The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

1. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

2. Sections of the Award • There are FOUR sections of the Award.. • Volunteering – helping others • Skill (hobby) – developing personal interests • Physical Recreation (Sport) - encouraging physical fitness and an active lifestyle • Expedition - undertaking an adventurous journey in a group

3. How long do they have to do it? • They need to do each of the three sections for at least 3 months. • Do an average of 1 hour per week. • They need to choose one of the sections to do for an extra 3 months making that section 6 months in total.

4. Volunteering Section – Introduction Participants should: • identify the need for the service • gain some knowledge of the needs of those whom they will be assisting • receive briefing and training in the skills required to give that service

5. Volunteering • Involves doing something which will be of benefit to somebody else • Pupils will in most cases have to find somebody or organisation to help.

6. Skill - Introduction • This is a hobby which they may already be doing or they may wish to take up • As a guideline, it must not involve doing anything which involves ‘getting sweaty’!

7. Skills Section Participants should: • Select and follow an activity • Show progression and sustained interest • Gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the activity

8. Skills Section: First Aid Courses • These are the most popular at Bronze Level. • They involve attending a course run by Miss Malewski who is a qualified St. John Ambulance trainer, and will result in a recognised qualification. • Follow-up requirement. • There are several such courses scheduled, some have started and more may be available.

9. Skills Section: Other Courses • These include Angling Club; Photography Club; Choirs; Drama Club; Warhammer Club etc. • Details on the website!

10. Physical Recreation • This needs to involve ‘getting sweaty’! • They do not need to be a star sports person to take part. • They only have to PARTICIPATE • They only need to show that they have IMPROVED

11. Supervision • For each of these three sections, you need to have someone who is prepared to supervise your son/daughter while they are doing the course, help them with it, and be prepared to sign their record book up at the end. • These people must be over the age of 18, they must not be a member of the family, and they must have either experience in the activity and/or a qualification in that activity!

12. Supervision • In all cases, it is the responsibility of parents to assess the suitability of the supervising adult unless the activity is organised directly through school, such as a specific course.

14. EXPEDITIONS • This is the bit which most people find the most fun. • The idea is that they go as part of a group of between 4 and 7 people, on their own, into the wilderness, and find their way from start to finish along a route which they have devised. • They will need to carry all food, tents, stoves and clothes to allow them to be self sufficient for the duration of the trip. • There must also be a purpose to the expedition

15. Expedition Training • They will be trained in the art of using camping gear, packing rucksacks, putting tents up, and using a map to navigate their way around. • You do not need to buy loads of gear for these! • The school has plenty of tents, stoves and rucksacks, but they will need to have their own boots, sleeping bags, and waterproof clothing.

16. Practice Expedition • They will go on a practice expedition with adult supervisors who will make sure that they know what they are doing and that they are safe. • They need to walk for a total of 15 miles over two days including one night’s camping.

17. Practice Expedition – where? • Training will take place in the local area over between Friday 11th and Sunday 13th February. This is the only compulsory weekend which all pupils have to attend. • There are three practice expeditions which will take place in North Norfolk in March or April. Pupils need to attend ONE of these expeditions.

18. Assessment Expeditions • Take place in the summer or early autumn terms. • This involves going up north for three days! • Unfortunately this means a day off school! • Places they may go to include the Lake District, Peak District, North York Moors, and the Yorkshire Dales

20. Who will take your son/daughter away? • The school is very fortunate in having its own Expedition Team – something that no other school in North Herts has. • Its members are very experienced in organising and taking part in school expeditions, from local Bronze training to Gold expeditions in Snowdonia, and taking part in foreign expeditions.

21. Who will take your son/daughter away? • All of our expedition Team have been CRB checked. • On each expedition there will be several members who have recognised outdoor qualifications, and there will always be at least one adult with a Mountain Leader Award.

22. Expedition Safety • Need to balance safety while on expedition with the requirement of the Award which states that pupils must complete their journey independent of adult help.

23. Expedition Safety • Pupils are ‘stalked’; are in contact by ‘two-way’ radio; have mobile phone contact numbers; have GPS machines to allow them to give their exact location; and are trained in emergency procedures. • At Bronze level staff are never more than 30 minutes from the pupils. • The expedition team have an excellent safety record.

24. Expedition Safety • Safety is a ‘two way’ process. • Pupils are expected to play their part by doing what they are told and not breaking any of the school rules or instructions given to them by the Expedition Team on the trip. • Penalties will be severe if pupils break rules which lead to possible danger.

25. Hired Gear from the School • Tents, Rucksacks, Stoves, Karrimats and some other items are available for hire from the school. • Typically, the costs are per item per trip and this cost is spread between the people who share it.

26. Hired Gear from the School • Pupils will bring a letter home with them following the planning meeting for their trips to show you what gear they have hired. • It is the responsibility of the pupils and parents to ensure that the gear comes back to us clean and above all dry.

27. Hired Gear from the School Unfortunately in recent years there has been a trend towards abuse of some items of gear. Any gear found to be returned in a condition which means it cannot be re-hired will be repaired or replaced by the school at the expense of the participant. Repair charges will be based on an hourly rate or around £10 per hour.

28. Pre-Expedition Requirements Pupils will only be allowed to attend the Assessment Expeditions if: • They have successfully completed their Practice Expedition and proved their competence to the Expedition Team. • They have started at least one of their other three sections, and have organised the other two sections of the Award

29. Why join the scheme? • It is good fun – over half of each year takes part in the scheme and most complete it, so it must be OK! • It is very worthwhile – it gives pupils the chance to do things which they may not otherwise do. • If they see the Award through all the way to Gold level, they receive an invite to the Palace to meet Prince Philip or Prince Edward to get their Gold certificate! • Employers like it as they see it as a voluntary activity which they know has taken a lot of hard work in completing. It sets them apart from other pupils.

30. What will it cost? • The record book is £12.00 • The school makes a charge of £3.00 for admin/post etc. • The expedition training and practice trip to Norfolk is £35.00 • This makes an initial total of £50.00 • Assessment expeditions will cost in the region of £40.00 • Other costs depend on what they do for their Service, Skill and Sport sections – the First Aid course for example will cost about £5.00. Other will cost nothing.

31. Deadline Dates • All forms handed out with the initial letter, i.e. the School’s application form to join the scheme and the parental consent form for the practice expedition, together with £50.00 must be handed into the school by this Monday.

32. When can participants start? • The Award states that all pupils must be at least 14 before they can start their participation in the Bronze Award. • This however would mean significant disadvantage for pupils who have late birthdays. • The Award have compensated for this problem by stating that:

33. When can participants start? • Pupils may start the Bronze Award in January of their Year 9 regardless of whether they are actually 14 at that time. • However, all participants must be at least 14 and a half before they may complete their Award. • This means that all Year 9 pupils can finish by the end of February of their Year 10 which is early enough for the Area’s Presentation Evening in April of 2012.

34. Completion of the Scheme • Most Pupils should be on track to complete everything for the Award by the Christmas of their Year 10, or very soon thereafter. • Pupils will need to get their record books signed up correctly to save time and hassle.

35. eDofE and The Welcome Pack: • eDofE – a new web based method of recording progress through the Award • These will be issued around half term as it takes a little time for ‘County’ to obtain these.

36. The Record Book – getting ‘signed-up’ • All information regarding correct signing of the books is on the website

37. Support • Mr Glover is available every form period for pupils to come and visit if there are problems. • There will also be ‘drop-in’ sessions open to all pupils to check on their progress. • All pupils will be called in to see Mr Glover to let him know what they have chosen to do for their various sections

38. Support • Pupils will receive a folder with their record books giving advice. • The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award website is: www.theaward.org

39. Support The KTS D. of E. website More importantly, the school now has a very comprehensive website which will be the prime source for all information for the Award.

40. Support The KTS D. of E. website • Dates for all D. of E. events • Lists of participants on all expeditions • Kit lists and gear advice • Information on how to get the Keeping Track Booklet completed • Various downloads • Photographs from various events • We are assuming that parents are happy for photographs from these events to be put onto the website and there is a tick box on all trip medical and permission forms for you to agree to this or not as the case may be!

41. Support The KTS D. of E. website • Certain sections of the site are password protected as they contain pupils names and dates when they are scheduled to be on activities. • The password for these sections is “devoke” http://www.ktemplar.herts.sch.uk/dofe/Pages/