
- Find talents and passions you didn’t know you had
- Gain skills that employers value, which you can use on your CV
- Become more confident and independent
- Stand out from the crowd in college, university and job applications
- Make memories that will last a lifetime.
What does the expedition involve?
The Expedition section involves your child working as part of a small team to plan their expedition’s aim, choose a location and do some training to make sure they’re fully prepared – before spending two days and one night in the countryside.
Ahead of this, they will take part in training sessions and a training weekend covering basic expedition principles, such as route planning and using equipment. Participants will only be able to do their expedition if they attend the organised training.
How do I sign up to DofE?
Students can register their interest in signing up for DofE via their form tutor.
What do I need to do for DofE?
Bronze (Year 9)
It will usually take you at least 6 months to complete your Bronze programme.
- Volunteering section: 3 months
- Physical section: 3 months
- Skills section: 3 months
- Expedition section: 2 days/1 night
You also have to spend an extra three months on one of the Volunteering, Physical or Skills sections. It’s your choice which one and, though you can change your mind later, you should decide which section you want to do for longer at the beginning. Knowing how long you’re going to do it for will help you to choose your activity and set your goals for each section.
Silver (Year 10)
It will take you at least 6 months to complete your Silver programme, if you’ve already achieved your Bronze.
- Volunteering section: 6 months
- Physical and Skills sections: One section for 6 months and the other section for 3 months
- Expedition section: 3 days/2 nights
Who do I contact for more information about DofE at the Hart School?
Mr Windows leads the award. Please contact them via email in the first instance if you have any questions regarding the award.
All our staff who lead and run the award volunteer their time to do so. So please bear with them, they’ll get back to you as quickly as they can.
Mr Windows – alexander.windows@hartschool.org.uk
How much does DofE cost?
£23 participation fee – you will be invited to pay this via parent pay after the deadline for signing up has closed. This goes direct to DofE giving you access to the eDofE portal and the welcome pack.
~£100 expedition fee – this is subject to some slight changes, depending on costs. Once you have enrolled and started the award, we will begin sharing information regarding dates of the expeditions (1 practise and 1 qualifying weekend) and open parent pay to start collecting fees. These will be divided into smaller payments over a few months.
What is in the DofE Welcome Pack
This normal arrives 2 to 3 weeks after we have officially enrolled you onto the course and is sent out from DofE head office.
The packs contains:
- Assessor Cards for each section.
- Expedition safety card.
- DofE information and flyers.
- DofE clothing information.
- Expedition clothing guide and discount card for major outdoor retailers.
If this does not arrive within 2-3 weeks, you can download a digital version of the welcome pack.
How are the sections of the DofE award tracked?
Participants can create their DofE programme and record their progress using eDofE, the DofE’s digital system, available online and through the DofE app – downloadable for free from Google Play and the App Store.
If your child decides to enrol, we will set up their eDofE account and they will receive details of how to sign in and get started.
What happens if I withdraw from DofE at The Hart School?
If you decide you no longer want to take part in DofE, please let us know and we will remove you from our lists.
After you pay the £23 participation fee, your portal will remain active until you are 25 years old, as you can ago back to the award, even at another centre anytime until you are 25. Therefore, we are not able to refund the participation fee.
What counts as volunteering for DofE?
Volunteering’s all about taking action and making a difference to other people’s lives.
Considerations:
- Should be done, on average, for at least 1 hour a week for 3 or 6 months.
- Do something to help someone else for nothing in return.
- You cannot help a family member or business.
What activities can I do for the physical section?
The physical section is a chance for you to focus on your health and fitness and have fun along the way.
Considerations:
- Should be done, on average, for at least 1 hour a week for 3 or 6 months.
- Any type of sport/fitness activity will count, including after school/lunchtime clubs.
- PE lessons don’t count.
What activities can I do for the skills section?
From coding to cookery, the Skills section lets you learn a new talent, develop existing skills and discover new things you love.
Considerations:
- Should be done, on average, for at least 1 hour a week for 3 or 6 months.
- Learn something new, not sport related.
- Your skill, physical and volunteering sections cannot be the same activity.
How do I access the eDofE Portal for the first time and set timescales?
How do I set up my sections and upload evidence on eDofE?
What evidence should I collect for each section of the award?
Considerations:
- You need to do 3 different activities – you cannot use the same activity for more than one section.
- Should be done, on average, for at least 1 hour a week for 3 or 6 months.
Is your activity part of an organised club or group?
Use the activity logs – record every time you complete an activity and for how long.
Get your leader/instructor/coach etc. to sign this.
Upload your log to the eDofE portal.
Is your activity done by myself or at home?
Use the activity log – record every time you complete a activity and for how long.
Physical section – track using an app – screenshot and upload to eDofE.
Skills – take lots of pictures of your progress – upload these to eDofE.
Who can my assessor be for the different sections of the award?
Your assessor cannot be a parent – even if your parent is a leader/coach/instructor of a group or organisation. Is there someone else who could do your assessment? Or collate your evidence together and a teacher or DofE leader can be your assessor.
Is your activity part of an organised club or group?
Then your assessor will be the leader/instructor/coach etc. will be your assessor.
You will need their contact details to put on the eDofE portal.
Is your activity done by myself or at home?
Then a teacher or DofE leader will be your assessor.
Put the member of staff’s email address and the school’s info (phone no. etc) as the contact info