Duke of Edinburgh Award | Lincroft Academy

Award Summary:

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a nationally recognised qualification that focuses on improving skills and qualities of young people through a practical, “real-world experience” that benefits the young person and the local community.

There are three levels to the Award, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Lincroft Academy currently offers the Bronze Award to students in Years 9. Students in Year 10 are now offered the opportunity to begin the Silver Award. Typically, students complete the Award in order from Bronze to Gold, however students are able to enter each Award directly provided they meet the minimum age requirements.

How do I sign-up?

If you wish to sign up the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award this year, please complete the expression of interest form here by Monday 4th November. In the event of over-subscription, students will be allocated to the Bronze Award on a random basis. Places will be awarded on the Silver Award for students who did not get a place on last year’s Bronze Award and were on the waiting list from last year and those who have successfully completed their Bronze Award in the first instance. Students will be informed of their place by Friday 8th November and a non-refundable deposit of £40 will be required by Friday 22nd November to secure their place before enrolment on the programme. Further payments will be required through the year, with the final balance due before a student’s assessed expedition.

How much will it cost?

We run the whole of our DofE programme in-house in order to keep costs to families as low as possible. While the majority of students take part in sectional activities outside of school, most extra-curricular activities within school can contribute in some way to the DofE programme; whether that is attending football practice as part of a physical programme, volunteering in the library or learning a musical instrument. Please speak to Mr Street if you are unsure whether your activity counts before starting your programme.

This year the cost of each programme is as follows:

Bronze £100

Silver £200

This represents the direct costs of running the programme and all group kit for the expedition sections.

Overview of the 4 sections:

A more detailed overview can be found on the DofE website here.

Volunteering: Minimum 3 months – 1hr per week continuously unless alternative durations are agreed with your DofE Manager. This section is designed to promote independence in the participation and allow them to help in the community. This can be completed in person or virtually.
Physical: Minimum 3 months – 1hr per week continuously unless alternative durations are agreed with your DofE Manager. Any physical activity, either team based or individual. It can be an existing activity, or they can start a new one.
Skills: Minimum 3 months – 1hr per week continuously unless alternative durations are agreed with your DofE Manager. They can develop an existing skill, such as playing a musical instrument, or learn a new skill.

Students will also have to spend an extra 3 months (1hr per week, unless alternative durations are agreed with your DofE Manager) on one of the Volunteering, Physical or Skills sections and all three sections can be run concurrently. The DofE website has extensive support and details on each section and there have been adaptations to support student achieve them remotely as well.

Expedition:

One of the major and most memorable aspects of the Bronze Award, is the expedition. At this level, this takes on the form of a two-day, one night expedition. This year, in order to keep costs down, there will no overnight practice camping; students will still complete training and practice activities in order to be fully prepared for the assessed expedition. On the assessed expedition, students will have an assessor monitoring each group from a distance, so students will have a greater level of independence.

In addition, to support our students and ensure they have the necessary skills for the expedition element, they will be required to complete specific training prior to their expeditions. These will be run in afterschool and/or lunchtime sessions.

Training Programme:

Team building and fitness development planning
Map and compass skills
Route planning and navigation skills
Camp craft and equipment care
First Aid and Emergency Procedures
Risk, Health and Safety assessing
Understanding the Countryside and Highway code

If you are interested in the Duke of Edinburgh Award or have more questions please contact our Duke of Edinburgh Manager / LOTC Lead, Mr Ben Street, BStreet@lincroft.academy