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 should take a minimum of one hour a week over a set period, so they can fit around studying, hobbies and social lives. For more details about programmes and timescales.

More information on the DofE website: https://www.dofe.org/do/

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 the equipment. Participants will only be able to do their expedition if they attend the organised training. This will usually run every other week on Wednesday’s afterschool.

Expedition dates 2024

The expedition will be run by Entrust who will provide the camping equipment – tents, stoves etc. They will run the training during the first weekend and carry out the assessment during the qualifying weekend – this is all included in the cost.

Bronze (Year 9)

Practise Weekend – 12/13^th April 2025

Qualifying Weekend – 28/29^th June 2025

Silver (Year 10)

Practise Weekend – TBC

Qualifying Weekend – TBC

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 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, in addition to their other responsibilities. So please bear with them, they’ll get back to you as quickly as they can.

Mr Dickson (DofE Manager): jayson.dickson@hartschool.org.uk

How much does DofE cost?

• Bronze - £28.00 participation fee
• Silver - £28.00 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.

Approximately £150 expedition fee – this is subject to some slight changes, depending on costs. Once you have enrolled and started the award, we will provide more information 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 within 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.