Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Haybridge High School and Sixth Form has been offering the DofE Award for over 20 years and offers the DofE Award at three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. We currently have over 100 students participating in the Bronze Award, over 60 participants in the Silver Award and over 30 participants in the Gold Award across Years 9 – 13.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is a personal development program for 14 to 24 year olds. The award is designed to be enjoyable whilst learning a wealth of new skills, such as self-reliance, teamwork, and leadership. The award also helps students to push themselves physically, help others and explore new territories.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a recognition of a young person’s successful journey of self-discovery and development, the benefits of achieving an award at any level are endless. It’s difficult to list them all here … but students should know that they will have fun and will push themselves to do new things that will help them to grow in confidence and develop useful skills. A DofE Award can also give students the edge when they apply for college, university, or a job.
The timescales for each award are shown below.
Bronze It will usually take you at least 6 months to complete your Bronze programme. Volunteering section: 3 months Physical section: 3 months Skills section: 3 months Expedition section: 2 days/1 night
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Silver It will take you at least 6 months for Silver if you’ve already achieved your Bronze, or 12 months if you’ve jumped straight into Silver. 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
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Gold Volunteering section: 12 months Physical and Skills sections: One section for 12 months and the other section for 6 months Expedition section: 4 days/3 nights Residential section: Undertake a shared activity in a residential setting away from home for 5 days and 4 nights. |
It is a personal challenge available to all students however it does require students to commit some of their own time to undertake their selected activities. Each level of the award has four sections to complete, Volunteering, Skill, Physical and Expedition. There is also an additional five-day Residential section for Gold participants. Activities for each DofE section take a minimum of one hour per week over a set period, so that they can be fitted around students’ studies and life outside school. Students will also need to participate regularly and show that they’re committed to their DofE during this time.
Volunteering Section
Volunteering is simple. It’s about choosing to give time to help people, the community or society, the environment or animals. The volunteering section of a DofE programme is often the most rewarding, uplifting and memorable part of a young person’s DofE adventure. For the volunteering activity students will need to choose to give time to do something useful without getting paid (apart from expenses). It can, however, sometimes be hard to find a suitable volunteering opportunity for those under the age of 16.
Physical Section
For the physical activity students need to choose any sport, dance or fitness activity – in short, anything that requires a sustained level of energy and physical activity. For example, playing a sport regularly and showing personal improvement would count, such as a school club, gym sessions or out of school sports club. It is not only excellent for students own personal health but also a good training regime for the expedition.
Skills Section
For the skills activity students need to choose an activity that will allow them to prove they have broadened their understanding and increased their expertise in their chosen skill. It should not be a physical activity, for example horse riding, as this counts towards the Physical section, however, students could choose to learn about caring for horses.
If you are in doubt about any of the chosen activities for these sections please email dofe@haybridge.worcs.sch.uk for help and guidance.
Expedition Section
This is often the section that the students are most looking forward to! For the expedition section, students will need to plan, train for, and complete an unaccompanied, self-reliant expedition with an agreed aim. Students must do the correct training for their level and mode of travel, at least one practice expedition, a qualifying expedition (the one that is assessed) and a final presentation to complete the section. The expedition must be completed by the student’s own physical efforts with minimal external intervention and without motorised assistance.
Students must adhere to the 20 Conditions of the Expedition section as set out by the DofE Award.
The Bronze Expedition takes place in the Wyre Forest and surrounding area, whilst the Silver is in the Long Mynd and Black Mountains, and the Gold in the Elan Valley and Black Mountains.
Expedition Calendar 2026/27
Level | Dates | Location |
Bronze | 30 April – 2 May 2027 | Wyre Forest |
Silver Practise | 17 June – 19 June 2027 | Long Mynd |
Silver Assessment | 25 June – 2 July 2027 | Black Mountains |
Gold Practise | 20 October – 23 October 2026 | Elan Valley |
Gold Assessment | 25 June – 29 June 2027 | Black Mountains |
Residential Section (Gold Award only)
For the residential section, students need to undertake a shared activity or specific course with people they don’t know, in a residential setting away from home and in an unfamiliar environment. Evenings are often as much a part of the experience as daytime activities.
This section offers a high degree of flexibility, but it must be done with an organised group, registered charity, or Approved Activity Provider. Students must join it individually and not with an existing group of friends or as part of a school or youth group trip. Students will be staying away – anything from an activity centre or camp to a boat or barge – but they cannot stay with friends or relatives.
DofE Contacts
Should you have any questions or would like to find out more about the DofE Award at Haybridge High School and Sixth Form, please contact us via email on dofe@haybridge.worcs.sch.uk