The Duke of Edinburgh Award at TMBS
Why choose D of E?
The DofE gives you the chance to do something completely new and improve on things you’re already doing. It takes you out of your comfort zone and into a place where you’ll push yourself and have amazing new experiences. You’ll build confidence, resilience, skills for work and friendship groups. And you’ll have a brilliant time doing it. For example, our students have been enriched by giving back to their community by volunteering their time at charity shops or helping out at local sports clubs. Many students have also developed skills such learning how to play a musical instrument, cooking and baking or obtaining a photography qualification. One of our students has even helped organise a national Charity event. In addition, participants have engaged in physical activities such as show jumping, participating in park runs, rugby, golf, zumba and dodgeball.
Through their engagement in the award, students are pushing personal boundaries, gaining new skills and enhancing their CVs and colleges, universities and employers regard a DofE Award highly so it will help to open the right doors for you. If you’re keen to get off the sofa and put 100% into something that could change your life, then DofE is for you.
The DofE web site states that “The benefits of participating in the award are endless. It is an enormously valuable achievement and is recognised worldwide. Universities and employers are looking for more than good grades and extra-curricular activities; they are looking for evidence that show more of you than your academic achievements so emphasising your involvement on your UCAS application for example can tell an institution that a young person is ambitious and has a positive attitude as well as a range of interests. There are many benefits from having a DofE Award on your CV, particularly in regards to employability. Having a DofE Award will certainly help a young person stand out from the crowd.”
To find out how a DofE Award could benefit you now and in the future, visit the DofE website http://www.dofe.org/.
Levels covered at TMBS:
We currently offer the bronze level award to our Year 10 students.
The bronze DofE Award has 4 sections, Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition. You must do a minimum of 3 months activity for each of the Volunteering, Physical and Skills sections. You will also have to spend an additional three months on one of these sections.
Many of you are already doing some clubs that qualify for your award.
These sections are arranged and carried out by students individually and the DofE website is full of ideas for activities that would be suitable; see attached PDF’s below for some examples.
The Expedition:
The Expedition section is arranged and run by the school through an approved activity provider, Premier Expeditions. Preparation for the expedition involves a significant amount of training in navigation and camp-craft which are covered in after school sessions. Students will also complete one day of training, as part of the practice expedition, prior to the final two day (one night) assessed expedition. As a school we were fortunate enough to obtain lottery funding and have purchased all the group equipment including rucksacks, sleeping bags, tents, cooking equipment and maps, but students will need to provide some of their own personal equipment and clothing.
Fortnightly lunchtime sessions:
Fortnightly lunchtime sessions will take place giving students the opportunity to complete the training programme, as well as assist them with their other 3 sections and their EDofE accounts. There will be a few after school sessions throughout the year, but these will be arranged with plenty of notice.
Dates for the expeditions:
Practice expedition (Location to be confirmed): TBC
Assessed expedition (Location to be confirmed): TBC
Quotes from previous DofE participants:
"Completing my Bronze DofE Award gave me the opportunity to work with younger children in a coaching capacity which is something I never thought I’d enjoy, but realised that I not only love it but am also quite good at it”. “I have also learned how to cook basic meals for me and my family, a skill that I will continue to develop throughout my life”.
"Doing my DofE is one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life. It has helped me to overcome my fears and made me realise I can to do more things than I thought I could. The DofE is important because it allows people of all abilities to take part, develop skills and achieve. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget."
The enrolment process:
If your son/daughter is interested in participating in the award please express your interest by email to office@tmbs.org.uk.
Information and enrolment letters will be sent out at the beginning of the autumn term after the launch assembly.
Mrs B Farrell and Mr G Marshall
DofE Managers
Please click on the links below for further information.
Introduction to the DofE Award
Programme Ideas - Volunteering
Assessor's Report - Volunteering
Here's a few comments from students who have completed the DofE:
Our leaders were really fab!
DofE really helped me to socialise with the rest of my group, and we worked together to find out where we were going
I learnt how to pack a bag correctly
I pulled a calf out of a cow - amazing!