Duke of Edinburgh

Intent

At Grange Academy, our intent for delivering the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award is to enable our pupils, no matter their background or need, to develop, enhance and explore a range of skills and experiences that will assist them when navigating life’s challenges. DofE is a life-changing experience that provides pupils the opportunity to have fun with friends whilst discovering new interests and talents. The award supports the pupils to build their confidence, self-esteem and set personal challenges to overcome what they perceive are their limits. Our inclusive and structured programme of Physical, Skill and Volunteering challenges not only support our pupils with their personal goals but also heighten their understanding of setting and achieving these personal targets. Achieving a DofE Award isn’t a competition or about being first; it’s a personal challenge to make a difference to their community, develop as a person and most importantly, making memories with friends that will last a lifetime.

Implementation

The DofE Award is an accessible part of Grange Academy’s enriched curriculum that young people can work towards whilst giving them an ambitious, personalised experience. By embedding it into our curriculum as an option in KS4 it provides pupils with the opportunity to enhance their independent capability, build upon interests and develop essential skills for life and work whilst pushing themselves out of their perceived comfort zone. The pupils will have a double lesson each week with lessons focused on the volunteering, skill, and physical sections. As a group, pupils will set personalised goals based on a range of activities offered within school time. These activities will be suitable for their current ability in that activity and will be checked by staff that there is enough of a challenge, and it meets DofE Award guidance. During these lessons, pupils will build up evidence and log what they have achieved each week on their DofE accounts either as statements, photographs or both. Staff will sign off their tracking sheet each week to confirm what has been completed. When appropriate, pupils will have access to a series of expedition skills lesson which covers the DofE Award training framework ready for the practice and qualifying expeditions at the bronze award level The DofE Award is led by a DofE manager who is supported by an operations officer from Central DofE Award Office through training and meetings.

Impact: 

The DofE encourages pupils to develop their own skills and interests through perseverance of goals in manageable steps. These in turn, allow pupil to go outside the norm of the classroom and their social circles, aiming to broaden their horizons, and give them a positive approach to overcoming challenges and reaching goals whilst also breaching their comfort zones. The award enhances and builds upon their independence learnt through Life skills and social skills-based lessons within Grange’s curriculum. Through working towards personal and achievable goals, pupils gain a developed understanding of responsibility. The pupils reinforce their teamwork skills by learning to work collaboratively using their own strengths and supporting each other’s weaknesses whilst undertaking the expedition. The expedition enhances their organisational skills, develops their resilience and improves further their self-reliance when faced with challenges. For many, being able to give back to the local community through volunteering, strengthens their mental health and connection to the world around them. The breadth of the DofE programme means our pupils can explore new passions and learn valuable skills that will aid them in their future life and careers beyond Grange Academy.