Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is popular at Ampleforth and pupils can enrol in Year 10 for the Silver Award programme and in Year 12 for the Gold Award. Each participant then follows their own, individual programme within the four sections of the Award: volunteering, physical recreation, skills and expedition. At Gold level there is an additional Residential section.
Volunteering - fosters participants' appreciation of their place within communities, the needs of others and their ability to serve, using their own strengths. The great majority of participants undertake the Volunteering Section at school in a variety of contexts including CCF, leadership with younger pupils, Schola, charity fundraising, the Friendship Project, and Alban Roe activities.
Physical Recreation - this is well catered for within the wide range of sporting and fitness opportunities at the School.
Skills - almost any interest or hobby can be approved (except those covered by Physical Recreation). Popular choices include playing musical instruments, art, photography, design and technology projects, the theatre, shooting, debating, librarianship, fishing and chess.
Expedition - training takes place locally on the North Yorkshire Moors, Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. Silver assessments are undertaken in the Yorkshire Dales during term time; Gold assessments take place over six days at the beginning of the Year 12 summer holidays in designated wild country areas, usually in Scotland.
Residential Project (for Gold level) - must be a minimum of five days and four nights in a non-domestic setting away from home, taking part in shared activity with others not previously known to the participant. The activity should be either of service to others or educational to the participant; for example, working with the elderly, sick, or young people in a variety of settings; music, sailing, language, classical studies, sports and leadership courses; conservation camps.
Our experience suggests it is well worth careful consideration of the expectations placed upon participants, alongside their existing commitments, before choosing to enrol. The Award requires sustained commitment and initiative, and participants are responsible for much of their own programme. Some existing commitments will mesh well with the Award and support a participant’s progress. Some may not, and we check to make sure that none are overburdened; students with a wide spread of existing commitments may find it difficult to manage this significant additional undertaking. The Award is both challenging and rewarding. Assessment in all elements of the Award is based upon effort, commitment, improvement and progress towards individually set goals
For more in-depth information on the structure of the DofE award, please click here.
