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Thank you!
Thank you for being a section assessor for our young people. Your help with assessing their award is an integral part of gaining the award.
Becoming an assessor for a Duke of Edinburgh Award section (Volunteering, Physical, Skill) is a great way to support participants experience new things, develop skills, meet new people and ultimately complete their Duke of Edinburgh Award programme.
Please find more information below including an FAQ and guidance on writing assessor reports at the very bottom.
What is a DofE section assessor?
What is a DofE section assessor?
A DofE section assessor mentors a participant in their activity and confirms what the participant has been doing, how they have progressed and how they have met their goals.
Who can be a DofE Section Assessor?
Who can be a DofE Section Assessor?
Almost anyone! A DofE section assessor should have competence and knowledge of the activity that the participant is undertaking, and cannot be a peer or family member.
What is involved?
What is involved?
A DofE section assessor will guide and set goals with the participant. Participants can use blogs or photos to showcase their activity if they cannot meet every week. At the end of the activity the assessor must complete a feedback report.
What needs to be included in a report?
What needs to be included in a report?
A good report should the participant’s achievements in their activity. It needs to have the correct start and finish dates marked on it to show the participant has completed the required timescale and be signed by the assessor with contact details. An assessor’s report should be personalised, positive and encouraging.
How is an assessor report submitted?
How is an assessor report submitted?
There are two options: participants may give their assessor a report card from their Welcome Pack to fill in, or assessors can write their report via https:// edofe.org/Assessor. They will need the participant’s eDofE number for the site. These reports are sent to the Leader’s account to send to the participant; if you use the Welcome Pack page, the young person must scan the report onto their account themselves.
Section Assessor FAQ
Q) There are lots of staff that run the activity – does it matter which one fills out the report?
Q) There are lots of staff that run the activity – does it matter which one fills out the report?
A) Each participant has to nominate one person who will oversee their progress towards the goals they have set themselves. It should be that person who fills in the report to comment on the participant’s progress over the set time period but that does not mean that person has to work with them week on week, just that they have the overview of the participant’s engagement and progress in that activity.
Q) What happens if the young person doesn’t reach the goals they have set themselves?
Q) What happens if the young person doesn’t reach the goals they have set themselves?
A) Although we encourage participants to set realistic goals there are occasions when participants are unable to reach them. This doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot write an assessors report. As long as the participant has shown commitment to the activity over the set period of time, and has shown that they have been working towards their goals then this is enough to fulfil the DofE requirements of undertaking the section. Assessors are therefore still able to complete a report highlighting the progress the participant has made.
Q) What happens if I change my mind about being a section assessor?
Q) What happens if I change my mind about being a section assessor?
A) We would hope that this would not happen, but if for any reason you no longer want to or are able to be an assessor for a DofE section then the young person would need to find another assessor within the activity. If this is not possible the young person should speak to their DofE leader about how to evidence their work for the remainder of the section.
Q) How much extra work does being a section assessor involve
Q) How much extra work does being a section assessor involve
A) There is not much extra work involved at all beyond what you are already doing in leading the activity the young person has chosen to undertake. Other than that it will be 5-15 minutes to have a conversation with the participant about the goals they have set themselves to check they are realistic and check how they plan to achieve them. Writing a brief assessor’s report for the participant to submit should take a further 10-15 minutes.
Q) Do I need any additional qualifications or training to be a DofE sectional assessor?
Q) Do I need any additional qualifications or training to be a DofE sectional assessor?
A) There are no requirements for qualifications or training to be a sectional assessor. You will of course need the required qualifications or training to enable you to run the activity and these will be in line with your centre’s policies and procedures. There are however no additional qualifications or training needed to write an assessor report.
Q) What happens if the young person hasn’t done the required amount of time but still reached the goals they have set?
Q) What happens if the young person hasn’t done the required amount of time but still reached the goals they have set?
A) One of the requirements of the section is to complete the required timescale; if they happen to reach their goals early the assessor could have a quick talk with them about how they can continue to progress and extend their goal. This could then be included when discussing the participant’s achievements in the assessor report.
Writing-Assessor_Reports_-_SKILLS (1).pdfWriting-Assessor_Reports_-_PHYSICAL (1).pdfWriting-Assessor_Reports_-_VOLUNTEERING (1).pdfPage updated
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