Duke of Edinburgh Award
What is it?
DofE is an Award to give young people skills, confidence and an edge when applying for College, University and jobs. At Alderwood we offer the Bronze Award in Year 9 and it is done as a period 6 session.
Why should you get involved?
The Duke of Ednburgh Award teaches young people skills they may not have had before such as camping and navigation skills. In addition to those expedition type skills, young people are encouraged to learn new skills and get physically fit.
What it involves at Alderwood School
At Alderwood School, we pride ourselves on training for and running Bronze expeditions. Throughout January to July pupils learn about map reading, navigation, hiking, camping and cooking. Period 6 sessions are done at the school with a qualified instructor (either Mr Neath or Mr McCormack).
In addition to the period 6 sessions, pupils will be expected to attend 4 outdoor events.
Navigation Walk: Starting at Wellington Statue, pupils will be placed in groups and given a set instructor. With nothing but a map and a compass, pupils are trained to navigate around in this open area.
Long Walk: To help prepare the pupils for the long walks, pupils continue in their groups under instruction and navigate in the woods. This day is aimed at training the pupils at walking longer distances while maintaining their navigation skills.
Practice Expedition: To give the pupils an idea of what to expect on their assessment, we carry out a practice expedition in Crondall. This starts on a Saturday and ends the following day. Pupils will be expected to walk 12km on each day as well as setting up their campsite and cooking their food. Their instructor will be around but will be more hands off as we try and give the pupils an accurate portrayal of the real thing.
Assessment Week: In the final part of Alderwood Bronze Expedition training, pupils are assessed over two days around Frensham with an official assessor. Instructors will be available for safety purposes.
DofE is a commitment and pupils are expected to have regular attendance to stay on the award as it can have an impact on the rest of their team.
Teachers Involved
- Mr Neath (Head of Computing)
- Mr McCormack (Head of Year 7)
- Mrs Connor-Lown (Head of Geography)
- Mr Ali (Science Teacher)
- Mr Thrasher (English Teacher)
Contact Details
For further information, you can email Mr Neath (Duke of Edinburgh Lead) using the following email address:
p.neath@alderwood.hants.sch.uk
You can also follow us on Twitter using Alderwood official DofE account:
