Emergency Information for Parents

DofE Expedition Section Requirements

Below are the main requirements for participants on expedition. They must meet these to complete a qualifying expedition. At RPS we aim to meet all of these and exceed in many regards. The below conditions are those that we require:

• There must be between four and seven participants in a team

• The expedition must be of the correct duration and meet the minimum hours of planned activity.

Silver: A minimum of 3 days, 2 nights; 7 hours of planned activity each day.

Gold: A minimum of 4 days, 3 nights; 8 hours of planned activity each day.

• Assessment must be by an Accredited Assessor who has passed a DofE qualification 

• Participants must be adequately trained to safely complete an expedition in the environment in which they will be operating:

Silver: Teams must complete the required training and a practice expedition of a minimum 2 days, 2 nights.

Gold: Teams must complete the required training and a practice expedition of a minimum 2 days, 2 nights.

• Expeditions must have a clearly defined team goal – this could be researching an area of interest, contributing to a community action project, or developing soft skills. 

• The environment chosen must become progressively more challenging through the award levels.

• Accommodation should be by camping or other simple self-catering accommodation

• Expeditions take place between the end of March and the end of October. There should be a reasonable gap between the practice and qualifying expeditions. 

• Journeying must be by participants’ own physical effort, although mobility aids may be used where appropriate to the needs of the participant. 

• Participants must plan an appropriate expedition menu, including cooking and eating a substantial hot meal each day (optional on the final day).

• Participants must behave responsibly with respect for their team members, Leaders, landowners, the public and animals, and must understand and adhere to the Countryside and Highway Codes. 

• Expeditions must be unaccompanied and self-sufficient. The team must be properly equipped, and supervision must be carried out remotely.

• Participants must actively participate in a debrief with their Assessor at the end of the expedition and a presentation must be delivered after the expedition.