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“I really enjoyed taking part in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award while I was at school. It provided an opportunity to challenge myself, learn new things and do good work in the community. It is something that I still talk about with my school friends to this day.”
“I really enjoyed taking part in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award while I was at school. It provided an opportunity to challenge myself, learn new things and do good work in the community. It is something that I still talk about with my school friends to this day.”
-Dame Kelly Holmes, Olympic champion
-Dame Kelly Holmes, Olympic champion
Course Overview
Course Overview
This course is designed to allow students to prove that they can achieve a number of different goals, over a period of more than a year, independently.
Students will show progress in, or develop new abilities in, the following areas:
Volunteering. Examples would be helping younger people in a sport or working unpaid for a nature reserve, Scouts or Guides or for a charity.
Skills. This could include playing a musical instrument, showing proficiency in cooking or gardening or one of 100’s of other activities that count towards this section.
Physical. Almost any sport will count towards the physical section.
Expedition. Students complete a practice walk and then an expedition weekend, camping overnight on the Saturday. See the snapshot from the 2024 cohort expedition to give you a insight into the expedition section of the award.
Click here to view possible ideas for the volunteering, skills and physical sections.
Check out the highlight reel of Expedition 2025 to the right!
DofE Expedition 2025 .mp4
The dates of the practice walk and expedition ARE NOW CONFIRMED, you are encouraged to apply AFTER you have checked with parents/carers that you WILL be able to attend on those dates.
Information on the award scheme can also be found by visiting the official Duke of Edinburgh website:
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
This course is available for students entering Year 10. Students must be able to work well, both independently and in a group. It is essential that you are well-organised. You must be able to commit several hours a week to DofE. To pass you will need to to attend designated curriculum sessions throughout the year. Two of the Volunteering/Skills/Physical sections will require a participation rate averaging 1 hour/week for three months. The third will require you to participate in it for 1 hour/week for six months (you decide which will be your six month section).
In order to qualify for the expedition, you must have shown good progress towards the completion of the volunteering, physical and skills sections and you must have attended the training day.
code of conduct
code of conduct
Due to the practical nature of this programme we must ensure the health and safety of all participants. As such we expect students to abide by the code of conduct. This outlines what might happen should you fail to attend the required sessions or behave in a manner that places the health, safety and enjoyment of students in jeopardy.
Students accepted in this programme will receive a code of conduct upon our return in September, it must be signed by both students and parents/carers. You will not be permitted to begin the programme until the code of conduct is received.
Assessment
Assessment
Students will be assessed on all 4 elements of the DofE by the West Sussex County Council Area Co-ordinator. Students will also be assessed on their Qualifying Expedition by independent assessors. To pass, both expeditions will have been successfully completed and you will have demonstrated clear progression in all of the other three elements. The Volunteering, Skill and Physical sections will have been signed off as completed by a qualified adult that you have worked with in each area before being considered by the WSCC Area Co-ordinator.
Practical information
Practical information
Who will deliver the course?
This course is overseen by Ms Wheeler (Assistant Headteacher). We will have aspects of the curriculum delivered by experts in their field such as those listed below:
Mr Thomas- First Aid
Mr Graves- Map reading and navigation
Mrs Jesson- Sustainable camp based cooking
E3 adventures- expedition skills and final assessments
When?
Students will need to be available for the practice walk and expedition. The dates of the practice walk and expedition are now confirmed for 2026, you are encouraged to apply only AFTER you have confirmed you can attend on the published dates.
Students will also need to be available on Tuesday afternoons between 3.00pm and 5.00pm at designated points throughout the year. This may be to check in with regards to progress in the volunteering, skills or physical section or for a dedicated curriculum session. These dates will be published at the start of the year.
As we near the practice walk and expedition, student groups will be expected to attend additional meetings which are determined by the group members.
What will you need?
Students will need a sleeping bag, walking shoes and a rucksack. E3 adventures will discuss kit requirements as we approach our expedition. A parents briefing will be held in January, our expedition providers will explain the elements of remote supervision whilst students are on expedition and discuss kit requirements.
A sample kit list is available here.
The cost?
The cost of the course is estimated to be £250. Please note that this is an estimate, and we will confirm the final cost and payment schedule upon our return in September 2025. Payments are made in four instalments—beginning with a deposit, followed by three further payments, as outlined below:
Friday 13th September 2025: £50 non-refundable deposit. This enables us to register students on the eDofE platform and instruct our expedition associates. Please note that once a student is registered, this payment is non-refundable.
Friday 7th February 2026: £50 payment. This is required once students have made good progress in submitting evidence for their three student-led sections and are confirmed for the expedition. This payment secures their place for the training day.
Friday 20th March 2026: £75 instalment towards the cost of the training day and expedition.
Friday 8th May 2026: £75 final instalment towards the cost of the expedition and final assessment.
The total cost includes access to the online services required for students to submit evidence and complete their award, the training day, the expedition itself, the final assessment, and use of key equipment such as tents and stoves.
Please do speak to us if this presents a concern. This includes the cost of the access to the online services which students must use to submit their evidence and actually complete their award, the training day, the expedition, assessment for the award and equipment such as tents and stoves for use on the expedition.
Can I study this with other additional qualifications?
The DofE has a very high time requirement. It may therefore be unsuitable to undertake it alongside another qualification. Please do speak to Ms Wheeler if you are worried about the time demands. We have had students use their studies in other twilight programmes such as GCSE French, Spanish or Latin as their skill section. This is possible, provided the classes do not clash and students are highly motivated and able to manage their time effectively. Please take into consideration the demands placed on students' time for hobbies, interests and sporting commitments outside of school.
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