Duke of Edinburgh Award 2024/2025 – Silver Award

Dear Parent/Carer

Duke of Edinburgh Award 2024/2025 – Silver Award

The Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) is the world’s leading achievement award for young people, and is highly regarded by universities, colleges and employers. It encourages young people to develop independence, commitment, leadership and teamwork through being involved in a personalised programme of activities. The Academy fully supports the award and recognises its value for developing skills and attributes in young people.

Many of our Year 10 students have recently completed their Bronze aware, and we are excited to be once again offering our students the incredible opportunity to undertake the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award for the second year in a row. If students have yet to complete their Bronze award they can be signed up for Silver but we will not be able to register them to start the award until all assessor reports have been received for their Bronze award.

Timescales

The Award is split into four sections: Volunteering, Physical, Skill, and Expedition. It will take at least 6 months to complete the Silver award if students have already achieved their Bronze award, or 12 months if they are undertaking the Silver straight away. The timescales for each of the sections is detailed below.

• Volunteering section: 6 months
• Physical and Skills sections: One section for 6 months and the other section for 3 months
• Expedition section: 3 days/2 nights

If your child didn’t undertake / complete their Bronze award they must undertake a further 6 months in either the volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections. The award requires a regular commitment to various activities. Further detail of which activities are accepted by DofE can be found on the following website –  https://www.dofe.org/dofewithadifference/activities

Expedition Section

The Expedition section requires participants to plan, train for and complete an unaccompanied, self-reliant 3-day expedition.  JC Adventures will be delivering the practise expedition and the qualifying expedition to complete their Award.

Practice expedition – Thursday 3^rd April to Saturday 5^th April 2025

Qualifying expedition – Thursday 22^nd May to Saturday 24^th May 2025

Students will be expected to have their own personal equipment; however, group equipment (tents, cooking equipment, maps, compass) will be provided by JC Adventures. There is a discount available in Go Outdoors, Blacks and Millets for Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants. They will receive a discount card once they have been registered in their DofE enrolment pack.

Depending on numbers that register for the award will determine what location we carry out the expeditions and also whether we are able to provide transport for students.

Cost

The cost for the Silver award is £290.  This will cover the DofE enrolment fee, the practice expedition and qualifying expedition, and the appropriate training, insurance, and campsite fees to complete these. If the cost is an issue for you, please contact us as soon as possible to discuss any support that we can offer.

Students who are in receipt of the pupil premium may qualify for some financial support with these payments. DofE are currently funding the enrolment fee for those who are in receipt of pupil premium. Please indicate on the reply slip if you wish to apply for financial support.

If your child wants to take part in the Award, please return the following by Friday 29^th November 2024.

• Non-refundable deposit of £50 to cover the registration cost and expedition deposit
• DofE Participant Enrolment Form – https://forms.office.com/e/bmfSTKxP3n

The remaining cost for the expeditions will be due by 19^th March 2025.  This can be paid in instalments as follows:

£80 – by 15^th January 2025

£80 – by 19^th February 2025

£80 – by 19^th March 2025

Please take some time to look at the DofE website www.dofe.org and encourage your child to also look at the website as they plan what they might do for the other sections. We will be hosting an information evening before the expedition, so please do come along to hear more about the programme, meet the staff involved in running it, and ask any questions.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.

Yours sincerely

Mrs E Baker

D of E Team

Hanham Woods Academy