DofE training walk

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award

At WSE we are very proud of the participation and completion levels of our Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. We currently have 275 students in Years 9-11 working towards their Bronze and Silver Awards despite the challenge of a pandemic to overcome!

In Year 9, students are given the opportunity to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, completing the Bronze Award. The Award consists of four sections; physical, voluntary, skill and the expedition. For the voluntary, skill and physical sections, students spend at least one hour a week for either 3 or 6 months completing theses sections.

In Year 10, students are given the opportunity to continue onto the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award. Two of the sections, which must include volunteering, will be for 6 months and the other for 3 months. Activities that our students have selected in the past are shown below.

Voluntary work:Dofe cathedral view

- Helping out at their old primary schools

- Volunteering at local nursing / care homes

- Working in local charity shops

- Supporting elderly people in their local communities

- Supporting at junior sports clubs

- Dog walking

- Assisting at the Trussell Trust Food Bank depot

Skills:

- Learning to cook

- Learning a foreign language

- Learning and then teaching others sign language

- Learning to play a musical instrumentBronze award practice walk

- Gaining a first aid qualification

- Conservation work

- Learning a variety of different arts and crafts

Physical:

- A wide range of martial arts

- Netball

- Dance

- Fitness

- Football

- Swimming

- Trampolining

- Tennis

- Fencing

For the Bronze Award, the practice and final expedition takes place over 1 night and 2 days. Our practice expedition takes place around Winterslow, ending at the school field and our final expedition takes place in the beautiful Valley of Pewsey. Students spend after school sessions training for the expeditions; learning how to use a compass, map read and navigate, set up a tent, first aid and cooking on a camping stove.

For the Silver Award, the practice and final expedition takes place over 2 nights and 3 days at varying destinations depending on group size.

We have an amazing participation level, with all places offered being taken and in the past 2 years, over 200 students have taken the Bronze Award.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award please visit their website or contact our DofE Manager, Mrs E Wells.

Visit the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award website Our SLT Link is Mrs C Smith