Over the past 70 years, the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme has inspired and transformed the lives of millions of young people from all walks of life. From volunteering to physical activities, life skills to expeditions, achieving a DofE award at any level provides a passport to a brighter future, valued by sixth forms, universities and employers alike.

For each level of the award, a minimum of just an hour a week for each section is all it takes to complete three of the sections crucial to completing the award. Being only an hour a week, they can easily be fitted in and around academic studies, hobbies and social lives. At William Ellis, we also provide the boys opportunities to tick off their hours at our sports clubs and lunchtime activities. All of our teachers support the award and would be more than happy to sign off on any activity deemed suitable as stated by the DofE. Volunteering, skill sharing and opportunities for physical activities are available and welcomed throughout the school. Students should please see Mr Court, or the subject lead for your area of interest, to discuss how you can get involved with this inside of school.

Here at William Ellis, our DofE journey begins right from Year 7, when the boys will go on their first outdoor education trip to The Mill in Surrey, and continues through the outdoor education module in the PE curriculum. The boys will have outdoor education in PE and a trip to The Mill each year leading up to the Year 9 camp where they will undertake their first expedition at the Bronze level.

The awards for Bronze and Silver are each comprised of 4 sections: ‘Volunteering’, ‘Physical’, ‘Skills’ and the planning and undertaking of an expedition. The Gold award also requires a further section of a residential trip, where participants will spend a week with a charity group, helping out in a different community. Each level of the award will get progressively more difficult, whether it is the number of months required to fulfil the Physical, Skill and Volunteering sections, or how many days the expedition is required to last.

For all of the information on the DofE scheme, please see: https://www.dofe.org/